Why this distinction? Well because of the way in which the payment options have been implemented, it’s relatively easy – even if annoying – for Portugal residents to pay the tolls but for those who come into the country from abroad there are numerous problems to solve.

In case you’re arriving from Spain in a foreign registered car

At the border on the A22 you’ll find automatic vending machines from which you can rent a transponder by entering your car’s registration number as well as your credit card number. When you return you can drop off the transported at the last service station in Olhao where you’ll get part of the original cost refunded. The tolls are charged to your credit card and in case the vending machine is busy you can also rent a transponder at the Olhao service station. You can also rent the transponders at any Post Office as well as from the Faro Airport Post Office.

There are also some other alternatives in the form of pre-paid passes which you can purchase from any Post Office.

In case you’re planning to employ Faro Airport car hire services

This has been a major problem ever since the tolls were applied with rent a car companies having been in discussions with the government for several months but a solution might be close to being implemented.

Basically the rental car companies will be installing transponders in all their cars, which will add 1.5 Euros per day to your rental costs, plus the tolls of course.

You’ll be better served to talk to your car rental provider about the details related to the A22 tolls, because information is constantly changing because nobody is happy with the current system and the authorities are trying to deal with it.

The town gets its name from the start of the 19^th century when local fishermen sailed to inform the Prince Regent – who at that time was in exile in Rio de Janeiro – of the victory over the invading French; the prince rewarded them by naming their town Vila de Olaho da Restauracao.

Pretty much anyone who has been to the Algarve has heard of Faro, this is after all most likely where they first set foot in the region, if not the country, however not many have heard of the old Roman port of Ossonoba which became the capital of the Algarve. Ossonoba and Faro are the same place.

Faro officially became a city in 1540, only for it to be sacked by the English in 1596 who made it a goal of his to steal books from the Bishop’s Library – interestingly enough those books have been treasured by the British and they still exist in the Ashmolean Library in Oxford.

This is definitely the place to see for all those who are interested in learning about the local culture and especially the history of the place. This is where you’ll find the Algarve Regional Museums as well as the Archaeological Museum – both of which make for some very good destinations; there are also remnants of city walls built by the Romans and the Byzantines, an Italian designed horseshoe gate and a plethora of churches to name but a few of the various other historic destinations that you can visit here.

Keep our Algarve car hire services in mind when you’re following our Algarve history travel guide.

Portimao is one of the largest towns in the Algarve, alongside the likes of Olhao, or the capital Faro. As opposed to most other Algarve locations, Portimao does not get most of its revenue from tourism activities, instead it acts as more of a headquarters for those who want to visit the various nearby tourist resorts, however there are things to be done in Portimao as well.

Portimao offers some great shopping opportunities in its center, so that’s of interest to a certain percentage of visitors of course, but there are also a few attractions in town as well, such as the old iron bridge in the north of the city.

As far as the atmosphere in the city goes, Portimao is quite the lively town, even if it is not a tourist resort. You’ll find a lot of small eating places, family businesses and a lot of great seafood dishes – which are to be expected in the region.

It’s not a town known for monuments or museums, but that doesn’t necessarily make it less worthy of some exploration. It’s smaller than Faro, but similarly to the capital it’s also a working city pretty much, so the experience that you’ll get here from walking around will differ from that you’ll get from a tourist resort.

Lunch in Portimao is something to look forward to, of course you can go to a restaurant but in order to get a better feel of the place you should go to the harborside and find a table at one of the smaller eateries. This is where you’ll get some great traditional cooking, chargrilled sardines and the like, not to mention that it won’t be very expensive either.

You can check out the town and its surroundings that much better with the help of our Algarve car hire services.

Although the city was first mentioned in a document in 1378, it only became an important town during the 19^th century, however it was sufficiently important in the 17^th century to need the building of the fortress of Sao Lorenco in 1679 to protect it from pirate raids. Our short Olhao guide will try to give you a bit of an idea of what to expect from this town of many faces.

We said many faces because depending on where you approach it from, Olhao, Portugal will look different. For instance if you approach it from the side where the fishing port is located, it will look very industrial, and hence not extremely attractive to tourists. However if you’re driving to Olhao along the water front road then you’ll get a different view altogether. You can use Olhao transfers from Faro Airport to get here right from the airport.

The waterfront is extremely important to Olhao, as such there are actually two market building situated side by side which you simply have to visit, even if you’re not interested in purchasing anything, the atmosphere and the vibe of the markets will mesmerize you. If you do want to purchase something well then there will be no shortage of fresh fish and sea food, alongside locally grown fresh fruit and vegetables.

Of course this is the Algarve so you can’t have any large gathering of human beings without the specter of cafes and restaurants being somewhere close-by. The market halls are surrounded by many pavement cafes where you can sit down, relax, have yourself a wonderfully refreshing beverage and enjoy the view of the boats moored along the water. If you’re so inclined you can find a nice jazz cafe from which you can just watch people mill around the place and the boats in the immediate distance.

Much as it is with the rest of the cities and town of the Algarve, Olhao too has an old, historic heart. The Old Town is mad eup of old buildings which used to be merchants’ homes featuring wrought iron balconies as well as carved stonework and tile decorations as is customary around these parts. This offers an interesting contrast to the modern, industrial look of the port area.

The Praca da Restauraca is home to the church of Nossas Senhora do Rosario which was built in 1689 with contributions from the local fishermen, it’s interesting to note that at that time, this was the only stone building in the city. It is still a very graceful building featuring a Baroque facade.

The building located behind the church is the Compromisso Maritimo – the fishermen’s mutual society, founded back in the 18^th century – nowadays is also the home of the local Olhao city museum.

There’s yet another church located at the back of the Compromisso Maritimo, this time it’s a 17^th century one, the Nossa Senhora da Soledade. The entire area around these buildings feature narrow, cobbled streets and a wide variety of shops and of course the ever-present pavement cafes which are perfectly located to get a nice break from the sightseeing.

While we are talking here about a fishing town, Olhao doesn’t actually have a beach because it is located on the Ria Formosa system of lagoons, however the ferry services can take you to wherever you’ll want to reach nearby. Another option would be to employ some Olhao car hire services and just drive for yourself to wherever you want to go in case you want to visit near by cities like Faro or Tavira.

There are obviously many things to see and do here, and let’s not forget that you will be on the Algarve coast, the weather will most likely be wonderful and the people welcoming, also the surrounding countryside can offer a lot of interesting places to see and adventure in.