Route "Classic of Portugal" will allow YOU to see this wonderful country in all its splendor and diversity. Along with « travel icons » Portugal, such as: , Sintra, Cabo de Roca, Tomar, Batalha And Alcobasa, we have included others, less known, but very attractive places: border castles, historical villages, wonderful landscapes of the Douro River, Traz az Montes area, natural park in the Serra da Estrela mountains.

Duration: 8 days/7 nights

Arrival and departure: Lisbon. Portela Airport

Overnight locations: Sintra, Obidos, Coimbra, Vila Nova de Gaia (Porto), Meda area, Covilha, Lisbon (everywhere 1 night)

Total length of the route: about 1300 km

Budget from 3000 € for two

Places to visit along the route:
Sintra* and Paço Real; Pena Palace; Natural Park of Sintra-Cascais; Cape Kamenya(Cabo da Roca); Masa beach and Azenhas do Mar; Ericeira; Obidos; Alcobasa(Monastery*); Batalha(Monastery*); Tomar(Monastery of Christ*); Coimbra(University*); Aveiro; Porto*; Guimaraes*; wine-growing landscape along the Douro River*; castles and “historical” villages of Portugal; Natural park Serra da Estrela and Mount Torre is the most high point continental Portugal; Almourol Castle; Lisbon(Jerónimos Monastery* in the Belém region).
Note: Cities and sites marked with an asterisk are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The budget includes the cost of purchasing visas , two plane tickets Moscow-Lisbon-Moscow (maximum price of an economy class ticket is approximately 600 €), rental of a compact class car with manual transmission for 6 days (from 250 €), accommodation in a double room with breakfast (350 € – 700 €), food (400 € -560 €), costs for gasoline and travel toll roads, entrance tickets(150€). The indicated amounts are enough for a budget or comfortable trip. Traveling in luxury class will cost more.

Program by day

Arrival in Lisbon on Saturday afternoon. After completing all the formalities for crossing the border, go to the rental office counter, where you will receive the car according to your reservation.

When booking a car, pay attention to the franchise amount (the amount that is blocked on the card in the event of an accident/damage to the vehicle due to the fault of the client). If it significantly exceeds the cost of renting a car, then it makes sense to take out insurance against all risks. IMPORTANT: standard third party insurance does not cover glass broken by young vandals or tires. For example, replacing a window glass will cost 200 € (for a Peugeot 207 class car).

We load our things into the car and leave Lisbon airport for a hotel in Sintra, where we will spend our first romantic night in Portugal.

HOTELS with parking in SINTRA

LUX (> 100€)
»»» Tivoli Palacio de Seteais *****
Address: Rua Barbosa do Bocage, 8P – 2710-517 Sintra
»»» Sintra Boutique Hotel ****
Address: Rua Visconde De Monserrate nº48, 2710-591 Sintra

COMFORT (50 -100€)
»»» Casa da Pendoa
Address: Rua Da Pendôa, 17, 2710-610 Sintra

ECONOMY (< 50€)
»»» Ibis Lisboa Sintra**
Address: Avenida Raul Solnado, 23 – 23A, 2710-162 Sintra (10 minutes by car to the historical center).

After checking into the hotel, we go for a walk to breathe the air of the historical part of Sintra. If you manage to be in Sintra before 6 pm, you can enter the Royal Palace (Paço Real/Palácio Nacional de Sintra). The palace is open until 19.00, but the ticket office closes at 18.30. If you are unlucky, you can be satisfied with an external inspection and a walk through the streets of the town. The two chimneys above the palace kitchen and the stone frames of the windows (manueline) give a general idea of some of the features of Portuguese architecture. Take a moment and get to know Portuguese pastries. Fortunately, Sintra, like other cities in Portugal, has its own unique recipe called “ Queijadas da Sintra"(Queijadas). The sweet delicacy is made from egg yolk and fresh cheese with the addition of cinnamon. You can try authentic “quejada” at the pastry shop pastelaria Piriquita or in a tea salon "Factory das Quejadas da Sapa"(Fábrica das Queijadas da Sapa, Volta do Duche, 12), where the dessert comes with a wonderful view of the Royal Palace.
While walking around the city, pay attention to "Hotel Lawrence"(Hotel Lawrence) - the first hotel of the Iberian Peninsula (opened in 1780). At one time, Lord Byron (the famous romantic poet) stayed here.

You can have dinner in the city or at the hotel restaurant.
One option is Cantinho de S. Pedro. Address: Praça D. Fernando II-18 P – 2710-483 Sintra
Site www.cantinhosaopedro.com
Prices: Lunch/Dinner of the day (multi-course set): 19€/ 30€
Order to choose from the menu: 30€ (average cost). Price range: 12€/45€
Type of cuisine: traditional Portuguese.
*Note: The restaurant "St. Peter's Corner" (Cantinho de São Pedro) is located in a busy square, surrounded by other catering establishments and shops. The restaurant façade and bar are decorated in a rustic style. The dining area is located on two floors, and is decorated in full accordance with regional traditions.

ATTENTION! Catering establishments in Portugal operate according to the following schedule:
lunch – 12.30 to 14.30, less often until 15.00;
dinner – 19.30 to 21.30, less often until 22 ( major cities and international hotel chains).

It is worth going to bed early, since the program of the 2nd day is very intense, in order to complete it completely you will have to get up at 8.00 in the morning.

SINTRA- one of the most famous towns in Portugal, located 30 km from Lisbon. Medieval historical center perfectly preserved. The city's buildings are so well integrated into the surrounding landscape that Sintra has received UNESCO World Heritage status in the rare category of "cultural landscape".

In the past on the southern slope mountain range there was a royal residence, and for several centuries the town played the role of the “summer capital of Portugal”. The status determined the size and character of the buildings, which are distinguished by grandeur and solemnity. City Palace(O Palácio da Vila) evokes a strange association with a launch pad: the chimneys sticking out above the kitchen roof look like rocket fairings. From the Castle of the Moors (Castelo dos Mouros) there are extensive panoramas of the entire mountain range (serra) of Sintra. IN good weather from here you can clearly see the ocean, which is located several kilometers south and west of observation deck. Inimitable Pena Palace(Palácio da Pena) perched on one of the peaks near Sintra is a true icon of the romantic style and the most famous example of Portuguese architecture in the world.
But that's not all. There are many other attractions in the Sintra area that cannot be ignored: Quinta(palace and park) Regaleira(A Quinta da Regaleira), palace of monserrate(Palácio de Monserrate), Sintra Museum(Museum de Sintra). The latter features contemporary art from the Berardo collection (colecção Berardo). While succumbing to the magic of the city, don’t forget about sweets: Caijada of Sintra(queijada) and Travesseiro(Travesseiro de Sintra) are simply divine.
Sintra enjoys the reputation of the most romantic city in Portugal and a place full of mysticism, where famous poets and artists found inspiration. The idea of the famous “Child Harold”, a poem written by Lord Byron, was born here.

Report on traveling by car in Portugal in 2017. Roads, attractions, cities, squares, temples and monasteries of Portugal.

Background and Foreword

I flew to visit a friend. She married a Portuguese man and went to live with him three years ago. They have their own house and farm, two small children. They met me in the evening at Lisbon airport by car and drove me to the suburbs.

The choice of visiting attractions was spontaneous and depended on the family’s free time on a given day. The weather was sunny, temperature in the sun: +40 degrees, in the shade: +30 degrees. During this time not a single rain fell.

Friend's house

Travel dates: August 19-26, 2017.
Departure point: Leiria, Portugal.
Destination: attractions within a 100 km radius.
Distance: up to 100 km one way.
Car: Opel Astra 2002, manual, diesel.
Travel time by car: from 30 minutes. one way.
Speed: average 60 km/h.
Fuel consumption: from 4 to 7 liters per 100 km, depending on speed.
Composition: three adults + two children (1 and 3 years old).
Purpose of the trip: sightseeing excursions.

In five days we visited eight attractions that will be remembered for a long time.

Roads and cars

The roads are good, the asphalt is smooth, the car seems to be flying. Most intersections have roundabouts. The traffic signs differ slightly from ours in appearance, and the traffic lights are solar-powered. "Deckbeds" are rare, mainly at pedestrian crossings. There are no video cameras on the roads; invasion of privacy is not acceptable here.

All passengers in the car, even those in the back seat, must wear seat belts. The fines are large - from 250 to 1200 euros (17-84 thousand rubles) or deprivation of a driver's license.

Because the roads are good, cars last a long time. New cars here are more expensive than in all of Europe due to the high cost of customs clearance. According to my auto mechanic husband, a decent used car can be bought for 800-1000 euros. The license plates on the right have a column of two additional pairs of numbers. The first digit indicates the year of manufacture, the second - the month.

We drove on toll roads. The car has a card with a counter - it is attached to the windshield from inside the car. When driving on the autobahn, we passed the green Viaverde sign without stopping, the money was automatically debited from the bank card. Annual meter maintenance costs 7 euros (almost 500 rubles). You can also pay for travel in cash or by credit card directly on the spot.

The city is located 119 km from Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It was founded in 1142. The total population of the city and suburbs is about 150 thousand people.

I lived in a friend's house in the suburbs of Leiria, in the Coimbra region. The area is quiet, there are houses and villas with lawns and plots. You can sometimes see fields of corn and pumpkins to feed livestock on home lots.

Few people keep their own household, because it is not profitable - it is easier to buy farm products in the store.

Local streets, houses and church

Eucalyptus groves and pine forests

Here you can make money by planting forests. A plot of land is purchased, planted with eucalyptus or pine, and then sold to wood processing companies. Eucalyptus takes about 15 years to grow and is cheaper, while pine takes about 60 years, but the price is higher.

The Portuguese say this: “If you want to earn money for yourself, plant a eucalyptus tree, a pine tree for your children, a cork tree for your grandchildren.”

Along the way, we stopped at a huge eucalyptus tree: height - 48.5 m, trunk diameter - 3 m, age - about 100 years. It is protected by natural conservation.

A friend's house is fifteen minutes by car from the ocean. People on the beach of the Atlantic Ocean are just sunbathing, the water is cold.

The local swimming lake is within walking distance from the house. The water there is warmer than in the ocean, the beach is sandy, and the walking path is made in the form of a ladder around the perimeter of the lake.

Nazaré. Church of Our Lady

We arrived in Nazaré in the afternoon. We went to the Church of Our Lady - most of the temples and churches in Portugal are Catholic; the Mother of God - Mary - is greatly revered here.

The sacred relic of the church is a wooden sculpture of Our Lady in the image of the Black Madonna. She traveled with the monk all over the world before staying in the caves of Nazaré. The sculpture of the Madonna is kept here and is the subject of mass worship by believers.

The church was built in the 14th century. Due to the annual increase in the number of pilgrims in the 17th century, it was decided to rebuild it. The main staircase has a cone shape. The upper part of the church is decorated with two domes, inside there are arches and columns decorated with gilding. At the top there is an organ, on the opposite side there is an altar with a shrine to the Black Madonna.

It's amazing that the candles are LED. You throw a coin and the light comes on. The price is indicated on the sign: one candle - 10 cents, two - 20 cents, five - 50 cents.

Here are local pottery souvenirs (I didn’t specify prices):

Alcobasa. Monastery of Santa Maria de Alcobaza

The 12th-century medieval monastery, founded by the first Portuguese king Afonso Henriques, served as a burial place for the nobility. The monastery was a center for crafts in metal, weaving and painting in the 14th-16th centuries.

The monastery's cathedral is the first Portuguese building made in the Gothic style. In the 18th century, under Manuel I, the monastery complex was expanded and renovated in the Baroque style. During the invasion of Napoleon, the monastery was plundered by the French, so all the relics were lost.

Other buildings in the complex include the Refectorium, the Cloister and the Royal Pantheon. Given architectural ensemble included in the list of protected UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

We arrived here in the evening at closing time, managed to run in for five minutes and take photos.

We went to the village of Obidos, it was cloudy and windy. We left the car in the free parking lot near the castle walls. They offer to rent an electric car for two people to move around the narrow streets.

Obidos was medieval city, now it is a popular cultural and tourist center. Medieval fairs are regularly held here; the village is even called the “City of Weddings” because newlyweds from all over the world come here.

Walking along the small streets, you can find cafes and shops with souvenirs, more entertainment practically none. You can also walk along the walls at a height of 10 meters; there are no fences.

The appearance of the castle is unique, it was conquered and built different peoples, everyone contributed. The first were the Romans, they built baths on the site of the castle. Then the West Goths built a fortress, and the Arabs surrounded it with battlements.

Peniche. Fort de Peniche

In half an hour we drove from Obidos to Peniche.

Fort Peniche was built in the 16th and 17th centuries for coastal defense, together with the forts of Consolação Beach and the island of Berlengas for crossfire. During the New State period it was used as a political prison to imprison public figures. Today the City Museum is located there.

On the ground floor there is an exposition of the city's fishing industry, on the second there are prisoners' cells and a courtyard for walking. The atmosphere is gloomy, especially when you look into the empty cells of the prisoners and walk around the courtyard.

Batalha. Monastery of Santa Maria and Victoria

The name of the monastery is translated from Portuguese as “victory in battle.” According to legend, King João I said that if he won the battle against the Castilian invaders, he would build a monastery in honor of St. Mary. He defeated the enemy, which was four times larger than his army: 7,000 fighters against 32,000. The monastery was founded in 1385 and was built over 80 years under six rulers. It was completed in 1517, becoming the royal tomb. During the Patriotic War it was destroyed and burned, and at the direction of King Ferdinand II it was restored from 1840 to 1907.

The Batalha Monastery is made in two styles: Gothic and Manueline. On the territory you can see the Church, the Founder's Chapel, the Chapter Hall and the Royal Cloister. Entrance to the tomb is paid; King Juan rests there. On the territory of the building there is National Museum Portugal, the site is under UNESCO protection.

The equestrian monument to the leader of the Portuguese, Nuno Alvaris Pereira, stands in front of the entrance to the Abbey of Batalha.

Local residents have great respect for Nuno Alvarius Pereira. It is considered a symbol of sovereignty. The opening of the monument took place in 1968.

The square is full of souvenir shops and stores.

Sintra. Quinta da Regailera

Sintra has very narrow streets, making it difficult for two cars to pass each other. We parked in an alley and then walked for about ten minutes to the park entrance. We arrived in the morning, there was no line at the ticket office.

The palace and park complex is made in the neo-Gothic style; on the territory there is a park with lakes, a chapel, fountains, tunnels and grottoes. The estate received its name from its owner, Baroness Regailera, who acquired it in 1840.

The lands of the palace territory have several owners; the first mentions date back to 1697. In March 1996, the Sintra city council bought the estate, after which restoration began. In 1998 it was opened to the public, and in 2002 it was given the status of an architectural monument.

There is a multi-tiered park with intersecting paths going down the slope. Tunnels with many entrances and exits lead to the chapel, grottoes and a lake with a waterfall.

There is a Well of Dedication in the park. It is a spiral gallery with arches, going deep into the earth, and consists of nine spans of fifteen steps.

According to legends and Dante’s description, the nine circles of hell, purgatory and heaven are symbolically represented.

We walked around the park with the children for about two hours. Everyone is tired. After driving a couple of kilometers, we entered Montserrat Park.

Sintra. Montserrat Palace

Another palace in Sintra is Montserrat. Its area is 33 hectares. About 3,000 species of plants from all continents grow on the territory.

The estate is about five centuries old. The last of the owners, Francis Cook, is a British merchant and collector. He bought a deserted estate, changed the layout of the park and built a palace. In 1949, the estate was purchased by the state, and in 1978 it was opened to public visits.

Today Fatima is one of the centers of Christian pilgrimage. Pilgrims come and come here from all over the world. One of the sections of the road must be crawled on your knees in order to achieve the highest degree of repentance.

In 1917, the image of the Mother of God Mary appeared in a field to three shepherd children. She appeared six times near the city of Fatima. The children told the adults, but they didn’t believe it.

She revealed to them the “Three Secrets of Fatima” - three prophecies. The first two were published in 1941, the third in 2000. Here is the place where the image of the Virgin Mary appeared:

Candles can be purchased separately. They are in trays for free access, take as much as you want. The donation is voluntary, although the price ranges from 0.5 cents to 5 euros (350 rubles) depending on the diameter and height of the candle. The tables have slots for coins.

They are burned in installed stoves outside. Some people throw them, others put them in a special mount there. It is customary to make a wish or pray by throwing a candle into the fire.

At this point our sightseeing tour ended. I liked everything, however, we visited few places, so there will be a reason to come back again.

First of all, Portugal amazes with its medieval architecture of castles, fortresses, cathedrals and monasteries. I can’t wrap my head around the engineering possibilities of construction of those times without modern technologies.

Special thanks to my friend and her husband for a great time!

Helpful Tips:

To travel around Europe, take Maestro bank cards.
In souvenir shops, ask if you can get a tax refund on your purchase.
Cash is accepted at markets.
To obtain a visa, book a hostel without prepayment. Cancel your reservation upon receipt.
Connect international roaming and Internet abroad (if necessary). Find out the cost of a call to/from the selected country.
I subscribed to “Calls within Europe - 20 minutes” from Megafon for 390 rubles. It was enough to call a friend upon arrival and departure.

Excursions for everyone: 30 euros (2100 rubles).
Gasoline and roads: 100 euros (7000 rubles).
Souvenirs: 20 euros (1400 rubles).
Products to Russia: 25 euros (1,750 rubles). I bought olive oil, two bottles of wine, sea salt, local pastries and chocolate.
The results were 12,250 rubles excluding flights.

Portugal is a country where there were no all these famous artists, sculptors, directors, musicians, writers... There is no need to run headlong through museums, monasteries, castles and cemeteries. There are generally only two cities in the whole country. And and...

To Portugal by car. Part 1: Moscow-Algarve

Auto tourism, Travel report to Germany; Spain, Lleida (Lleida); Spain, Toledo; Portugal, Algarve; France, Orange; Poland; Belarus

Something like this, briefly and succinctly, my friend Vasya directed me to where the apartments had already been purchased, and where I was supposed to be in a couple of months. Of course, I wanted to be there for a reason, I got into the Boeing in Sharik, took a drink and was already there. No. The big goal was to take a ride in a car, cross Europe diagonally, take a “selfie” at Cape Roca, look at and touch the ocean, and the rest will be as it turns out.

When you plan a trip by car, you always identify some milestones along the way and scroll through the route in your head. Got up at 4:30. Coffee. Teeth. Cigarette. Read the news in the toilet. Maybe some more coffee. Another cigarette. We sat down on the path. And here is the long-awaited moment - the key is in the lock, the headlights turn on, the engine starts. Moscow traffic lights that have not woken up are blinking yellow, and the taillights of random fellow travelers, no longer rare at the beginning of six in the morning, are reflected in the asphalt wet from the watering machines. MKAD. M1... The road is not boring. Provincial cities. Forests. Fields. Rivers and rivulets. Dnieper. In the Smolensk region the terrain changes, small hills begin. The eye has something to grab onto and time flies by. Belarus. Very high average speed, but it will be deadly boring and the minutes will drag on for hours. Fighting sleep. Border, Bug. Warsaw, Wisla. A big, cheap, nasty dinner. New day. Early rise. Another 500 sad kilometers across Poland and we cross the Oder. Germany! Sasha's ritual bockwurst at the first gas station and vigorous traffic all the way to the Rhine. We would like to quickly cross it in Mannheim-Ludwigshafen and enter France, but we will go south. We cross the Rhine in the south of the Black Forest. And now on the second day of the trip, France. If you're lucky, there'll be a nice dinner in Alsace. Day three. Again we get up before dawn. Rona. Cotes du Rhone. We drink wine. We roll through the Pyrenees and in a couple of days we look forward to meeting the ocean. This is roughly how it seemed. The realities turned out to be a little different. This is in the report.

Plan

A trip to Portugal became the third item in my summer road trip plan. In February, we were sitting in our kitchen with friends and wondering where we could go. A month earlier, Natasha refused to run to Campania with the wording “it’s a very long drive, we’ll get tired” and bought tickets to Naples. In this situation, I was ready to agree to the traditional (for me) Arkhangelsk region. But somehow it turned out that in half an hour we were convinced that Portugal was not so far away, that the budget was feasible and that I would have a vacation of 3.5 weeks, compared to the standard two.

The general understanding of vacation is to rent a house for 2 weeks in the beach and bathing region, the province of Algarve, indulge in laziness, fun and drunkenness, and in between, enrich yourself culturally with one-day outings somewhere. Mandatory points of the program were Lisbon, Sintra and Cape Roca, and optionally the Tomar Castle of the Templars.

From the very beginning we planned south coast Portugal to the west of Faro, a month earlier Sasha went there on a business trip. But in the end the choice fell on southern part Western. And as subsequent experience showed, it was correct and expectations were 100% met. On a 250 km stretch of coastline, several zones can be distinguished:

Faro and further east. Swim in the ocean. Quite wealthy citizens come here to watch flamingos and other birds. When you are already fed up with everything, this is probably a great option for relaxation. Specific and expensive.

Faro - Albufeira. Excellent beaches for swimming and sunbathing. Villas and golf courses nearby, usually included. Expensive.

Portimao and surrounding areas. The nature and weather are similar to the previous one, but there are a lot of people and they don’t give a shit. Gelendzhik.

Lagos. Quite a cultural place. Without the pathos of Faro-Albufeira. There is no wave. Heat (as on the entire south coast)

South west coast. Great wave. The ocean is a little colder south coast. It’s not so hot that people don’t even have air conditioning in their houses. Not many people. And the price tag is good. A paradise, in general, a corner.

We booked a separate house with a pool in the area of the village of Aljezur, a kilometer from the ocean. With machines and the 0.5 ppm rule, we were more than happy with this.

The family's trip to Italy went very well with the train to Portugal. The road to the ocean for my wife and son was more than halved due to the flight Naples - Barcelona, and I was guaranteed to have time to get there without hearing “Dad, will we be there soon?” True, we had to make a detour of several hundred kilometers. The shortest route in terms of distance lies through Hanover, Cologne, and Paris.

The total length of the one-way route is approximately 5,000 km. It is clear that in three days this is, in principle, insurmountable (we are not talking about shift taxiing without overnight stays). In four, of course, it is possible, but the connection in Barcelona on the way there and the reluctance to drive back determined our speed of travel - five days in each direction. In this mode, you will be able to take a short break, some day get up not at 5, but at 7 in the morning, and see the cities. Sasha took upon himself the development of the plan and the search for hotels.

In total, the road there: 2 long stretches Moscow-Warsaw and Warsaw-Belfort (Belfort, a small town in Alsace), on the third day buying wine in France and finishing in Bars, where I meet my family and, perhaps, some kind of walk around the city. Gaudi and all that stuff. The fourth day is a short drive to Toledo, a walk around the city. Fifth day - finish in Aljezur.

Return route: Aljezur-Salamanca in a relaxed mode, we spend some time exploring the city, Salamanca-Diguen (Degoin, a remote place in the heart of France) with the purchase of wine somewhere in Bordeaux. On the third day there is a short but quick drive to Nuremberg, with plans for “shopping”. Two last days Let's go home as quickly as possible. Overnight in Biala Podlaska to get to the border early and waste as little time as possible there.

We and our transport

We went to Portugal with two cars, two families. Me, my wife Natasha, son Anton. Sasha Nikolaev with his wife Tanya and son Sergei. This was our first trip together. Seryoga already has a license and they will change periodically, if necessary he can replace me. As it turned out, we had very appropriate equipment for traveling around Europe. If you ignore the German autobahn, the VW Touran 2.TDI 110 hp. was ideal in terms of all its characteristics: comfortable seating, spacious interior, spacious trunk, fairly economical diesel engine. My son’s bike fit into the trunk; only one of the seats had to be moved 5 cm. The back row remained free and you could even lie down. Sasha Skoda Superb Combi 1.8T 152 hp with the Koni suspension, of course, it was more beautiful in Germany, but because of Seryoga’s bike, I had to fold ⅓ of the seat, and for the money it consumed 20-25% more fuel. However, both Skoda and Turan pleased their owners with their efficiency.

There

A little late, at about 6:30 we left the Moscow Ring Road. We promptly drove to the last Russian gas station, where we also had a snack with household supplies. Seryoga moved next to me to disturb my sleep, and in the usual chatter, having fun reading about settlements that are funny to the Russian eye (Arekhavka, Alshanka, etc.), we quietly reached the last Belarusian gas station. Before Brest on the right there is “Belneftekhim”. According to the experience of knowledgeable people, the DT in this network is quite decent, they are daddy’s. Cayenne ate and did not get sick. The cost of fuel is only slightly, 10 percent, higher than ours.

Border. Boringly we pass Russian border guards, Polish customs officers and border guards. No one rummaged in the trunk, no one snatched sausage from his mouth, they only asked about cigarettes.

From the border we trudge through the population, staring at the life and structure of the lords. Everything is decorous, noble, with an eye on the Germans, but in the Polish manner. Between the villages and towns there is a decent smell of some kind of chemical manure. Maybe they add something to it, maybe the cows already crap like that from the feed, I don’t know, but it’s better to drive with the windows closed.

We got lost around Warsaw - all in repairs and detours. It probably took us an hour to cross it. As a result, we got to the Rest Hotel (29 euros for a double room without breakfast). A good place to spend the night. Its main advantage on the way to Europe is that there is only a highway ahead. All other Polish hemorrhoids were resolved on the first day. The food is not tasty, but it is cheap and plentiful, haha. Local beer (a little better than ours, very hard water) and zubrovka (excellent vodka) are on the menu.

Total for the day: 1,255 km from the Moscow Ring Road. Consumption ~5.8 liters per 100 km.

We get up early again, drink coffee and head out. The Polish Autobahn is fresh, newly built, smooth and fast. Limit 140 km/h. But it’s an incredibly boring landscape, it would be more fun even in Belarus. Because fuel in Poland is still somewhat cheaper than in Europe, we fill up the tanks before the Oder. We have a snack at the first German gas station with Bockwurst and go to the banya with its very dynamic traffic, requiring regular lane changes. The dream that came to Poznan disappeared as if by hand.

German motorways are an interesting topic. The first thing that catches your eye is that the roads are very busy. There are many reasons: lack of tolls, high population density (in the GeDeriy nothing yet, but further on there really are a lot), probably the largest number of cars per 1000 people. among European countries, and then it is still a country with an automotive history. But despite this, the entire motley army of motorists moves very quickly. Each road user is a cell of a single organism. All lane changes, acts of politeness or, conversely, rejection, are subordinated to a certain meaning and are designed to ensure high speed safe movement from point A to point B. I have learned the operation of several rules (they are also spelled out in our traffic rules, but they are only spelled out):

1. Overtaking can only be done on the left. The basis of the entire line of behavior on the road and the key to accident-free movement of traffic. As a consequence:
- The “don’t occupy the left lane”, which is familiar only from hearsay, works. Cars move in the right lane as far as possible. Overtook, moved to the right.
- You can’t even get ahead on the right. That is, if, while driving in the first row, you catch up with a rider in the second row, you must go to the third, overtake and return to the first. Yes, it’s inconvenient, yes, the person being overtaken is wrong or just lost in thought (which is the same thing), but you can’t disturb the order.
2. Do not force other road users to apply the brakes unless absolutely necessary. A general rule that helps maintain high average speed stream:
- The Germans always move to the second row in advance before entering their road from another ban. Even if there are two acceleration lanes.
- If you see that in the right lane the car you are going to overtake is in turn catching up with another car, move into the third row if possible. Well, etc., there are a lot of situations!
Guided by simple rules, Germans are polite and expect reciprocity. If, before repairing the bathhouse, in advance, as soon as traffic begins to form, you start to change lanes to the left (when repairing the lane in one direction, there is a narrowing from three to two lanes), they always let you through. An attempt to get into an already formed flow is nipped in the bud. The attitude towards boors, idiots and simply gaping people is approximately the same.

The canvas that is now used to pave roads also deserves special attention. Something very similar to concrete, quickly drains water and allows you to reduce interest costs by 10-15%! Compensated by increased speed. I couldn’t accelerate more than 190 km/h according to the speedometer. At the same time, my main rivals have always been Mercedes Sprinter minibuses :) This is the fastest car on the autobahn! Another fast one was the Porsche Panamera with Moscow license plates. He finally overtook us in Thuringia on the ninth road. We left the Moscow Ring Road at the same time :)

It would seem that when driving through Germany, you can’t help but stock up on beer. But no, it’s possible! Outside Nuremberg, we went to the town of Ansbach and did not find this German drink in two supermarkets. Those. there was Ottinger, Franciskaner and other rubbish, but there was no beer.

Some Taiwanese navigator with the function of receiving information about traffic jams in the FM band helped a lot. Absolutely necessary thing. Before Heilbronn we went to Stuttgart, thus avoiding a large number of congestions on the 100-kilometer section to Karlsruhe.

It was already quite late when we arrived in Belfort in Premiere Classe Belfort (37 euros for a double room without breakfast). This is not a hotel, more like a cramped stall, but it is clean. Plus one thing - the price tag. There is no catering, so we had a sliced dinner with beer, zubrovka and went to bed. Tomorrow it’s early to get up again, you need to be in Barcelona at 3-4 pm.

Total for the day: 1,434 km. Consumption ~6.1 liters per 100 km.

At 4:30 we got up, at 4:45 Sanya already asked when Seryoga and I would go down to the cars. We got ready very quickly and after dark we were already driving to the nearest gas station in the hope of at least drinking coffee and eating a croissant.

The roads are toll, there are few cars and we drive fast. In Leon we find ourselves in a small traffic jam. The French already allow deviations from German “concepts”, all this is a little reminiscent of their homeland. The “Route du Soleil” (“Road of the Sun”, along which the entire northern, densely populated Europe goes on vacation to the Mediterranean Sea) is quite crowded, but we successfully avoid the traffic jams and after Orange we leave the motorway to the Cotes du Rhone vineyards in the area Chateauneuf du Pape, a village in which one of the papal residences was supposed to be built during the so-called “Avignon captivity of the popes”).

Vineyards of Chateauneuf du Pape

We turn to the nearest “chateau”. We try 5, then 10, then 20 euros per bottle. Tasteless. Those. It's not tasty at all. The hostess says that this wine (which costs 20) needs to sit a little longer. No need. Orevoir, madam. We drive a couple of kilometers to the Domain de Saint Siffrein. The hostess is a southerner, chattier and much friendlier than the previous one. They have 20 hectares of vineyards, of which 15 are under the “premium” AOC Chateauneuf du Pape. Let's try. 10 is excellent, 19 is excellent. We shop for Moscow, plus we take a package of 10 liters for 37 euros in the hope that we will take another 10 somewhere in Languedoc.

Why did the neighbor's wine not be as good? Madame explained it as follows: farms specialize in different categories of consumers. She, or rather her son, are adherents of the old school of winemaking, and the neighbors make wine for young people. There are also winemakers who focus on the American market and other horrors. It turns out that everything is so complicated. Madame happily told Tanya about her wine and answered all her questions.

Naturally, there is a completely special attitude towards wine here. Perhaps wine is even the basis of self-identification in France.

“Lunch without wine is like a day without the sun”

Finally we stopped at another chateau. The stone house looked more like a dilapidated barn. We were met by a couple of Labradors (although purebred dogs are more rare here than the norm, unlike Russia), then for about three minutes we called for at least someone. In response to our question “does he have inexpensive wine?” the owner, who appeared from the darkness of the closet, was sleepy and slightly hungover, and said that in HIS establishment the price tag starts from 40 euros. But everything is very nice. The bonus for spending 10 minutes was the view of him and his farm.

A visit to a winemaker is not only good for the wallet, but also quite exciting. Not only do you get the wine you like (!) at the lowest (!) price. You can still bargain, and for French speakers you can also babble in this beautiful language with the villagers. If you're lucky, you might meet a local grandfather or peasant who will take out a bucket and ask the owner to pour it straight from the barrel. Or look at the townspeople who came to replenish their supplies for the year ahead.

Let's move on. Time is running out, the plane from Naples takes off exactly on schedule, which means that we pass by 10 liters of wine. Closer to the border, smart young ladies in uniform set up speed cameras, and violators are received at the next payment point. And here is Barcelona. A city that a huge number of my friends have visited, about which there are a lot of admirations left in reviews, where there is Sograda Familia, some kind of Rambla, etc. But we approached from the other side and the first thing we encountered was a natural favela on the outskirts of Barca! We find a hotel and while the guys are checking in, I rush to the airport. The plane landed about an hour ago. It took no more than an hour to travel there and back, find the terminal, park and meet. Upon our return, a surprise awaited us all: the hotel where we planned to spend the night, Center Esplai Alberque, turned out to be a hostel with all that it implies. Dirt, poor air conditioning, uncomfortable beds, etc. We decided to leave the city. Sasha and Serega found a hotel in Lleida, Jardins del Segria (69 euros per family with a good breakfast). This is for the best; tomorrow there will be more time in Toledo.

The asshole from the Barcelona hostel could not immediately return the money (we paid at the reception before we saw the room) to the card. The return took about a month. And then, probably only because of letters with a promise to inform booking.com

We drove to Lleida along the free highway. Unlike France, you can drive in Spain on free roads, but in some places, for example to cross the Pyrenees, only toll roads or roads are available. settlements. On the road, we share our impressions of a month and a half and look at the landscapes outside the window. The hotel turned out to be quite decent, frequented by the local population. We relaxed a little, tomorrow the distance is a little more than 500 km, we don’t have to rush to get up. Rioja is still a very good wine.

Total for the day: ~1178 km. Consumption ~6.1 liters per 100 km.

The morning of the fourth day turned out to be gloomy. It started to rain. Small at first, then it intensified.

Outside the window there are very nice pictures all the way to Sigüenza, passes of ~1000 meters, then to Guadalajara there is a flat plateau with fields on it. All of Spain is quite high above sea level, and Madrid is generally the most “high-altitude” capital in Europe. Spain also has the cheapest fuel on the European part of our route. And if for diesel fuel the difference with France is not so great, then for gasoline it is ~15%. This is something to keep in mind when planning your trip. Below are photos taken while driving from the car:

We arrived in Toledo in the afternoon. The hotel is located in the very center of the so-called "historic city of Toledo", Hotel Conquista de Toledo (69 euros per family without breakfast). About 200-300 meters away, a little higher, opposite the alcazar, there is an underground parking lot. 20 euros per night, after all the facility world heritage UNESCO:)

Having dropped off our things, we set off on an excursion. The city itself ( historical city) is located on a decent hill and at one time was the capital of Castile until the king moved it to Madrid. For a very long time it was a defensive fortification. First the Visigoths defended themselves against the Visigoths, then the Moors against the Castilians, then the Castilians against the Moors, and finally Franco's supporters against the Republicans. On one side, Toledo is surrounded by a fortress wall, on the other, it is naturally protected by the Tagus River (the same Tagus, which in Lisbon will be called Tagus) and the abyss.

The city has a large number of attractions. Hordes of tourists from all over the world follow clear routes: one minute you were in a crowd and suddenly you find yourself alone on the whole street. Many buildings look unnaturally fresh. All this together gives the feeling that there is no local residents. But this is not true, they are:

We galloped across Europe and covered the entire city. Fortunately, there is an escalator, a gift from King Juan Carlos. Therefore it is absolutely free.

On the narrow streets of Toledo:

Portugal is a country for free travelers. Traveling around Portugal by car- This best way Get to know this country as closely as possible and admire its beauty. During this time, it is better to abandon standard excursions and take a ride on own car along your pre-planned individual route. Of course, I would like to start getting acquainted with Portugal with the main city of this country - Lisbon. When you find yourself in Lisbon, the first thing you notice is the air - fresh sea air that refreshes and fills you with energy. Lisbon is one of the few cities in which so many ancient buildings have been preserved. Walking through the narrow streets of this city will bring you a lot of pleasure.

Traveling around Portugal on your own, it is advisable to plan your route so as to see as many sights as possible. One of the must-visit places is the Lisbon Aquarium. Excursions to this place are very popular among tourists. The Portuguese Aquarium is the second largest in the world. There is a permanent exhibition there, represented by a huge central aquarium, which creates the illusion of being under water. The aquarium itself is located in a famous place called the Park of Nations. In addition to the aquarium, this park also houses the Museum of Science and Technology, cable car, and from here you can admire one of the largest structures in Europe - the Vasco da Gamma Bridge. There are a lot of cafes, restaurants and shops around the park. And thanks to the fact that, in addition to tourists, this place is also loved by the Lisbon residents themselves, you will be pleasantly surprised low prices for food and souvenirs.

Continuing my traveling around Portugal by car, you can take a ride and explore the following attractions, such as the modern Museum of Design and Fashion, Belem Monastery, St. George's Castle.

Next traveling alone in Portugal, you can visit the small ancient Portuguese town of Sintra, which also houses a large number of attractions such as castles, palaces, monasteries and, of course, the fabulous landscapes of this town and the magical coastline with golden sands cannot but please you. Sintra is also a favorite place for surfers and fishermen. Not far from this town is the palace and park complex Quinta da Regaleira, which contains a romantic palace, a chapel, parks with lakes, grottoes and fountains. This place fascinates with its beauty.

Cascais is a town that you should definitely visit during traveling around Portugal by car. This place is a favorite place for young people, as this seaside town, located along the coast, is simply dotted with many bars, restaurants and various nightclubs. Cascais is also home to the Nautical Club, which offers marine entertainment for every taste. Lovers of natural beauty have plenty to admire in the large arboretum park.

Évora is a place in Portugal that is called an open-air museum. Évora has such attractions as: Cathedral Se, the Palace of King Manuel, the Church of St. Francis, the Fortress of Monsaraz, the Church of the Holy Spirit, the Church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo, as well as the “Chapel of Bones” Osos is a chapel that was built from human bones and skulls that belonged to 5000 monks . But these are not all the attractions of this city. It is also famous for the best wine and food.

Traveling independently in Portugal, you will understand that museums, churches, temples and chapels are not all that you can get acquainted with in this country. For those who love beach holiday, there are many hotels and various campsites, which makes your stay especially comfortable traveling by car to Portugal. Length beach line in Portugal there are 1800 km, which allows all campsites to be comfortably located along the coast, and allows tourists who travel to Portugal by car or motorhome to choose exactly the one that suits them. But for those who love privacy, Portugal has a great variety of wild beaches.

The cuisine of Portugal is rich mainly in dishes from fresh fish and seafood, which the Portuguese prepare according to special recipes.

In travel time in Portugal You should definitely try the wines of this country. The red and white wines of Portugal are mostly dry, but the most famous wine of this country is, of course, port. This dessert wine with a strength of 20% received its name due to the fact that it is produced in the Portuguese city of Porto. Port wine is also produced in the northern part of the country, but only in those places where it is stipulated by law. “Green” wines – “Vina Verde” – are very popular in Portugal. These wines got their name not because of their color, but because they age very little. Verde wines come in white, rosé and red. You will not find such wines anywhere else in the world, so during solo travel to Portugal you definitely need to try them.

Portugal is a country that offers much more than just a beach holiday, or just excursions to local attractions. This is a country that will be of interest to everyone when traveling through it. Solo travel to Portugal by car– this is a vacation for those who love to travel around Europe and expect new discoveries from these trips.

Travel by car along the Atlantic coast of Portugal following the westerly wind of change
Portugal has an endless variety of holiday options. You can bask on southern beaches or spend hours in art galleries Lisbon. You can grow a liver while drinking vintage wines, ports, muscatels and green wines in the Douro Valley or enjoying endless fields and simple cuisine Alentejo. You can climb the mountain Serra da Estrela, where they make delicious sheep cheese, and then slide down from its snowy peak on skis or a snowboard. But there is another great option: take a trip along the west coast from Cascais to Nazaré.
This route is for those who love to admire the ocean waves, high cliffs, wild beaches and lighthouses - solemn symbols of romance and determination.
Route: Cascais - Magoita - Ericeira - Santa Cruz - Peniche - Nazaré - Mafra - 469 km
Duration: 3 days

The journey begins in Lisbon. Stay in this city for a couple of days:

Now you can get into your car and drive along the scenic highway in Cascais. The highway was named by local residents "Margin"(from the Portuguese word margem - translates as "edge", "margin of the book" or, in this case, "shore")- due to the fact that it runs along the very edge of the water: first along the banks of the Tagus River, to the place where it flows into Atlantic Ocean, and further, towards interesting discoveries.

Cascais

It's worth spending half an hour exploring the rock known as Boca do Inferno(can be loosely translated as “Mouth of Hell”). It is very close to the Cascais Yacht Club, less than a kilometer from Santa Marta lighthouse. Waves burst into a hole in a steep rock with a roar. Hitting the rocks salt water whips into white foam, spins in whirlpools and rushes back into the ocean. Looking at this riot of elements, you don’t understand why the rocks have not yet been torn apart by the oncoming waves, why the collapsed stones have not filled up this hellish throat. There are many signs in the city directing the way to this impressive creation of nature. Parking is free, and for those who are especially hungry there are a couple of restaurants and cafes nearby.
If you follow the route, you can see the majestic lighthouse Farol da Guia- one of the first built in the 18th century with public money. Nowadays, the buildings adjacent to the lighthouse house the services of the Ministry of National Defense, so whether you will be able to get behind the fence and touch the warm stones of the brown and cream tower is a big question.
Then the road leads straight to Guincho beach and will begin to wind through mountain serpentines, climbing higher and higher. On the left is the lighthouse Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of the continent. This article will be useful for planning your trip:

Further extends Praia das Maçãs - “Apple Beach”. According to local legend, the name appeared due to the fact that a river flowing into the ocean, flowing among orchards, often brings apples that have fallen into the water to the ocean. It is difficult to vouch for the veracity of this legend, because the local apple groves are no longer what they used to be, and are reluctant to share their harvest with the ocean, but I want to believe in this fairy tale, because the analogy with apples - strong, juicy, rosy, healthy - is very suitable this beach. It is spacious, with a very wide line of sand and easy access to the water. High hills protect from the wind, waves roll onto the shore gently and slowly - in short, an almost ideal picture for relaxation.

Magoitu

A tiny beach located far from all big and even small cities. Despite its remoteness, it enjoys the warm and strong love of tourists and local residents. The Portuguese love to hold surfing competitions here, especially bodyboarding (a type of surfing where the athlete does not stand with his feet on the board, but rolls while lying on it with his chest and stomach). For tourists, there is a wonderful boardwalk road leading over sand dunes between low pine trees. You can walk along this convenient path under spreading trees.
Be sure to pay tribute to the dishes in the local restaurant Dunamar (Ramp Beach Magoito), clinging to a high rock: from its terrace there is a beautiful view of the ocean, the dishes are worthy of the most flattering reviews, and the prices are quite affordable. Here you can try rare shellfish percebes, and any snacks from sea reptiles, and grilled fish, and finish it all with coffee and sweets.

One of the most picturesque and famous places on the west coast of Portugal, has existed for almost 800 years. Now it is a popular favorite Portuguese resort. Lisbon residents and residents of other surrounding towns flock here on weekends and holidays to sunbathe on the excellent beaches. Total in Ericeira 10 official beaches, best suited for swimming praia dos Pescadores (in the very center of the city) And Praia da Sul (slightly south of the center), and also Foz do Lizandro– probably the most convenient, although it is not located in Ericeira itself. It’s about 3 km away, which you can cover by car in 2-3 minutes, by bike in 5-7, and on foot you’ll spend no more than half an hour. There are cafes, restaurants, a surf school, and a huge beach, but the most interesting thing is that a river flows into the ocean here, and lovers of calm water can spend time on its banks without going near ocean waves.
For those who like to admire the ocean, we recommend taking a walk along the beaches in Ericeira Algodio And São Sebastião, and then spend the evening in one of the restaurants for which Ericeira is so famous - thanks to the excellent quality of food, generous portions and quite affordable prices, which you will not find in the capital. For example, in Ribas (Rua Mendes, 32)- seafood, Tik-Tapas (Rua 5 de Outubro n.7)- be sure to pay attention to the local lamb or El-Rei (Rua Capitão João Lopes, nº 14)— fish, meat, drinks, excellent service and a wonderful view of the sunset ocean.
Ericeira gained worldwide fame thanks to surfing. The city received the title of World Surfing Reserve; it is considered the main surf resort in Europe and the second in the world, second only to California. The main surf beaches of Ericeira for professionals are Ribeira da Ilhas And Coxos, and beginners and “continuing” souls do not like Foz do Lizandro. Therefore, if you want to look at muscular guys and flexible girls cutting through the waves on light boards, you definitely need to look at Ericeira.
If you are planning to spend the night in Ericeira, keep in mind that this is a resort city filled with people, so it is better to book a room in advance. The most the best hotel considered 4* Vila Gale Ericeira, but also a lot of hostels, surf camps and 2* hotels. For example, you can try your luck at something that was opened just a year ago guest house Blue Ocean– it has rooms to suit any budget.

Santa Cruz

Moving further west, we find ourselves in the absolutely amazing town of Santa Cruz. There are several beautiful beaches for swimming: white sand, fairly calm waves for the ocean, sun and beautiful views of the vast waters and picturesque cliffs. Choose any of the beaches: they smoothly transition from one to another, so you can think of it as choosing a place for your towel in a huge space white sand. Residents of all surrounding towns come to relax on this beach, and this is really the right choice.
The most surprising thing is that besides local residents, almost no one knows about Santa Cruz. In addition to the beaches, here you can enjoy views of picturesque rocks, a tall white tower above the embankment, or turn into a local local history museum, operating in the premises of an old water mill. Also very close to Santa Cruz there is an airfield for small 1-2-seater planes, and you can admire their takeoffs and landings.

Peniches

The city of Peniche is located on a cape protruding into the ocean, so it is always windy and fresh here. Climb the rock with the lighthouse and circle the entire cape to admire the beaches. By the way, there are also a lot of surfers here, and the beach Supertubos has long been a venue for international competitions. It is huge, stretches for several kilometers, and with a good wind, the waves here actually curl into large tubes, inside which skilled surfers love to fly.
However, even if a person is not inclined to surf, he should pay attention to this city. Especially if you find yourself here in February, during the carnival period: in Peniche the street procession is one of the most colorful in this part of Portugal.

Admire the old fortress and a working fishing port, or even go by ship to a nearby Berlengas Island- wild and picturesque, with a special natural world, in which Portuguese scientists constantly find a breeding ground for new discoveries. Cruise ship companies Julius And Nevada, as well as a ferry Viamar depart from the port of Peniche three times a day in summer (at 9.30, 11.30 and 17.30), the rest of the navigation time (from September 15 to May 15)– only once a day, at 10.00, and returns back at 16.30 the same day. The cost of a cruise is from 18 euros in summer and 10-15 euros in low season. If you wish, you can stay and spend the night on the island in a fort converted into a hotel - this will probably be a special and very unusual pastime, given the seclusion of the island.

Perhaps Nazaré is one of the most beautiful cities Portugal. If it had not been separated from the capital by 130 km, it would have long ago become the main tourist center country, and so far remains a place for those in the know and the elite.
A tour of the city should begin with the so-called Sitio- places on a high cliff with stunning views of the city, beach and endless ocean. The Nazaré lighthouse also stands here, and it was from here that surfers filmed the feat of Hawaiian Garrett McNamara, who conquered a record wave of almost 30 meters high in Nazaré. Then take the funicular down, stroll along the embankment, buy dried fish from the fishermen, and nuts, the main delicacy of Nazaré, from the grandmothers with baskets.
If you want to have lunch, go to one of the many cafes or restaurants on the huge embankment, or turn to a small square where, among other restaurants, there is one famous for its seafood dishes O Casalinho (Praça Sousa Oliveira, 6). Both the interior and the kitchen in it are beyond praise.
Stay overnight in Nazaré to watch one of nature's most spectacular attractions, as the hot sun hisses into the ocean, bathing the surface of the water and sky in liquid red gold. The seagulls cry with cries for the past day, but even they, foolish ones, know: tomorrow the sun will rise again over Portugal, and again thousands of eyes will look at the restless waves of the entire western coast of Portugal, from Cascais to Nazaré.
If you want to spend the night in Nazaré, you should pay attention to the designer hotel Magic or eclectic Pensao-Restaurante Ribamar .

When returning to Lisbon, be sure to spend time on its suburbs, at least Mafra. The only and main attraction in the city is the huge Royal Palace, built at the beginning of the 18th century. The palace was built, literally, by the whole world. Pink marble was transported 12 kilometers from Lameiras, Peru Pinheiro, Montelavar; 92 bells, the largest selection in the world, were cast in Antwerp; the statues of saints were made by Italian sculptors from Carrara marble, and the 6 organs from Brazilian wood on the antiphons of the palace church were built by the French military during the period of occupation of Mafra from 1792 to 1807. For a long time, restoration work was carried out on the musical instruments, and on June 2, 2012, they began to play together again, just like two centuries ago. The famous tenor Placido Domingo attended the opening concert as a sponsor.
The huge royal library, located right in the palace, is said to be protected from harmful insects by bats. And that's not all... The palace has 1,200 halls, 4,700 doors and windows, and about 160 staircases. In short, the Royal Palace of Mafra is a huge, outstanding marvel that should not be missed. The palace is open from Wednesday to Friday from 10.00 to 16.45, at winter time(from November 1) break 13.00 – 14.00.
By the way, on the way back from Portugal to Russia, we recommend reading the work of Nobel laureate Jose Saramago “Memories of a Monastery” to refresh your memories of the wonderful journey and the magnificent palace.

Route around Portugal for 10 days. Traveling around Portugal