Help Planing A Journey To Portugal

[+Rocky Balboa]

This isn't really geocaching related other than I will be doing a couple when i'm over there but I have reached a dead end and I thought who better to ask than a bunch of folks who like getting out and about.

 

I'm trying to plan a trip to the Algarve in portugal next year. This would be pretty easy apart from the fact I don't do flying

 

I have searched and searched for ferry links to anywhere in portugal and I have hit a brick wall. Does anyone out there know if ferries even go to portugal from the Uk or if I could get one to spain then portugal? I would drive down from Santander in Northern Spain, but I really don't think I could handle driving on the wrong side of the road for 18 hours!!!!

 

Any help greatly appreciated!

[nobby.nobbs]

i think the nearest you'll get is to bilboa on northern spainsh coast. dadgum long time on the boat though.

 

I have to say I would try to make a holiday of the trip. Why not go via train? Paris then down to Spain then Portugal. Take longer but you'll have better views than the ferry.

 

Or try and find a cruise liner that'll take you, some cargo boats will take passengers.

[+Stuey]

Plymouth-Santander and Portsmouth-Bilbao are probably the only two options for scheduled regular ferry services to that part of the world.

[+Mr Hedgehog]

Cruise liners certainly stop in Lisbon. going by train would be OK as far as the French border. Trains in Spain are erratic at best.

We came back from Lisbon to the UK by train a few years ago and it was 26 hours to the channel. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

How about letting somebody else drive and going by coach?

[+Rocky Balboa]

Thanks for the ideas, I think I will look into the cruise liner as we want to make the journey part of the holiday!

[Leoness]

You don't say why you "don't do flying" but if it's because you have a phobia about flying, then it might be an idea to try to overcome that fear so that the whole world becomes open to you

 

I recently overcame my phobia of spiders and, whilst it wasn't particularly debilitating, I feel like a weight has been lifted. I can now deal with those big black hairy ones in the bath without the use of a large tupperware and rubber gloves or coming out in a cold sweat with heart palpitations!

[+Just Roger]

I think I will look into the cruise liner as we want to make the journey part of the holiday!

You might find there are more cruise ships to Funchal in maderia and I believe there is a regular service from there to Lisbon

[+The Hokesters]

I concur that the Santander/Bilboa ports are your only option. The trin would be fun but I think a little slow.

 

Where are you heading for? I know the Algarve pretty well. My sister lived there for a while and we have many portuguese friends....and we have done a little caching whilst out there too.

[+sTeamTraen]

You don't say why you "don't do flying" but if it's because you have a phobia about flying, then it might be an idea to try to overcome that fear so that the whole world becomes open to you

And having heard my parents' reports of their trips across the Bay of Biscay, I would think you're safer flying... sitting next to Osama.

 

And probably a lot cheaper off too, thanks to Mr. B.M.I. EasyRyanair & co.