Touring - Info/Advice for Spain and Portugal

If anyone on the forums has done Spain/Portugal this past year, I'd like to hear from you.Spoke with a man who lived for sev years in Portugal and he said the drivers are rude, careless, reckless. True? or Not?

Leaving the US in April for Italy maybe a month, then to Spain and Portugal for a month, then So. Germany and the Danube Bike Trail to Budapest, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic... If I didn't have a li'l dog that I can't part with permanently I wouldn't return but continue all the way around

If anyone on the forums has done Spain/Portugal this past year, I'd like to hear from you.Spoke with a man who lived for sev years in Portugal and he said the drivers are rude, careless, reckless. True? or Not?

I toured both Spain and Portugal earlier this year and yes the Portuguese drivers are not nearly as cautious as the Spanish and I noticed the difference as soon as I crossed the border. It also depends on where you go and the road conditions etc, the roads tend to be narrower and without a hint of a shoulder so be careful! The Portuguese are wonderful people, by the way, and I can’t say that I found them rude or reckless. Where do you plan to ride?

Regards,
Gordon

I'm planning a month in Spain and Portugal, no fixed schedule, no fixed route yet, but as a former architect, old buildings and museums are my interest.
The gentleman I spoke with was a writer and he explained that outside their vehicles the Portuguese are every bit as friendly and accomodating as one would hope for, just be extra cautious on the highways
Not sure about taking my bike with me or buying one in Europe this trip. I saw dozens in the stores past summer that were every bit as alluring and sometimes less expensive. Plus the fact of seeing so many Euros riding older clunkers loaded with camping gear. As I plan to do a lot of camping this trip I'm not sure I want to take an expenisive bike with me. Perhaps locate a cheaper one there,ride it for 4 months and then sell it
Another question for you.....what kind of bike did you ride? tire size? str8t handlebars or dropped?

I live and work out in Portugal and help run a bike tour company there, www.fcarvalho-ciclismo.com . I would be happy to give you any advice you would like on specific routes or whatever - you can contact me through the site.
In general, Portugal is a great place for cycling if you know where to go - the coast is densely populated and not a nice place for bikes, whereas nobody lives in the interior and it is biking heaven (beautiful mountains, good quality roads, no traffic). It is also very cheap. The only problem is that it can be a bit hot in the Summer.
If you are interested I would be happy to give you any more specific help you may require with accommodation, routes etc.
Kind regards,
Charlie

I didn't bike in Portugal THIS year, but rather in 1998. I don't recall thinking that the drivers were especially bad or reckless. We biked roughly from Lisbon to Porto. The further north we went, the better the cycling was. The Douro valley was wonderful. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time for the Minho region in extreme northern Portugal, which a couple of other cyclists told us was the best part of all.