🇵🇹 Portugal — OpenVan.camp

Between July and September 2026 the Braga campsite received 5,027 guests and 11,266 overnight stays. Revenue reached €97,349.34, with an average of €8.64 per night.

After the closure of Tomar's motorhome parking area at the former campsite near the municipal stadium, motorhomes have spread across the city. The Flecheiro park has become one of the main concentration points, though some motorhomers still park near the Santa Maria do Olival church. The city council designated car parks on Avenida do Hospital as a temporary motorhome parking area, but they are rarely used. The current council majority (PSD+Chega) says it is seeking solutions to create a dedicated motorhome service area.

The Amigos Sobre Rodas group held its fifth anniversary gathering at Cardiga Camping in Entroncamento from 23 to 25 October. More than 100 caravanners and motorhomers from across the country took part.

A motorhome site in Porto that caught fire on the night of São João has reopened two days later. The fire destroyed 25 motorhomes, causing damage of more than 1 million euros. The owner, Amélia, said she managed to reopen the business in just two days.

Work has started on the refurbishment of the São Jacinto campsite in Aveiro. The contract was awarded for €2.075 million plus VAT, Aveiro City Council said. The renovated campsite is scheduled to open next summer. The works cover 6.1 hectares, of which 4.5 hectares are directly assigned to the camping area, with a maximum capacity of around 800 users. Planned works include reorganising parking with a dedicated motorhome area, replacing fibre-cement roofs with suitable materials such as tiles or metal sheeting, upgrading electrical and domestic wastewater infrastructure, improving lighting and perimeter fencing with the removal of barbed wire, reinforcing tree planting and green areas, and modernising the fire protection network.

Tomar council is still studying the location of a new motorhome park nearly ten months after the city's existing facility closed. Mayor Tiago Carrão said consultations with motorhome associations led the municipality to reconsider its initial site, as it might not meet users' needs, and that options involving private entities and areas outside the urban perimeter are being explored. PS councillor Filipa Fernandes called the response insufficient, noting that at an April meeting the process had been described as underway.

Five campsites in the Coimbra region continue to operate after summer, with some open all year. In Coimbra, the site on Rua da Escola in Areeiro, about 5 km from the centre, is open year-round and offers shade, electricity, laundry, a paid pool, tennis, mini-golf and a playground. Orbitur Gala in Figueira da Foz is set in a pine forest 400 m from the beach, open year-round, with a pool, bungalows, restaurant, bar and three sanitary blocks. The municipal site by Praia da Tocha in Cantanhede is open all year, but its shop, bar and restaurant operate only from June to September. Vila Caia near Lagoa de Mira is open until 8 December, with the sea about 4 km away. A site by the Alva river near São Gião beach (Oliveira do Hospital) is listed as open year-round. Visitors are advised to call ahead to confirm reception hours and available services.

The motorhome park in Pousos, Leiria municipality, remains closed to the public because the site is still occupied by modular homes temporarily housing families left without housing after Storm Kristin. According to Ana Valentim, Leiria City Council's councillor for social action, three households remain on site awaiting repairs to their homes. The park is expected to reopen after the families leave; no date has been set.

According to Turismo de Portugal, the country's 257 operational campsites recorded 7 million overnight stays and around 2 million campers in 2025, a decrease of 4.6% in campers and 3.4% in total overnight stays compared to 2024. Domestic visitors accounted for 4 million overnight stays, making up 72.4% of all stays in summer and 1.33 million in August alone. Foreign tourists dominated in winter, representing 66.9% of all overnight stays in January 2025. Germany, Spain and France remained the leading international markets with around 200,000 guests each, followed by the Netherlands and the United Kingdom with around 100,000 each.

Turismo de Portugal reported that campsites registered 7 million overnight stays in 2025, down from the previous year. According to TravelBi, citing National Statistics Institute (INE) data, 257 operating campsites received about 2 million campers last year, a 4.6% decrease from 2024, while total overnight stays fell 3.4% year-on-year. Domestic visitors accounted for the largest share with 4 million overnight stays in 2025. Summer demand peaked, with Portuguese campers making up 72.4% of all overnight stays, or nearly seven in ten; August was the busiest month for domestic tourism at 1.33 million overnight stays by Portuguese campers. International visitors were more prevalent in winter, accounting for 66.9% of all campsite overnight stays in January 2025. Germany, Spain and France remained the leading international markets with about 200,000 guests each, followed by the Netherlands and the United Kingdom in the top five with around 100,000 guests each.

The parish council of S. Julião in Figueira da Foz has decided to create specific regulations to control and monitor the parking of heavy goods vehicles and motorhomes. Critical points named include Avenida Dr. Manuel Gaspar de Lemos, opposite Dr. João de Barros Basic School, and Avenida Joaquim de Carvalho. The council proposes that the parish assembly approve the regulation and asks the Figueira da Foz municipality to ban long-term parking of heavy vehicles and to regulate motorhome parking so that such vehicles can only stay in designated areas. The municipality approved a new concession model for parking management, increasing paid spaces from 1,440 to 2,540 (up 76%) and raising the base hourly rate from €0.50 to €0.70 (up 40%), with a special rate of €1.20 per hour during the bathing season. The parish council demands the suspension and review of the new tariff model.

The Movement for Conscious and Itinerant Motorhoming (MOVACI) held its national gathering in Viseu, bringing together dozens of motorhomes at the weekly fairgrounds, where they will remain until tomorrow. Participants have been exploring the city, municipality, and region, including rides on the Dão Ecotrail, while also taking advantage of the ongoing 'Outono Quente' festival and the Viseu International Literary Festival. The organization also arranged activities such as zumba classes, concerts, and makeup workshops. MOVACI has over 300 members and aims to create a community of motorhomers committed to environmental preservation and responsible tourism.

A German couple, aged 66 and 69, spent the night in their motorhome on a dirt parking area near Lavadores beach in Canidelo, Vila Nova de Gaia. At the time of the journalist's visit, they were working on computers inside the vehicle. The man is an engineer; the woman is a retired teacher who now runs a small beauty products business.

Greater Porto lacks parking, overnight spots and service stations for emptying wastewater and cleaning motorhomes. As a result, motorhome owners occupy prohibited areas, including the former Seca do Bacalhau in Canidelo, where parking is banned. They are calling for more authorised locations, particularly near beaches, or they will choose other parts of the country.

Rita Barros and Rodrigo Machado bought a 1985 Renault Trafic in July 2025 and converted it for travel, naming it Jacinto Pinto.

Promobil published a guide to autumn routes for motorhomes and campervans in Portugal. In the Algarve, campsites remain open in October; the Algarve Motorhome Park Tavira offers 120 pitches at 10 euros per night for two adults, including water and waste disposal, with electricity charged separately. In Nazaré, the big wave season starts in October, and the free Parque de Campismo de Alcobaça is 11 km from the town. In the Douro Valley, the grape harvest continues; Camping Lamego has about 15 pitches, is open year-round, but has a steep access road with a hairpin bend. Events include the birdwatching festival in Sagres (2–5 October 2026), Feira de São Francisco in Tavira (2–5 October 2026), Festas das Adiafas and Festival do Vinho Leve in Cadaval (17–25 October 2026), and the 17th Feira do Vinho e do Azeite in Provesende (3–4 October 2026).

On 21 September in the municipality of Sines, Portugal, the GNR conducted a raid against camping and caravanning outside authorised locations. 31 administrative offence reports were filed.

At a meeting of the Tomar municipal council, resident Vítor Santos from the Madalena parish demanded action against illegal dumping from motorhomes and caravans at the Castelo de Bode reservoir. He claimed the dumping is carried out by converted vans, while standard motorhomes have 120-litre fresh and waste water tanks and cassette toilets that last a week. Councillor José Delgado reaffirmed his earlier statements, saying he is not responsible for classifying vehicle types but must report illegal operations, and called for increased surveillance of the area. He also urged the municipality to find a solution for designated motorhome parking spaces in Tomar.

At around 1:00 pm on Friday the 18th, a motorhome was completely destroyed by fire on the A13 in Portugal, near the Alvaiázere exit. Flames spread to nearby brush, but firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze. Traffic in the northbound direction was restricted to one lane. The Alvaiázere fire brigade and the National Republican Guard (GNR) attended the scene.

Fernando and Ana, retirees in Spain, have lived for about three years in a 27-year-old Fiat Ducato Maxi motorhome they call “La Vaca”. According to their account, leaving their house eliminated fixed costs for water, electricity, condominium fees, garage and home internet. They carried out a wall repair themselves over five months at a cost of 1,631 euros, including exterior painting; Fernando said professional painting alone would have cost more than 3,000 euros. The couple admitted they had never calculated their expenses in detail but say they now have money left at the end of the month. According to INE, the median rent for new lease contracts in Portugal reached 9.46 euros per square metre in the first quarter of 2026, while the median price of transacted homes was 2,337 euros per square metre.