Guide
Where to Legally Park a Motorhome in Portugal (Law 66/2021 Explained)
Écrit par le gestionnaire d'Alentejo Park
·Mis à jour January 2025
Portugal published Portaria 66/2021 in March 2021, creating a new category of licensed motorhome stopping place and setting out the rules for overnight parking outside licensed sites. The law was widely misreported — both by those who claimed it banned wild camping entirely, and by those who claimed it legalised parking anywhere. Neither is correct.
What the law actually says
Law 66/2021 creates a distinction between licensed motorhome stopping places (áreas de serviço or parques de autocaravanas) and general overnight parking. General overnight parking in a motorhome remains legal under Portuguese road traffic law — you have the same right to park overnight in a car park or roadside space as any other vehicle. What the law prohibits is turning your parking space into a temporary campsite: awnings, chairs, tables, barbecues, and similar equipment that colonise the public space.
Protected areas
Portugal has extensive protected areas, including the Ria Formosa Natural Park, the Costa Vicentina, and various Natura 2000 zones. Overnight motorhome parking is prohibited within the boundaries of these areas unless you are in a designated stopping place. The boundaries are not always clearly signed. If you are uncertain, check the ICNF (Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas) map.
Municipal regulation
Individual municipalities can regulate motorhome parking within their territory. Several Algarve municipalities have signed areas of their town centres as prohibited for motorhome overnight parking. These are generally well-signed. The most common prohibition is in beach car parks, where motorhomers historically caused issues during summer. The municipality of Castro Marim, where Alentejo Park is located, does not restrict motorhome parking beyond the standard traffic rules.
In practice
Enforcement in rural Portugal is light. GNR (the national police) do occasionally check that motorhomers are not setting up campsites in laybys. In the eastern Algarve, this is rare. In popular tourist areas in summer — Sagres, Lagos, Armação de Pêra — enforcement is more active and fines have been issued. The practical advice is: in a town, use a licensed area; in the countryside, observe the "no campsite" rule and move on after one night.
Looking for a place to stop in the eastern Algarve?
Alentejo Park is 5 minutes from the A22 junction at Castro Marim. Twelve pitches, full hookup, free dump station for guests. →Source: ICNF — Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas