HI! could do with abit of help at this stage,am flying into lisbon on the 13th and renting a car from yor and driving down to armacao.ireckon once i,m on the motorway its just a straight run and i cant go to far wrong,but getting out of lisbon is the thing,and finding the car itself in lisbon airport,ive done this once before and it was a nightmare,drove all around lisbon for an hour before finding myself on a big white bridge which could have been going anywhere and cars flying past blowing horns like billyo,actualy i think thats where i found god,shame i hadn,t found the hure a bit earlier,still mustn,t grumble.So now i,m putting my faith in you guys ,anybody give me real simple instructions for getting to that damn bridge please ?if you pretend your dealing with a slow witted four year old we will be just about on a par,any other bits of info no matter how trivial they may seem would be more then welcome in this case ignorence is not bliss it is a nerve wracking,sleep depriving,fist clenching,teeth grinding bowel loosening state of fearful chaos,by the way i know driving in portugal is different to driving here in rural ireland so tips on driving etiquette also welcome i.e do you blow your horn before or after swerving across three lanes of traffic without warning on a roundabout...that sort of thing..........by the way i,m really sorry about the rugby thing at the weekend i was cheering for england ,honest to god i was.

Yeah...i believe you Gerry (thousands wouldn't !)...cheering for England!!! ..you'd be drummed out the E.I.
Well done to Emerald Isle lads anyway for Triple Crown
Sorry..can't help with driving or 'Finding that bridge' ! Sure others can though.......Lots of luck anyway !
Seems quite a few of us are gonna be out there that week!

Dont envy you that one Gerry

Coming out of the airport will lead you to a big roundabout that is the nightmare. This roundabout does have traffic lights on it although they are not that clear. You need to go almost completely round until you reach the 6th (approx) exit labelled A1 Porto Norte. This exit runs underneath the A1 for about 1km (through a set of lights) and eventually brings you on to the A1. After about 3km on the A1 you will see the signs for the A12 (V. da Gamma Bridge). This is the A12 that will bring you all the way down to the Algarve onto the A22. Remember the A12 is a toll road that does not take credit cards so you'll need about 15-20euros in cash.
Good luck

Yes, good luck Gerry. Is it possible to put hazard lights on from the start until you clear the city--and do the Portuguese have/recognise learner plates? Would come in really useful for drivers like me who sometimes forgets left and right And I suppose they would ignore them anyway In fact do they have driving schools in Portugal, does a test have to be passed

Gerry, the above instructions sound good to me.

Re driving etiquette/tips:
>You can use the horn whenever you feel like it, for whatever reason, so best not bother using it all.
>Until you get onto that bridge, drive slowly and ignore the car behind you thats tooting and flashing and seemingly capable of ramming you off the road altogether.
>Enjoy

>When praying, keep your eyes open and both hands on the wheel.
>Tell passengers not to cross (+) themselves, as it can distract the driver
>Keep the brow well mopped
>When you reach the Galp petrol station on the other side stop for a celebratory brandy




seriously
drive slowly, blx to everyone else

Many thanks to ye all i know the post was a little whatever but i do realy need the help so thanks again to guest
ps digger what kind of praying is that! eyes open in a speeding car !have you no faith ?
god and lunitic drivers willing i,ll see ye all in april,
gerry

The toll road is a ripoff when there is an excellent parallel highways sans tolls. Can't remember the numbers but we did the trip last year in excellent time.

I guess the toll road might be more direct and M like but I have never taken it.