Overwintering in Spain / Portugal

[mblinko]

We are thinking about spending winter in Southern Spain or Portugal and are looking for recommendations for places by the sea, paid for or even free.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

 

[Moped]

That's an open book Are you a touring one night and move on person or a 10 nights and move on person?

The issue is many campsites on the southern coast do very special deals for 30 nights or more with 50% discounts with a resulting for example €14 a night including electric.

So are you looking at a certain area with a low cost longer term stay or free wild camping spots or low cost aires on a few days and move on basis.

An issue is taking into account the 30 day stay campsite offers, many motorhome aires can be pricier if stays are to be short.

Costa del Sol especially can be full if not booked in advance. Costa del Luz easier for everything. Algarve can be mixed busy wise depending on weather and winds.

 

[REC]

If you are looking for warmer weather you want southern Portugal ( not sure in your post) Central pt gets frosts fairly often at night although it warms up when sun is out. You will get good prices for longer stays. Maybe clarify what you are thinking....lots of advise on here then.

 

[GMJ]

You don't mention your passport arrangements so don't forget that you can only stay 90 in any 180 days unless you have an EU passport (or your spouse does).

If you are looking for discounted sites in Spain a good place to start is to sign up with ACSI. They will provide books and a map and an App showing sites who are part of their scheme. There are loads to choose from. As I say though it's a good start but not all sites are registered with them so aside from ACSI if there is any specific area you want to stay in, it would be best to do a more general Google search on campsites as well, for that area.

We go down to Spain for a couple of months every January and as said, many sites get full early so best to book. Popular coastal aires also get rammed too so if you plan on visiting them make sure that you have some alternatives ready.

 

[Moped]

Time wise Portugal is on GMT. Spain is on CET. Winter sun therefore sets later in Spain especially if you are west of Gibraltar. We like Conil de la Frontera with its mix of beaches and coves and the campsite there gives good long term discounts far lower than the daily ACSI rate. There are also off grid parking opportunities in the area and LPG is available at Repsol Chiclana.

Can get a bit windy though on the exposed beaches but the coves offer shelter from these winds. The whole of the coast between Cadiz and Gibraltar can be a bit too rural for those who prefer nightlife but the area suits us.

 

[alcam]

Time wise Portugal is on GMT. Spain is on CET. Winter sun therefore sets later in Spain especially if you are west of Gibraltar. We like Conil de la Frontera with its mix of beaches and coves and the campsite there gives good long term discounts far lower than the daily ACSI rate. There are also off grid parking opportunities in the area and LPG is available at Repsol Chiclana.

Can get a bit windy though on the exposed beaches but the coves offer shelter from these winds. The whole of the coast between Cadiz and Gibraltar can be a bit too rural for those who prefer nightlife but the area suits us.

Favourite part of Spain always go down there . Don't stay long term though
Twice I have gone to long term sites in more touristy areas . Reversed straight back out

 

[Moped]

Another favoured area with not much development or agricultural white tenting is the coastline between Almeria and Vera/Palomares encompassing the Cabo de Gata national Park.

A stop off at either coastal Gibralter/Malage or inland Ronda/ Granada and other places on route from Conil makes for an interesting trip with aires and park ups on the way.

And you can visit Europe's only official desert at Tabernas north of Almeria where many spaghetti westerns were filmed.

Portugal can also be OK of course but longer nights and more inclement weather from the Atlantic makes a trip there a bit hit or miss for us. From Conil we look at the weather forecast for Portugal for the next 2 weeks and base our east or west decision on that.

Handy to have cycles as some of the towny type aires are on the outskirts (Albufeira, Ronda and the marina on the spanish side for a Gibralter visit being examples) and at Conil and Vera they help you get around locally

 

[Pauljenny]

Portugal has a two night and hoppit rule, if you're not on a campsite or aire .
Like Spain, the frown on anything that looks like you're not just parking.
Don't try anything in a national park.

The Algarve coast is usually heaving with many big rigs towing trailers. Prices are high seasonal.

Avoid the obvious, ( Do you really have to look at the sea every day ?)
Inland towns will give you a taste of the real Portugal. Many have cheap or free aires and welcome the winter business.
There are a number of Portuguese motorhome websites.. with English translations.
Eg: Campingcarsportugal. You'll meet Portuguese motorhomers there, who can't do enough to make you welcome.
Have fun , they are lovely people.

 

[alcam]

Another favoured area with not much development or agricultural white tenting is the coastline between Almeria and Vera/Palomares encompassing the Cabo de Gata national Park.

A stop off at either coastal Gibralter/Malage or inland Ronda/ Granada and other places on route from Conil makes for an interesting trip with aires and park ups on the way.

And you can visit Europe's only official desert at Tabernas north of Almeria where many spaghetti westerns were filmed.

Portugal can also be OK of course but longer nights and more inclement weather from the Atlantic makes a trip there a bit hit or miss for us. From Conil we look at the weather forecast for Portugal for the next 2 weeks and base our east or west decision on that.

Handy to have cycles as some of the towny type aires are on the outskirts (Albufeira, Ronda and the marina on the spanish side for a Gibralter visit being examples) and at Conil and Vera they help you get around locally

Regular on here (John?) used to winter at Cabo de Gata . Not heard from him for a while , I know he wasn't keeping well .
Stayed there too . Suspect too quiet for many

 

[Glass man]

If it is now legal to park in a place in Spain you can now sleep there in your van
BUT no camping allowed.
No sideways opening window
No step
All wheels on the ground
Fit in the marked space, NOT two spaces
Don't use tables, chairs or awning.
Also in Spain if you are involved in an accident with a vehicle that has a trailer, Red rear number plate make sure you also record the front number plate, it will be different.
Portugal
The Police are becoming very strict about inforcing No Wild Camping rules in coastal areas and National parks.
Do not just follow others who were lucky last night, you might be fined €200 tonight.

 

[Moped]

To clarify the “fit in the marked space, NOT two spaces” comment above, this is what the regulation states:-

“The new instruction clarifies that motorhomes, once parked, can be treated in the same manner as cars and other vehicles, provided they meet certain conditions outlined in PROT Instruction 2023/14:

1. The vehicle must be in contact with the ground solely through its wheels, without the use of stabilising legs or other support devices, except for chocks permitted by Traffic Regulations.
2. The parked vehicle's footprint must not exceed its closed dimensions, meaning it should not occupy more space when projectable elements, chairs, tables, etc., are not deployed. Additionally, it should not emit fluids or produce excessive external noise.”

So if you have a long motorhome you can occupy two linear spaces (ie shaped like H) but not occupy two parallel spaces (ie shaped like LLI ) as a result of protectable elements etc. All depends of course on how car parking areas are marked out as to whether they are suitable for longer motorhomes but remember the standard European space is 4.8m long so motorhomes will inevitably need to occupy two H shaped spaces.

And this does mean that if parking is to be paid for then two tickets will be required.

This applies to Spain only.

Common sense though I am not going to park a long motorhome early in the morning in what is a busy car park that subsequently fills up as I am going to be trapped as it will become impossible later in the day to manoeuvre out. Unless of course I plan to stay for the day and night and move on early the following morning.

In Portugal they don’t have similar regulations, crack down and fine wild campers in coastal spots and national parks, and pretty much insist that you stick to official aires and campsites in these areas. In inland areas and outside national parks wild off grid parking is tolerated but you are still at risk depending on the mood of the local police.