Anyone recommend a decent route through n spain (santander) and through to portugal lisbon taking in some decent scenery on the journey? Also any tips on how I go about toll systems for both countries?

Tia

baltic blue might be able to help.... ... - .- -.




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Last time I went that way, I went via tunnel to France, then Rouen, la mans, Bordeaux, north border to Spain then Burgos, Valladolid, Salamanca and into Portugal. In Portugal I just went south to Albufeira. We didn’t stop for sightseeing as we were just wanting to get there... did it in 2 full days and 3 hours on 3rd day. __
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dingg1,
I have done several trips in my various Range Rovers to every corner of Spain and Portugal and will be going again in September for 4 or 5 weeks.
Let me suggest the following as a starter for ten.
From Santander follow the coast road before heading South to Potes.
The Picos de Europa area of northern Spain is stunning.
From Potes head towards the Portugal border and follow the line of the Duoro river.
This area is the main grape growing region and full of Port producing vineyards.
The Duoro leads straight into Porto which is a must visit city.
From Porto head south following the coast road down to Lisbon.

I could write all night on the delights of driving in Spain and Portugal.
I avoid Portuguese toll roads because they are ridiculously expensive, but easily avoided using A class roads.

I will be happy to give you more info on most areas and wish you an enjoyable trip that will be full of happy memories.

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Hi, Baltic Blue

Do you by any chance drag a Tin tent with you?

I lived in Denia for 6 years but never went with a tin tent, I am looking to go for next winter?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers

Alex

Alex,
No I don’t have a tin tent.
We usually pick an area then rent a property for 4 weeks, which can be found easily because we always go out of the peak holiday season to avoid the crowds and the extremes of the summer heat.
I like to take a few days on the journey both ways exploring different parts of France, Spain and Portugal.
I know Denia because I have an an work colleague who retired to the area when we both finished work.
I have stayed in Calpe Javea and several other towns when visiting him.
We are returning to a particularly nice area of Portugal this year near Carvoeira to a property we have used a couple of times previously.

Enjoy.
Mike. G reg 2.5VM Vogue Portofino red 1991- 1999
V reg 2.5td P38 Rioja red 1999- 2006
53 reg td6 Vogue Oslo blue 2006- 2015
11 reg 4.4 TdV8 Vogue SE. Baltic blue 2015- date.
https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic56162...tty+affair

Thanks Mike
Thats just what I was looking for , now need to sort out dog friendly hotels on route

Alex,
Allow an extra day for a visit from POTES to see the Feuenta De area.
We have stayed in the Parador and used the cable car to get to the top, followed by an afternoon walk down.

The area is breathtaking.
Try Googling Feuenta De. 👍👍😁😁

Mike. G reg 2.5VM Vogue Portofino red 1991- 1999
V reg 2.5td P38 Rioja red 1999- 2006
53 reg td6 Vogue Oslo blue 2006- 2015
11 reg 4.4 TdV8 Vogue SE. Baltic blue 2015- date.
https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic56162...tty+affair

As an ex patriate resident in Portugal I would add the following suggestions
1. Aveiro.......south of Douro and known as the "Venice of Portugal"
2. Conimbriga Roman Ruins, if history is your thing as the mosaics and the museum are stunning.
3. Coimbra is a great city
4. Tomar for the Convento do Cristo (Knights of the Round Table etc)
5. Fatima if you are religious

There are so many other places in the interior that it would take months to visit them all, plus all the coastal stuff, just enjoy the place and just as importantly the people.

HTH

Rob Now running a 2016 Autobiography plus an Aston Martin Virage
Previously ran a Lincoln Navigator and 18 XC60 T5
Before that a pile of Jeeps, Mercedes and Jaguars and Porsches, Mustang and Volvo.

I remember visiting Aveiro on my journey from Porto to Lisbon.
We also visited Sinatra because we were staying in a Pousada on that side of Lisbon .

I will also add that we stayed in the Pousada in Porto and it was without doubt the best hotel I have ever stayed in anywhere in Europe.

We have bought a Pousada Golden Years Passport ticket a couple of times and the service they give is exceptionally good.
It gives you 5 nights accommodation and 5 breakfasts. They can be 5 different locations or you can book 2 or more nights at any of the hotels.
It can all be arranged very simply on line before you depart, and we have always been very happy with the service.

We have also used the identical package for Spanish Paradors , again superb.
Not sure if they are “dog friendly “ though.

Mike. G reg 2.5VM Vogue Portofino red 1991- 1999
V reg 2.5td P38 Rioja red 1999- 2006
53 reg td6 Vogue Oslo blue 2006- 2015
11 reg 4.4 TdV8 Vogue SE. Baltic blue 2015- date.
https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic56162...tty+affair

Thanks again chaps

House hunting mission is the plan
Rent for 6-12 months until we find the place we settle in

That is what we did, just did not quite work out that way as we fell in love with a building plot which was an old olive grove in the foothills of the Sierra Das Candeeeiros just outside the UNESCO town of Alcobaca.
So we built our own house and 6 years later are just as delighted as the first day we set foot on the land.
I wish you well in the hunt, if I can help at all, especially as we are in the Silver Coast.....................real Portugal !!!!
then please let me know.

HTH
Rob Now running a 2016 Autobiography plus an Aston Martin Virage
Previously ran a Lincoln Navigator and 18 XC60 T5
Before that a pile of Jeeps, Mercedes and Jaguars and Porsches, Mustang and Volvo.

cheers Rob

the silver coast is looking likely to tick all our boxes so far , plan is to come across in october with a view to renting for 3 months in each of four locations to get a feel for what suits us , don't expect the algarve to be the one so down south is last on our list , probably first will be coimbra or lisbon region I think , we both have an open mind but will need to have somewhere we can get cable or decent/high speed broadband and that may well scupper some (indeed a lot) of properties , may have to reboot my lifestyle to a somewhat more relaxed way about things and thats the whole idea of retiring early tbh so may well give up on that , although the missus will miss uk tv

a q if I may saying as you have local eyes on it , how is the property market there at the moment ?
reading there's a turnaround going on now and prices are getting lively and just wondering how hard we would need to bargain when we do find the property we want or what likelihood of getting a bargain may be?

tia

pm me if need be

Grant

Hi Grant
Happy to PM you, but I thought that other followers of this thread and of the ex-pat lifestyle in general may be interested in some more generic information. If you want specifics then let me know and I will PM answers and also links to valuable/useful web sites.
As far as the Silver Coast goes then it is probably the last undiscovered area of Portugal (everyone knows or has heard of Algarve, Douro Valley, Lisboa and Estoril) which means that in general most prices here are lower than other areas, national providers such as EDP for Electricity are the same country wide but you will find local taxes for property here to be lower than many other areas, food is cheaper, eating out is cheaper, wine is cheaper and so on.
As far as house prices are concerned then this is still a good area to buy in to, the introduction of the Non Habitual Residence Scheme in 2010 together with the "Golden Visa" have undoubtedly increased the volume of people looking to move here but this has been concentrated in areas such as the Algarve and Lisbon, this in turn has driven prices up in these areas to the point where now many property buyers are looking further afield, so where previously someone with maybe €500,000 could have bought a nice Villa in Estoril or Cascais now it will get them maybe a 3 bed apartment with no pool or garage.............however move north out of Lisbon to maybe Lourinha and that €500,000 will get you a very nice Villa with outdoor pool, good plot, etc. move another 25 minutes up here and the same villa will be €350,000

I am not sure what sort of budget you are looking at so if you want more specific information then PM and I am happy to help.
As far as places to live then we are clearly biased as we live near Alcobaca, this is 115 kms north of Lisbon and takes 75 minutes to get to the Airport........why choose Alcobaca............number of reasons

1. Close to the Coast but far enough away not to have house maintenance issues or holiday summer crowds
2. Access to a full range of shops and supermarkets.
3. Plenty of Health services locally and Private Hospitals only 25 minutes away
4. Not over crowded
5. Alcobaca allows quick access to Nazare, Obidos, Tomar, Leiria, etc all of which are places that we enjoy going to.
6. No crime, unlike the Algarve (Eastern European migrant workers are an annual problem)
7. Access to more than 1 airport (Porto is 2 hours north)
8. Shorter drive to Northern Spain for the Ferries

Not a definitive list but certainly the main ones for us.
And why Portugal and specifically the Silver Coast, , great people, great lifestyle, good weather here with seasons, it is possible to Ski in the Winter 60 minutes north of here and then beach walk later the same day in shorts. Great food and wine and a relaxed lifestyle and finally NO TAX..........yep that's right, if you qualify for the Non Habitual Residency Scheme then you can have 10 years residency here free of Tax, not all qualify (for example if you have Govt. pension) but most do.

I hope that helps. If I can help more then let me know

Rob Now running a 2016 Autobiography plus an Aston Martin Virage
Previously ran a Lincoln Navigator and 18 XC60 T5
Before that a pile of Jeeps, Mercedes and Jaguars and Porsches, Mustang and Volvo.

thats a great post Rob and ticks many of the boxes we have highlighted in our requirements

we are looking to come over in Oct , register residency in jan 19 and apply for NHR status immediately following residency application (NHR being one of the main drivers), budget will be around the 400k euro , looking forward to the move and early retirement , did you need help sorting out nhr or was it a simple process?

I have looked online and some people seem to have managed themselves without issue and some have resorted to using an accountant and still encountered problems , it currently appears to be just an online application with a simple answer once residency has been established. Once I obtain NHR we should have our property sold in the uk and will be able to hit the house hunting process in earnest.

G