Driving a motorhome in Portugal

Motorways, tolls and vignettes

What a vignette is: in some European countries you buy a permit before using the motorways, now often digital and linked to the number plate, valid for a set period instead of paying at toll booths.

Many motorways have toll booths; others have electronic tolls only, without booths: with a foreign number plate you pay by linking the plate to a payment card or with a prepaid card, before driving through.

The class depends on the axles and the height at the front axle: a two-axle motorhome at least 1.10 m high at that point usually pays class 2.

Official website

Environmental sticker, ZTL and low emission zones

There is no sticker. In Lisbon the centre (Avenida, Baixa, Chiado) is a reduced emission zone that excludes older vehicles on weekdays.

Low emission zones in our data

2 zones, including: Zona 1, Zona 2.

Useful rules for motorhome travellers

A motorhome may spend the night where parking is allowed, for at most 48 hours in the same municipality and unless local rules are stricter, but not in protected areas (such as the Natura 2000 network) or along the coast, except in authorised places. It is not a permission to stop anywhere.

Camping (tables, awning, levelling jacks) is only allowed in motorhome areas and campsites.