2 Essential Driving Skills before Moving to Portugal

In Some Ways the Portuguese are Superior Drivers

I was sitting outside a doctor’s office the other day. I got to his office really early, so I had a chance to observe dozens of cars enter and exit the very small parking lot. Curling into small spaces…expert three-point turns…parallel parking with ease. Just one of the two driving skills you need before you move to Portugal.

Portuguese Drivers

You may have heard that Portuguese drivers are bad. That they drive too fast…or too slow. Yes, both of these things are true. You may have also been told that they park in unusual places. As if they learned the rules of parking in South Philly albeit without a lawn chair…shout out to my friends Franni and Reid.

Yes, this is also true! But after 8 months in Portugal, I can tell you that I admire the Portuguese people’s ability to navigate in tight spaces, particularly as it relates to getting into and out of parking spaces. Pure genius. Streets that I would not drive down…they do. Yes, you see a lot of Smart cars and Fiat 500’s…but you also see Mercedes, Volvos, and delivery vans. And parking spaces that I would take one look at and say, “No way…not even going to try” they stop at and park within 6” (15 cm) of the curb with ease.

[I will note, that this skill of navigating a car through a tight space is not unique to Portugal. I recall our month in Scotland when our friend Liz drove from Clonaig to Campbeltown on a one-lane, two-way, road. I sat in the back trying not to soil her upholstery while she expertly navigated past cars that had “pulled over” to let her through.]

Ahh, Scotland.

So if you grew up driving in the more rural areas of the U.S. and/or haven’t practiced your parallel parking skills in a while, I have a piece of advice for you. Practice before you get here! You also might want to even spend some time watching Driver Ed-type videos on YouTube.

Traffic Circle, aka Roundabouts

I, fortunately, grew up in the Philadelphia area. In just a few minutes I could cross the bridge and be in South Jersey…the home of traffic circles (or at least it was in the ’70s and ‘’80s). As such, I grew up navigating traffic circles. I knew when to be on the inside lane and when to be on the outside lane. I also learned if you don’t look the other driver in the eye you have the right of way. I realize that isn’t a real law just a Philly driver thing…but it works.

Years later, I lived in The Villages Florida which also utilized traffic circles. When I first moved there I realized I was one of the very few people that knew how to drive in them. All the other drivers were clueless and old. Not a great combination.

The bad news is Portugal has a lot of roundabouts. So many in fact that the Google maps voice barely has time to complete the name of the street you are exiting onto before she announces “In 200 meters exit at the third exit of the roundabout onto Rua Conselheiro Frederico Ramirez”.

The good news is most people know how to drive in them.

However, if you haven’t driven a lot in roundabouts permit me to offer some advice. The first rule you need to remember is that people inside the circle have the right of way relative to people that wish to enter the circle. The second rule is you need to be in the outside lane of the circle if you plan to exit. Finally, and this is critically important, you need to be on high alert at all times because not everyone abides by the rules!

So there you have it. Just another helpful tip if you are planning to move to Portugal. Boa sorte e feliz condução…