A journey through Portugal, Spain, France, and Switzerland
Enjoying our trip to Europe two years ago so much, we decided to return. We free camped in the beautiful city of Braga, Portugal’s third largest city. The motorhome park is at the Bom Jesus de Monte - a church built in 1784, complete with grottos, fountains, and gardens, and set high on the hill overlooking the town. There are two ways to reach the church - climb the steps (some pilgrims do this on their knees) or use the funicular railway. No prizes for guessing which choice we made!
Next we spent two fabulous days in Porto at a free camp right on the Douro River. The old part of town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to houses tiled in different colours that sit in rows up on the hill, narrow alleyways, and a great atmosphere. We took the cable car up to the monastery overlooking the city and its bridges. The scenery along the Douro Valley is wonderful - we spotted port wine grapes growing on steep terraced hills and little stone villages as we drove the 64km inland to Estarreja.
Prices in Portugal are (generally) comparative or cheaper than Australia (except for fuel), and we noticed that the GST rate is 23%. We also camped at Navare, about 80kms north of Lisbon. The campsite is large, with a swimming pool, and charges €17 per night, inclusive of showers, electricity, etc. A bus from the camp took us into this quaint little fishing village to further explore.
Beautiful gardens at Bom Jesus de Monte
Then we arrived at Lisbon which offered large powered sites, water, hot showers, and more for €28 per night. There is a bus at the doorstep which goes to the centre of Lisbon in 45 minutes. Many Roman and Moorish ruins sit beside white domed cathedrals and grand plazas in this beautiful town. The Lisbon foreshore was destroyed by an earthquake in 1755, followed by a devastating fire. The historic tram ride took us through the old quarters of the city, and goes so close to the houses on each side that anyone in the street has to flatten themselves against the wall as the tram passes by. The next day we visited the Belém district, about 6km west of the city. The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos built in 1496 is a soaring and extravagant example of Manueline architecture complete with stunning stone and ceramic tile work. Opposite is an enormous monument honouring the Portuguese explorers, while nearby stands the Torre de Belém - a sort of lighthouse-cum-fort that stands guard at the entrance to the River Tagus. Across the 17km Vasco de Gama bridge into the Algarve is the motorhome park in Silves. For €7 you get a large site, fresh water, power, dump point, free WiFi, and more. Plus, it’s only a short walk from town. After that it was onwards to Carrapateira on the Atlantic coast. The free camp beach campsite is amazing – think miles of pristine golden sands with grassy dunes stretching behind. There is a municipal motorhome park in Lagos for €3 per night. Lagos is a port city with a huge marina full of luxury yachts and cruisers, and the buildings are all painted Algarve white with red tiled roofs. Albufeira was our next stopover - a motorhome camp with power, a dump point, water, WiFi, and swimming pool all for €8 a night. Then we travelled through Tavira before stopping at the free camp at Castro Marim for our final night in Portugal, which is about 5km from the Spanish border.
The incredible Rock of Gibraltar
Hola! to Spain
On the road again and we made it to Seville, where the motorhome park is only a 10 minute walk to the bus. We visited the cathedral - reputed to be the largest in the world and which took 100 years to build. We saw the tomb of Christopher Columbus, the huge art collection, and a vast array of treasures that had accumulated over the centuries. Our drive from El Puerto to La Linea (Gibraltar) was comfortable. The campsite is at the marina, right under the Rock of Gibraltar and includes all facilities except power. It costs €12 for 24 hours. Head across the border (passports are inspected!) for an afternoon wandering along Main Street exploring all the UK named shops. You can also enjoy spectacular views across the Strait to North Africa on one side and Spain on the other. The next day the cable car took us to the top of the Rock and we wandered down to St. Michael’s cave - a huge natural grotto which has been transformed for concerts and theatrical performances.
Views of Gibraltar from Alan and Jeanette’s camping spot
Travelling east along the A7 motorway, via tunnels through the mountains, enabled quick progress through Almeria. On both sides of the road and stretching out for miles are white, plasticcovered greenhouses which enable harvesting of two good crops per year. These greenhouses can be seen (much like the Great Wall of China) from the International Space Station. Next we hit the A7 towards Barcelona – it’s mainly tollway driving compared to the alternative ‘main road’ option which goes through all the beach resorts. The drive into Barcelona was relatively easy around the ring road, and we headed straight to our overnight stay at a Park and Ride station which cost €30. The tram and metro system is easy to use, and we visited the fabulous Sagrada Famiglia, the Gaudi-inspired fantasy that commenced building in 1883. The completion date is apparently 2040, but older parts are already in need of restoration.
Heading North
La Rambla, probably Spain’s most famous street, and the wonderful markets make this Catalan city a great place to visit. As we moved on and crossed the border there was a high degree of scrutiny on all vehicles entering France, and we turned inland and headed for Avignon. We found a peaceful stop right on the banks of the Rhone, and took a short walk into the centre of this historic town. Then we headed into Grenoble, the ‘Capital of the Alps’, located at the confluence of the Isere and Drac rivers. We found a suitable parking spot alongside the river, not too far from the Telepherique. Built in 1934, this is one of the world’s first cable cars and whisks you into the air inside an acrylic ball to the Bastille way above the town. It offers great views of the old city and in the distance Mont Blanc and its surrounding peaks.
Heading north to Geneva we paid for the compulsory vignette CHF40 as we crossed the Swiss border, which permits travel on all roads in Switzerland. It cuts out the need for toll roads and makes travel that bit faster. We left the park at Le Leman the next morning and drove into Lausanne where we found a park near the piers in the Ouchy district. On our way towards Bern we took the scenic route through snow-capped mountains that popped in and out from behind the clouds, and watched storm clouds roll in and just as quickly disappear. There were plenty of hairpin bends to navigate before we reached the hotel at the top of the Grimsel Pass, our stopover for the night at 2,164 metres above sea level! Next morning we winded our way down the other side of the pass towards Bern. We stopped on the edge of Lake Thun and admired the view across the lake and back to Interlaken. We then managed to find an unmetered parking spot in a small suburb of Bern, and got a three stop trip in a luxury Swiss Railway train right into the city centre.
Stunning views over Grenoble
The shops in the main area of Bern are located in arcades and full of expensive goods, and we made sure to watch the Zytglogge (a very ornate city clock) strike three. Bern is a laid-back city with almost silent trams, a cobbled centre, and distinctive green-grey sandstone buildings. The next day we drove into the coach park in Lucerne - a wonderful setting for a city, surrounded by mountains. A short walk took us to the Kapellbrucke - a 14th century creaky wooden bridge that runs across the Reuss River and into the city centre. In the morning we walked around the lake into the old town of Zug. The main feature is the clock tower with its roof painted in the local canton colours of blue and white. We drove into Zurich city centre and had a good look round. Taking the A4 eastwards we camped in a small motorhome park by Lake Konstanz at Steckborn. We then passed through Scheffhausen where we visited the Rhinefalle - the largest waterfall in Europe. It was spectacular - nothing like the sheer drop of Niagara Falls – but witnessing some 700m of thundering water coming down from the melting glaciers in the north is very impressive. The river is not too deep, but rocks under the surface make the flowing water look really fierce.
From there we stayed at free camps at Tuttligen and Heilbronn, before a slow drive to our last camp of the trip at Ladenberg. It was then time to return the campervan and catch the shuttle to Frankfurt for our flight home – until next time!
The Zytglogge in Bern
Fast facts
- MOTORHOME HIRE: McRent at Mannheim, Germany
- VEHICLE: Fiat Ducato 2.3 litre turbo diesel, four berth family standard van
- HIRE COST: $9,885 for ten weeks, unlimited kilometres
- ACCOMMODATION/GUIDES: Camperstop Europe 2016 (printed in English) covers nearly 8,000 motorhome stopovers throughout the continent. The majority are free camps, well-marked and with accurate co-ordinates for sat nav. Nearly every location listed provides toilet waste disposal points, grey water disposal, and fresh water access.
Camping Card ACSI comes with a discount card valid at more than 3,000 sites in Europe at a fixed rate of €12, €14, €16, and €18 per night, depending on individual sites. These rates are fully inclusive of the motorhome, two passengers, power, water, and hot showers, but can only be used at these prices in the off peak periods (so not really usable in July and August).Both can be purchased online from vicariousbooks.co.uk - FEES/COSTS: Many motorhome stopovers are free. Some near cities charge €10-30 per night but include water, power, and a dump point. Others may charge for power (usually €1 for eight hours connection) and water (usually €1 per 100 litres)
- FUEL: Readily available – diesel per litre in Germany, Portugal, and France €1.35, Spain €1.00
- ROADS: Avoid motorways as they are expensive. The alternative roads in many cases run alongside the motorway (and are at no cost)
RELATED: Discover how Alan and Jeanette’s love for European motorhome travel began in their earlier adventure inExquisite Europe: RV Adventures Through Western Europe
