Get behind the wheel in Portugal and you risk a bad dose of culture shock. Though the Portuguese are a warm and welcoming people, many seem to drive with a casual recklessness that can be terrifying.

Dangerous overtaking, tailgating and speeding are all commonplace and help to explain why Portugal has one of the highest road-death rates in Europe.

That said, recent investment has produced an impressive network of motorways. These are mercifully free of traffic because locals consider the tolls expensive – e.g. €17.05 between Lisbon and the Algarve.

Hit the Road

The most confusing aspect of driving in Portugal is the law that gives priority to traffic coming from the right. Negotiating roundabouts can be hair-raising.

Radar traps and unmarked police cars are used to enforce speed limits with most fines payable on the spot. You can be fined around €600 for using a handheld mobile phone and if you can’t pay up, the police may confiscate your vehicle.

If you’re caught driving over the blood-alcohol limit of 50mg you’ll be fined. More than 120mg and you can expect to be shown the inside of a Portuguese prison cell.

Star Drive

The Douro Valley, where some of Portugal’s finest wines and ports are produced, makes for an intoxicating tour. The route from Porto through Amarante, Regua, Pinhão and Mateus is stunning and there are plenty of vineyards where you can drop by for a tasting. Drivers must spit it out, of course.

Douro Valley

Best of the Rest

Most visitors to the Algarve head straight from motorway to beach, but a tour down the back roads through the towns of Loulé, Silves and Monchique provides an atmospheric alternative away from the crowds. Alternatively, venture further north to the Alentejo, an area of expansive plains, whitewashed villages, olive groves and wheat fields. Head for Evora, Vila Vicosa and Estremoz.

Laws of the Land

• All car passengers must wear seatbelts if fitted
• Children under 12 years old or 1.5m tall cannot sit in the front unless the car has only front seats or there are no seatbelts in the back. Only approved child seats or a suitable restraint system appropriate to a child’s size and weight can be used. If you have to use a child seat in the front, the passenger side airbags must be deactivated if using a rear-facing model
• You must carry a warning triangle, reflective vest and photo ID
• It’s illegal to run out of petrol when crossing Lisbon’s mile-long 25 de Abril bridge
• For emergency services dial 112
• Motorcyclists must dip their headlights during the day and wear crash helmets (including passenger). Passengers must be at least seven years old

Standard Speed Limits

• Urban Areas 50kmh
• Open Roads/ Outside Built Up Areas 90kmh
• Motorways 120kmh (minimum 50kmh)
• Cars towing on open roads 70kmh
• Cars towing on motorways 100kmh

In addition to the above, a maximum speed limit of 90kmh
applies to those who’ve held a licence for less than one year

Local Knowledge

If oncoming motorists flash their lights at you, take care – they may be signalling his intention to perform a reckless overtaking move.

In cities you should park in the direction of the traffic and not within 18m of a junction or 15m of a bus stop. You may see unofficial “attendants” who will direct you to spaces. Locals pay them a €1 tip to “look after” their cars. Park illegally and you can be clamped or towed.

Did You Know…?
It’s illegal in Portugal to strap cycles to the back of a car.

Driving In Portugal

Driving in Spain is the perfect antidote to the stop-start misery of British traffic. Escape the big cities and you can cruise along gleaming blacktops that hug verdant hillsides and carve across endless plains.

Spain’s impressive network of autopistas is surprisingly light on traffic. That’s because most locals prefer not to pay the tolls and stick instead to the back roads. If you do decide to pay up, console yourself with the thought that fuel is cheap: unleaded is about 75% of the price in the UK, with diesel even cheaper.

Hit the Road

One thing you’ll notice when you get behind the wheel is that the Spanish tend to drive quickly and aggressively – so don’t take it personally.

What you may not immediately notice is that the authorities are remarkably intolerant of offenders. Speed traps are common and, if you’re caught, you’ll have to pay an on-the-spot fine, the amount dependant on how far you were over the limit.

Drink-drive laws are strict, with a legal alcohol limit of 50mg per 100ml of blood, compared to 80mg in the UK.

In Spain, you’re legally obliged to carry a warning triangle, a set of spare bulbs and the tools to fit them. If you wear glasses to drive you must have a spare pair in the car. And you must carry a reflective vest – in the main cabin of the vehicle, rather than the boot.

Star Drive

The Ruta de la Plata – the Silver Route – was built by the Romans to connect the sublime city of Seville with the Atlantic port of Oviedo. The first great road across Spain, it extends across mountains, valleys and plains, linking the great historical centres of Salamanca, Oviedo and Caceres.

Neu Spanien

Best of the Rest

Real pilgrims walk it, but the Road to Santiago along the Atlantic coast through Asturias and Cantabrica is also a dream to drive, and easily accessible from the northern ferry ports of Santander and Bilbao.

Laws of the Land

• All car passengers must wear seatbelts if fitted
• Children under 12 years old or less than 1.35m tall must use a suitable child restraint system appropriate to their size and weight, whether travelling in the front or back. Children above 1.35m tall may use an adult seat with seatbelt
• You can be fined for running out of petrol on main roads
• It’s illegal to use full-beam headlights in built-up areas
• If you witness an accident you must tend to any victims and call emergency services. For an English-speaking operator dial 902 102 112
• Motorcyclists must dip their headlights during the day and wear crash helmets (including passenger)

Standard Speed Limits

• Residential Areas 20kmh
• Built Up Areas 50kmh
• Outside Built Up Areas 90kmh
• Dual Carriageways 100kmh
• Motorways 120kmh

Local Knowledge

In the countryside you can drive for miles without seeing a filling station – so top up when you get the chance. If an oncoming vehicle flashes you, watch out for a police speed trap.

In big cities car crime can be a problem. Be careful where you park at night – either use a secure car park or strip the vehicle of valuables. Don’t park on yellow-painted pavements – you could get towed.

Did You Know…?
You can be fined for not indicating before overtaking.

Driving in Spain

Many drivers assume they are automatically covered for driving abroad, when in most cases they are only automatically covered for basic Road Traffic Accident (RTA) insurance. At best they will have third party cover, (depending on the country they are travelling in) which means drivers would not be covered if their car was stolen, or if they become embroiled in legal matters after an accident.

The confusion boils down to history, as British drivers have historically needed a certificate, called a green card, as proof of their insurance overseas. With the advent of the single market in the early nineties, some of the EU countries agreed that tourists need not travel with their green card documentation, but that was not universally applied across Europe.

Insurance Green Card

For example, in Romania a car can be impounded if the driver cannot produce their green card, and it is also required in Malta, Andorra and Poland. Even tourists travelling off-the-beaten track in France and Italy can experience difficulties, despite the fact that these are both countries where, in theory, you do not need the card.

The green card itself is free. It demonstrates that there is some level of insurance cover for the car. But be warned! Unless a prospective traveller extends their cover they will only have basic RTA insurance whilst abroad. Insurers often say they charge for a green card and can call it ‘green card cover’ but in reality they are charging for extending the same level of UK insurance cover whilst abroad. This ‘foreign use extension’ is rarely covered free of charge within a travellers existing policy.

Insurance rates do vary for extension of cover depending on how long the cover is required. Some insurance companies will also take into account the type of car being covered and other pertinent factors which affect their risk. Some offer hybrid packages which include European breakdown cover.

Driving Abroad

You can see Ireland without a car – but not if you want to find the best bits. Cities like Dublin and Cork are fascinating but it’s only when you leave them and get out into the countryside that you unlock the timeless charm and pastoral beauty of Ireland.

Taking your own car is easy and cheap with much-improved ferry services and petrol prices around 20% lower than the UK.

Irish Countryside

Hit the Road

One of the pleasures of driving in Ireland is in exploring remote villages on winding country lanes. But take care – many rural roads are narrow with stone walls on both sides that can be poorly maintained. Also, you’ll occasionally come across a junction without any road markings so keep a map handy.

Livestock presents a real danger. Suicidal sheep have a habit of leaping out in front of vehicles and it’s not uncommon to turn a blind corner and find a herd of animals on the road in front of you. Drive slowly – even where the locals don’t.

The drink-drive limit in Ireland is the same as in the UK – 80mg – with severe punishments for offenders. If you’re caught speeding you can expect to get an on-the-spot fine.

Star Drive

The Ring of Kerry is a 110-mile circular route that takes you around the spectacular shoreline of the Iveragh Peninsular in Ireland’s wild west. The best way to go is anti-clockwise starting in Killarney and heading along the north coast of the peninsular looking out along the craggy windswept coast over Dingle Bay. Cross the bridge to Valentia Island, the most westerly harbour in Europe, then stop in the resort of Waterville, where you can take detours into the surrounding hills. All along the Ring you’ll find welcoming pubs, and spotless beaches with high dunes and foaming Atlantic surf.

Laws of the Land

• All car passengers must wear seatbelts if fitted
• Children under 12 are not allowed to travel in the front seat without a suitable child restraint. In addition, passengers under 12 years of age or less than 1.5m tall must be seated in a suitable baby/child seat or booster chair that is appropriate to their height and weight
• Dipped headlights should be used in poor daytime visibility
• In an emergency dial 999 or 112
• Motorcyclists must dip their headlights during the day and wear crash helmets (including passenger)

Standard Speed Limits

• Urban Areas 50kmh
• Outside Urban Areas 60kmh up to 100kmh (check signage)
• Motorways 120kmh

Local Knowledge

The roads into major cities, particularly Dublin, get very congested during peak hours. Getting out of Dublin on a Friday afternoon can be a nightmare. The city also has a high level of car crime, so be careful where you park at night.

Motorway tolls are being introduced in Ireland for the M1, M4, M8 and the new M50 Dublin Orbital.

Did You Know…?
You should not use your horn between the hours of 11.30pm and 7am.

Ireland Driving Guide

Either way you look at it, France is a joy to drive. If you’re the type who just wants to put pedal to metal and whizz down to the Mediterranean coast, you’ll love the motorway system. Motorways may be tolled but they are still great value for money, and cost just enough to deter the local farmers in their rusting 2CVs.

If, on the other hand, you take a more relaxed approach to motoring holidays, you’ve hit the jackpot. Because once you leave the autoroute and delve down some of the tens of thousands of minor roads you’ll find a France that, even in the 21st century, remains obstinately rural.

You won’t need to venture far off the beaten track to enjoy a true Gallic experience. Within 20 minutes of rolling off a ferry at Calais you can find yourself on twisting country lanes lined with fields and wild flowers, pulling up at medieval villages and feasting on cheap, authentic cuisine at rustic auberges. And although it would be madness to travel without maps or a Europe-friendly sat nav, it’s often when you take a wrong turn that you really stumble on La Belle France.

In recent years the authorities have cracked down on motoring offences, particularly speeding and drink-driving. In fact, more than 1,000 hidden speed cameras have been installed and police have stepped up random breath tests.

Laws are tough. The legal alcohol limit is 50mg in every 100ml of blood, compared to 80mg in the UK. If you’re found to be over the limit you face having your licence confiscated – or prison. And if you’re caught speeding by a patrol car you’ll have to cough up a heavy on-the-spot fine. The good news is that tougher policing is dramatically reducing road deaths across France.

One of the easiest ways to fall foul of the law is when passing through a village on a fast country road. The speed limit can drop from 90kmh to 50kmh with only the sign showing the name of the village as warning. This is important – if police catch you exceeding a limit by 40kmh or more they can confiscate your licence.

Star Drive

Sir Norman Foster’s Millau Viaduct, the world’s highest road bridge, is a breathtaking feat of engineering taller than the Eiffel Tower. It’s also incredibly handy, banishing bottlenecks on the journey south along the A75 between Clermont-Ferrand and the Mediterranean.

The bridge, which opened in 2004, was built to divert traffic away from the pretty Roman town of Millau. Ironically, Millau, now free of tourists, is once again a great place to visit. It also boasts gobsmacking views of the bridge soaring overhead. So the smart move is to cross the bridge in one direction (toll €5.40 rising to €7.00 July & August) and, in the other, take the back roads into Millau.

Best of the Rest

Whether it’s beaches, mountains, rolling farmland or winding valleys that light your spark plug, France has enough spectacular drives to keep you gee-whizzing for years on end. The trick, during summer at least, is to get off the beaten track. So rather than sit in a jam on the Cote d’Azur, head north along the Ardeche, where the road twists and climbs as it follows the valley past unspoilt villages, tiny sandy beaches and historic castles.

In Brittany, avoid the busy resorts and take the coast road from Morlaix to Le Conquet past fishing villages, pretty coves and lighthouses. Or potter around Alsace – Europe’s most attractive wine region, where the route between Obernai and Soultz is dotted with exquisite medieval villages, gothic churches and vineyards.

Laws of the Land

• All car passengers must wear seatbelts if fitted
• Children under 10 are not allowed to sit in the front of a car unless: the car has only front seats; there are no seatbelts in the back; children under 10 already occupy the back seats. Only approved child seats can be used in the front seat but passenger side airbags must be deactivated if using a rear-facing child seat
• In built-up areas horns should only be used in emergencies
• In the mountains in winter you must have winter tyres or snow chains
• Don’t park on a single yellow line – you could be towed away
• If you witness a serious accident you are legally obliged to offer assistance. At the very least, call the emergency services by dialling 18. The Pompiers – the fire brigade – will co-ordinate other services
• Motorcyclists must dip their headlights during the day and wear crash helmets (including passenger)

Standard Speed Limits

• Built Up Areas 50kmh
• Outside Built Up Areas 90kmh
• Urban Motorways/Dual Carriageways 110kmh
• Motorways 130kmh (minimum 80kmh)

In addition:

• Lower speed limits apply in the wet
• Lower speed limits apply if you’ve held a licence for less than two years
• Radar detectors are illegal

Local Knowledge

On a narrow or congested road an oncoming driver who flashes his lights at you is not inviting you to pass first. He means: “I’m coming through – whether you like it or not”. On main roads the same signal could be a warning of a police speed trap.

In France, as in much of continental Europe, drivers tend to treat cyclists with respect and give them a wide berth. Pedestrians, on the other hand, get short shrift. However, this too is changing with a recent law stating that drivers must stop for people on pedestrian crossings.

The baffling French law that gives priority to drivers entering a road from the right has largely been phased out. However, it persists on some roundabouts and built-up areas. If you’re pulling onto a main road a yellow diamond sign indicates that you need to give way. In the countryside it’s best to be wary of cars entering from the right – even where they don’t have the right of way.

Did You Know…?
Police in France can fine you for speeding if they calculate that you’ve zipped too quickly from one motorway tollbooth to the next.

France Driving Guide

Driving in Europe can be a wonderfully liberating experience – sit in the back of a coach and you’re just a passenger, but get behind the wheel of a car and you can transform a humdrum holiday into a roaring adventure.

Another way to become master of your own destiny is to take two wheels. Today’s mile-munching motorbikes are more comfortable, reliable and well equipped than ever and are easily up to the task of a pan-European jaunt, whether carrying one person or two.

But driving abroad requires careful planning, which is why we have produced this guide to explain what you need to do before taking your car or motorbike abroad – and what you can expect to find when you hit the open road.

Kit Out Your Ride

Book your vehicle in for a service. At the very least, check the water and oil levels and the tread on the tyres, including any spares.

Unless your car has new-style Euro plates, you must display a GB sticker. If in a non-EU country, you must display a GB sticker regardless of any Euro plates. You can buy GB stickers at ferry ports.

UK car lights are set up for left-hand drive and can dazzle oncoming traffic when driving on the right. It’s therefore vital to stick adhesive anti-dazzle deflectors to your car if it has conventional lights. If you have modern high-intensity discharge or xenon lamps, you’ll need to flick a switch or turn a screw. If in any doubt, ask your dealer.

Drivers in mainland Europe should carry a red warning triangle, a first aid kit, a reflective vest for each passenger and a full set of spare bulbs (and tools to fit them). European laws vary – in some countries some or all of these are mandatory – so the most sensible course is to carry them all.

Be Prepared

When driving in Europe, you must carry your full driving licence, vehicle registration and insurance documents. If you’re taking a company car you’ll need a letter authorising you to drive it. In some countries police can impound your vehicle if you don’t have the correct documents. Never leave paperwork in the car where it might be stolen.

Make sure your breakdown policy covers you abroad. The best policies cover the cost of getting your car home – and other expenses you might incur such as hotel accommodation. Check that your travel insurance is up to date.

If you’re travelling in the EU or Switzerland each passenger should carry a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which covers some medical costs and has replaced the old E111 forms. The cards are free: apply at a Post Office, at www.ehic.org.uk or by calling 0845 606 2030.

It’s vital to check that your motor insurance will cover you against accidental damage, fire and theft. Some policies allow you to drive abroad but only give the legal minimum RTA (Road Traffic Accident) insurance. This provides third-party cover but no protection if your car is stolen or you become embroiled in a legal dispute after an accident. If in doubt, upgrade to comprehensive cover while abroad.

You should also check with your insurer whether you need a Green Card – evidence that the car has at least some level of insurance to be driven within the EU. Green Cards are being phased out across most of the EU but are mandatory in countries such as Poland, Andorra and Romania.

To find out more about car insurance, try sites like Confused.com to search car insurance quotes. A typical search will return twenty quotes for you to choose from for your trip.

The Law and You

Most European countries have stricter drink-drive laws than the UK and in some it’s possible to stray over the limit after only a single beer or glass of wine. The best course is avoid alcohol altogether if driving afterwards.

Most police forces in Europe now issue on-the-spot fines for motoring offences, so carry enough local currency to cover this eventuality, better yet – don’t speed!

Speed limits are often enforced rigorously and, unlike in Britain where cameras are made clearly visible in order to deter offenders, radar traps abroad are often concealed.

If you’re flashed by a speed camera you may be able to leave the country without paying but the fine will catch up with you. A Europe-wide agreement now allows police forces to chase offenders in their own countries. So if you’re caught speeding in a EU country you could be ordered by a British court to pay the fine.

On the Road

Driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road in a right-hand drive car isn’t easy. Overtaking is a challenge and it’s a good idea to use the eyes of your front-seat passenger to warn of potential dangers.

Tiredness is a major cause of accidents. Take regular breaks – and be careful when rejoining the road not to stray back onto the left-hand lane. One way to avoid doing this is always to park on the right side of the road. Take extra care leaving petrol stations or when crossing lanes of traffic.

Watch your fuel gauge. In remote areas you can drive for hours without seeing a filling station. Increasing numbers of filling stations are now fully automated, but some don’t always recognise UK-registered credit cards. Fuel is often considerably cheaper than in the UK, so it can pay to fill up before you return to Britain.

Many European cities have high levels of car crime, with foreign cars viewed as easy targets. Be particularly careful when parking at night and never leave any valuables in the vehicle.

Know Your Left From Right

Don’t forget that unless you’re driving in the UK, Ireland, Cyprus or Malta, the rule of the road in Europe is to drive on the right.

European Car Guide