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.

These savings are there only for those who like to self-cater, and considering the tough economic times, more and more people are considering it as more than just a viable option, considering the difference in costs that it implies.

The Algarve is amongst the top spots for cheapest self-catering holiday destinations in Europe, so let’s take a closer look and see what that actually means.

The study looked at the cost of twenty supermarket-bought essential items that a family of four would most likely need to purchase while on their holiday. In the Algarve that shopping basket came to 57.78 British pounds, with just 0.09 pounds more than the absolute cheapest destination, Mallorca.

These same items would cost you considerably more in other European destinations, and we’ll continue with the Cyprus example, in Limassol it would cost you 104.29 British pounds.

The survey also looked into the price of cheese and found that the cheese in Portugal was less than half price that of Cyrpus and pizza in Italy will cost you twice as much as it would in the Algarve.

One would consider that self-catering will considerably reduce the costs of their holiday by default, and that is true, however as we’ve showed earlier, those same costs can also be drastically reduced depending on where exactly you are going. Apparently Mallorca and Portugal offer the best value options for self-catering tourists, while Greece is considerably more expensive.

This characteristic of the Algarve extends to dining out as well, even in that category it is amongst the cheapest places to dine out while on holiday.

So you should keep this in mind when you’re considering your next trip, and also consider that you can visit as much of the Algarve as you wish with some Algarve car hire services.