Tolls in France, Spain and Portugal
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Sandytrax
Hi folks
I'm planning a trip from Roscoff to Portugal next week. Probably a month long trip. I'm not sure how much I'll use tolls but I'd like to make payment as simple as possible, especially as I'm travelling solo. I'm sure this issue has arisen before but I'd welcome any advice on the best way to avoid having to pay at each toll, say by some toll card or other. I'd also welcome any tips on driving down that way at tis time of year - should I head for say, Porto and follow the coast down or should I head straight down to say Sages or Faro? I'm mainly wanting to tour the Algarve and hopefully get some good weather. Thanks for any advice. Cheers Brian
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timsinc Sinclair
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On 13/11/2019, Sandytrax <brianinspain12@...> wrote:
Hi folks --
*It'll all be OK in the end. If it's not OK, it's not the end*
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I'm Bazbro
My satellite dish on the roof regularly triggers a "Three" charge rather than the cheaper "Class Two". I then have to speak to the operator. Only once has this been "debated" and I had to point out to the man that "accessories" do not count on height calculation. It took an age for him to back down amid much hooting from behind. This is why I don't bother with a Tag... I don't think I've ever waited even five minutes in a queue. Barry
On Wed, 13 Nov 2019, 10:05 am timsinc Sinclair, <timsinc@...> wrote: This is what I use:
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David Scholes
France can be bad for queues, Spain rarely has queues and Portugal uses a system where queues don’t happen but where you have to register a credit card when you arrive in the country or use a device such as the one that Tim uses which I also use.
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The worst place for tolls is between Bordeaux and Burgos. The road south from Bordeaux to the Spanish border keeps pushing you into paying tolls which add up to forty or so pounds. From the border to Burgos they are a lot cheaper but it is hard to avoid them. There is no need to use the toll roads in Portugal, just stick to the non toll roads and enjoy them. Isn’t that what you go for. You see nothing of much interest if you stay on the toll roads. You had better enter Portugal from the top of you want to see Oporto. It gets cold up there in December though some years it is ok. The weather gets noticeably better south of Lisbon. We usually go as fast as possible down through Spain to get to the South of Portugal but we then avoid the eastern Algarve because it is so crowded with motorhomes. (Southern Spain is also very pleasant.) Then everything depends on whether you are paying for sites or not. Best of luck David
On 13 Nov 2019, at 10:51, I'm Bazbro via Groups.Io <barry.c.brown@...> wrote:
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Sandytrax
Thanks so much for the helpful replies.
I’ve checked out the bipandgo website but the need for two tags at a cost of 52 euros seems excessive for the convenience during a one month trip. I’ve travelled extensively in France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy and Greece off season and found it deserted. I was gobsmacked when I found how busy Spain was last Feb/March although I never had a problem with finding a pitch. Using toll roads with gay abandon, we stopped near Bordeaux the first night from Roscoff, Pamplona the second night and near Malaga the third night. I have no idea what the tolls were! But we were heading for the sun in earnest! Taking David’s advice, I think I’ll head straight down to the western algarve at Sagres, trying to avoid toll roads and see what takes my fancy. I do use google maps and viamichelin to compare toll and non toll routes. Cheers Brian
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Richard
Having had a Tag for France for a few years I got a BipandGo when we
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went to Spain and Portugal this year. IT DID NOT WORK! We did not use any Spanish tolls on our way to Portugal but travelled on Portuguese tolls a number of times. These do not have booths but are automatic from above. When we returned to Spain and used a toll the tag did not trigger the barrier and we called an attendant who opened a control cabinet to get us through. This happened again at a later toll. We have been billed for these two uses of a toll road but no charges or fines have come through for Portugal. I consider myself very lucky. Richard
On 13/11/2019 10:05, timsinc Sinclair wrote:
This is what I use:
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timsinc Sinclair
On 13/11/2019, Sandytrax <brianinspain12@...> wrote:
I’ve checked out the bipandgo website but the need for two tags at a cost ofMust be inflation - I don't remember paying anything like that for my French and Iberia ones. Agree for one month not worth it. But for me on my annual three-month travels to the sun, wouldn't be without them - being solo (like you) and not having to get out of van with queue behind to pay at the booth on the right hand side. Still have to do that, mind you, at many supermarket fuel stations! TimS
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David Scholes
We met a man down in south Portugal who reckoned that there was no need to pay tolls in Portugal because they can’t find you when you are there in a motorhome and they can’t chase them up when you return because tolls are a civil matter in England not a criminal one.
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Meanwhile our nip and go device works well in Portugal which is good though the prices are high. They charge £6 if you use it that month then any charges so if you only go under one charge point at, say £2 (typical charge rate) then it costs £8. First time I was there after they brought in the charges I refused to register my credit card because if there were problems then I would probably just have to grin and bear it. But then I was very worried when the sat nav kept taking me onto motorways but then leaving them to bypass the charge points. David
On 13 Nov 2019, at 14:56, Richard <edelec@...> wrote:
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timsinc Sinclair
On 13/11/2019, Richard <edelec@...> wrote:
When we returned to Spain and used a toll the tag did not trigger theYes, found the same couple of times - think some must be operated by company(ies) outside the scheme. I just paid the toll manually to get through. But found they would not accept the Revolut pre-loaded Visa/Mastercard, which I really value for ease and exchange rates. TimS
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Derek Sims
Hello Brian
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We’re currently 600m up above the Douro valley, at a free aire for the night. We’ve had a beautiful sunny day, 18C and stunning views following the valley from Peso Da Regua to Pinhao. It’s about the fourth time we’ve done one or other variant of this run and if we couldn’t do anything else in Portugal we couldn’t miss this- simply the loveliest river valley we have ever travelled along, with the bonus of lovely wines to buy along the way. The aire at Regua is €3 per night including electric, for a fully-serviced hardstanding including Wi-fi if your close enough to the swimming pool. We spent two nights there. It,s a stone’s throw from the motorway south, with lots of ‘vans apparently making it an en-route Stopover, as we didn’t see any along the Valley. The previous night we stopped at a new aire in a village nearer to Porto - everything free including hook-up, showers and W.C! On Saturday we arrived from Spain & stayed at another free aire on the metro line in a Porto suburb. Trains in every 20 minutes up to midnight, so we spent a lovely afternoon and evening in the World Heritage-listed Centre - beautiful and vibrant. We have to be back at Roscoff on December 13th. We’re still heading south but it won’t bother us if we don’t reach the Algarve. This is the real Portugal! My travel tips: Buy the latest issue of All The Aires Spain & Portugal from Vicarious Books. There are loads more aires than the last time we came, eight years ago, and we’ve found three or four that aren’t even in the book. We bought the ACSI card as a precaution but we probably won’t even use it. Do plenty of research on how the Portuguese toll motorways work. They are, apparently not expensive but you have to register and pre-load a card, then they automatically read your number plate as you pass under gantries. If you have not pre-registered you will be fined. There are plenty of good non-toll motorways and major roads in France & Spain, depending on which route you want to take. For instance, I remember Caen to Nantes was free motorway, then there were good roads down to the edge of Bordeaux. Free motorway around Bordeaux and down to Arcachon, then good roads to the Spanish border. We have our GPS set to avoid toll motorways and the only time it’s held us up appreciably is in Portugal. Have a great time. Any other questions, I’ll try to help. Best wishes Derek Sent using the GMX mail app
On 13/11/2019 at 09:51, Sandytrax wrote:
Hi folks
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David Scholes
Somebody told me that the whole Portuguese toll system is supplied by and run by Siemens,
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The Portuguese government wanted a modern electronic system not an old fashioned system that would need loads of people to run it despite the country suffering from vast unemployment. David
On 13 Nov 2019, at 16:03, timsinc Sinclair <timsinc@...> wrote:
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timsinc Sinclair
On 13/11/2019, Derek Sims <derek.sims@...> wrote:
We’re currently 600m up above the Douro valley, at a free aire for theSounds fabulous, Derek. Wondering what times of year you've done this on your four visits. Why I ask is that I'd love a change of route to the sun in the New Year (I don't cope well with cold!) For many a year I have done the Burgos-Salamanca-Casares-Saville route that, while can be freezing at times, has never required snow tyre chains etc. A safe, fairly direct but well-worn way. TimS
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Derek Sims
Hi Tim
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It is an area of temperature extremes. In mid-summer it would be far too hot for most. It can reach 45C at times and apparently the Port houses have to chill their sampling bottles because it should be drunk at 18C. We’ve had 30C in late September but today and last time we travelled through it was just warm and sunny. However, tomorrow morning it’s forecast to be cold, but that’s probably because of the wind and our altitude. I would imagine that down in the Valley it would be warmer, but you could have ice in the high parts in December and January (not as bad as Burgos though, where the snow was so thick in January that we couldn’t even get into the aire and had to pull off in a small village nearby. Fortunately next day it all turned to rain. HTH Derek Sent using the GMX mail app
On 13/11/2019 at 17:10, timsinc Sinclair wrote:
On 13/11/2019, Derek Sims <derek.sims@...> wrote:We’re currently 600m up above the Douro valley, at a free aire for theSounds fabulous, Derek. Wondering what times of year you've done this
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penstrassoe
For the last couple of years in France we've used Emovis https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk/. Works a treat but I've just checked and you'd need two tags, one for France and one for Spain and Portugal - hardly practical.
Dave
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George Crookston
I have just received this email from Euro Tunnel
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David Scholes
Hi George
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It was by signing up for this offer that I wound up with my French device which I later extended to get the Iberian device as well. They both cost money both to get and then to run but they are very good at relieving worry and occasionally at avoiding queues. I still do my best to avoid tolls but sometimes it seems necessary to just pay them and hurry along. Sometimes it just becomes the most sensible option e.g. when you have wild/free camped for 3 nights going south and your toilet cassette is full to overflowing and the only aires on the A63 with toilet dumps are in the peage areas. David
On 14 Nov 2019, at 21:07, George Crookston <geo.crookston@...> wrote:
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Clive Bailey
I use the ATMB liber-T pass, it's only E1.90 each month used plus tolls, France only.
Works for me Clive
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Peter S
I do as well but 1Euro per month used. They were doing a special offer when I got our tag.
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Peter S
-----Original Message-----
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