Portugal Campervan Road Trip: The Route We Wish We'd Had
From Porto to Sagres, following the coast. What surprised us, what we didn't expect, and the guide we built kilometre by kilometre.
DESTINATION
5/27/20263 min read
We had planned a 10-day trip, but the weather had other ideas. We had a campervan, a starting point, and the ocean on our left. Portugal did the rest.
If you're thinking about a road trip along the Portuguese coast — whether by van, car, motorbike, or anything else with wheels — this is your starting point. At the end you'll find the full guide with the day-by-day route, places to sleep, hidden beaches, and real cost breakdowns.
But first: the story.
Why Portugal
Because it was reachable, still relatively affordable compared to the rest of Western Europe, and because someone told us the Costa Vicentina was one of the last wild coastlines in Europe. That sentence never left us.
They were right.
The Route: From Porto South, Towards the Ocean
Our trip started with a plot twist. A massive storm diverted our flight to Lisbon, and we found ourselves in the middle of the night in a half-closed airport trying to figure out how to get back up to Porto, where we had our hotel.
Phones dead, camped on the floor looking for a socket, we eventually found a bus at 3:40 in the morning that got us to our starting point. A special thank you to the staff at Hotel Maia, who extended our checkout to midday so we could get a few hours of sleep — highly recommended if you're passing through. The room was massive, the bed huge and genuinely comfortable.
We picked up our campervan early afternoon, and that's when the adventure really started.
The route we drove:
Coimbra — a stop worth making. Portugal's oldest university, authentic fado, tourists in manageable numbers. It deserves more time than we gave it. Our first overnight: grocery run, campsite, and getting used to the van.
Figueira da Foz — our first real beach. Wide, Atlantic, windy. It reminded us we were on the ocean, not the Mediterranean.
Nazaré — the biggest waves in the world. Even off-season, even without the pro surfers, the Sítio promontory gives you something hard to put into words.
Guincho — near Sintra, wilder than you'd expect this close to Lisbon.
Melides — this is where we understood why Portugal was becoming fashionable. A small village with a lagoon, white sand, almost no one around. Go before it changes.
Costa Vicentina — Odeceixe, Aljezur. The Southwest Natural Park. This is where the trip shifted. Beaches are protected, access is limited, nature does what it wants. No beach clubs. No sun loungers. Just cliffs, dunes, and green water.
Lagos — the gateway to the Algarve. Beautiful, lively, with the most photographed sea caves in Portugal right on its doorstep. More touristy than the stops before it, but for good reason.
Sagres — the southwesternmost point of Europe, more or less. The fort, the cape, the physical sensation of standing at the edge of the known world. Non-negotiable.
Benagil and Carvoeiro — Benagil cave lives up to every bit of its reputation, as long as you get there early in the morning.
Eastern Algarve: Tavira, Fuseta, Cacela Velha — perhaps the most unexpected stop. The eastern Algarve is different from the western Algarve — quieter, less developed, with fishing boats and tourists coexisting in a balance that still feels real.
Porto — the last two days. The bad weather had us park the campervan and wander the city properly, ending with a Halloween boat party. The best kind of unplanned ending.
What We Didn't Expect
The wind. The Atlantic is no joke. On the Costa Vicentina in October, the wind is almost constant. It's not a problem — it's part of the landscape — but you feel it when you're sleeping in a van.
The costs. Portugal is still cheaper than France or Spain, but it's changing fast. October is still affordable, and we managed to stay within budget.
The food, in the right places. The pastel de nata in Belém are overrated — you can find better ones everywhere else. Grilled fish in a place with no English menu is one of the best things you can eat in Europe.
The people. We had some communication difficulties, especially in more isolated spots where even English didn't get you far. Luckily, we kept running into French people along the way.
How Much Time Do You Need
We covered the full route in about ten days, with a few longer stops along the way. Two weeks and you'd be comfortable. One week and you'd have to choose: north or south.
Our advice: if it's your first time, cut Porto and Coimbra (you'll come back, we promise) and focus on the Costa Vicentina and the Algarve. That's what stays with you.
The Guide We Wish We'd Had
During the trip we took notes on everything: where we slept (and where we wouldn't go back), what's free and what isn't, beaches with campervan access and beaches without, real day-by-day costs.
We turned all of that into a practical guide. It's not a travel book — it's an operational resource: open it, look it up, decide.
The guide includes:
→ The full route with map
→ 40+ stops with coordinates and practical notes
→ Where to sleep by van, tent, or low-budget
→ Beaches with and without campervan access
→ Real budget: what we actually spent
→ What to eat and where (with real prices)
→ Seasonality: when to go and when to avoid
➡️ [Download the full guide on Rexby → LINK]
Questions about the route? Message us on Instagram — @eli.tom83. Answering travel messages is our favourite part of this job.