10 ultimate tips for your car trip to Portugal with dog

Dog owners often go on holiday by car because it is the most stress-free option for many dogs. But there are also some things to consider when travelling by car. So that you can plan the car trip to Portugal with your dog as pleasant as possible, I have picked out my 10 best tips for you.

❶ I have enough change.

With few exceptions, the French and Spanish motorways are always toll roads. These are often small amounts that can be paid most quickly with coins.

❷ Driving through Paris at night
If it can be arranged in any way, you should definitely plan your trip so that you cross Paris at night. Firstly, this is much safer and secondly, you avoid the traffic jams that are part of everyday life in Paris.

❸ In a traffic jam make room for the motorcyclists
This is a very important rule if you want to keep the exterior mirrors of your car. Quasi an unwritten law in France. If you get into a traffic jam and don’t make room for potential motorcyclists, they will knock your side mirror off as a thank you. Unfortunately I speak from experience.

❹ Filling up in Spain
And never in France, if that can be avoided!

Fuel in Spain is worlds cheaper than in France. It is best to fill up the tank again before the French border and only then in Spain again. Fuel is not cheap in Portugal either, so you should take the opportunity in Spain.

❺ Keep to the speed limit
In France, the maximum speed limit on the motorway is 130km/h and in Spain and Portugal 120km/h. You should absolutely adhere to this, because! The tolerance as we know it from Germany does not exist here. Stepping on the gas pedal can be quite expensive in these countries.

❻ Attention! Speed camera from behind
Speaking of speed limits – it is also good to know that on the French and Spanish motorways there is lightning from behind. The speed cameras are hardly noticeable because they look like power boxes and you hardly notice the lightning itself. The lightning seems to give a light signal from behind, as if another car driver is flashing. All the more reason to stick to the speed limit.

❼ What does the toll to Portugal cost?
All in all, we paid 79.90 Euro toll from Solingen to Torres Vedras in Portugal. The toll costs vary depending on where a.) you start in Germany and b.) you want to go in Portugal. If you start in the north of Germany the toll costs are about 120,- Euro, if you start like Rafael and me in the middle of Germany the costs are about 100,- Euro and the south of Germany will have a toll cost of 130,- Euro until Portugal.

❽ Take cloths or similar as sun protection
If you drive through Paris at night as recommended, there is still a problem to overcome: The blazing midday sun in Spain.

During the day the sun shone directly on our back seat. Logically, the dogs got much too hot. For a moment I strained my head and quickly grabbed two T-shirts out of my suitcase. I stuck them between the window pane – so the dogs with the artificially created shadow felt much better. Be sure to include sun protection in the form of towels or blankets for the car. In case you forget them, two T-shirts will do just as well.

❾ Don’t forget the toilet paper…
…because you won’t find any in the restrooms of the rest stops.

I have often driven to Portugal by car and have noticed over the years that maybe 2 out of 10 toilets – be it at rest stops or petrol stations – have toilet paper. The best thing to do is to pack a roll for the car trip to Portugal and take it with you on every toilet trip.

❿ Disinfectant for the hands
In the course of this I should mention that it is not wrong to pack a small bottle of disinfectant for the hands. The toilets in rest areas and gas stations do not only lack toilet paper but also hygiene. The toilets are often not cleaned and do not have soap for the hands. You can already be grateful when the toilet flushes. How nice it is for our dogs to be allowed to do their business outside! 😉

If you take my tips with you on the upcoming car trip to Portugal, it will be a little easier during the trip! Because let’s be honest – who needs missing toilet paper in the toilet or a missing side mirror because it was knocked off in a traffic jam during a car trip of at least 18 hours? Right, nobody! 🙂

Let’s help eachother.

Surely you can think of one or the other tip for the trip to Portugal with car and dog – please leave them in the comments. We are looking forward to it!