Why Portugal Is the Next Great Supercar Destination

For decades, European supercar touring meant the Alps, the Italian Lakes and the Côte d'Azur. Those roads remain sublime, but they are also crowded. Portugal offers something increasingly rare: world-class driving, extraordinary variety and space to enjoy it. And in 2027, Formula One comes back.

Formula One Returns to Portimão

On 16 December 2025, Formula One announced that Portugal would return to the calendar in 2027 and 2028 under a two-year agreement with the Portuguese government, Turismo de Portugal and the circuit's promoter. The races will be held at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, better known simply as Portimão.

Portugal has a long Grand Prix history, having hosted Formula One at four venues: the street circuits of Boavista in Porto and Monsanto in Lisbon, then Estoril, and most recently the Algarve. Portimão stepped in during the pandemic seasons of 2020 and 2021, and its first race produced a landmark moment: Lewis Hamilton's 92nd victory, which made him the most successful driver in Formula One history by race wins.

The circuit itself is a driver's favourite. Opened in 2008, the 4.653 km track runs over natural hills, with steep climbs, plunging descents and blind crests. Its "rollercoaster" character makes it one of the most physical and spectacular circuits on the calendar, and a fitting place to end a week of driving.

Roads That Rank Among the World's Best

In 2015 a study commissioned by Avis set out to find the world's best driving road, and the winner was Portuguese: the N222 between Peso da Régua and Pinhão in the Douro Valley, 27 km of river-hugging bends between terraced vineyards. Two other Portuguese roads were among the 25 assessed, including the climb towards Monchique in the Algarve hills.

That is only a sample. Northern and central Portugal are threaded with national roads that follow river valleys and mountain contours, built long before motorways took through-traffic away. Today, many of them are remarkably quiet. Read our Douro Valley route guide for more on the N222.

Extraordinary Variety in a Single Week

Portugal is compact, and that is its great advantage for a driving tour. Within a few hundred kilometres you can move through completely different worlds:

• Porto and the north: a historic city on the Douro, with the Atlantic coast close by.
• The Douro Valley: UNESCO-listed vineyard terraces and the river roads that made the region famous.
• The Serra da Estrela: mainland Portugal's highest mountains, crossed by a road that climbs to 1,993 metres at Torre. See our Serra da Estrela guide.
• Comporta and the Alentejo coast: long beaches, pine forest and rice fields between the Sado estuary and the Atlantic.
• The Algarve: golden cliffs, hill roads around Monchique and the Portimão circuit.

Few countries in Europe offer vineyards, high mountains and Atlantic coastline within one week's drive, with excellent hotels at every stage.

Comporta: The Quiet Coast

Comporta has become one of Europe's most discreet luxury destinations. Around 120 km south of Lisbon, between the Sado estuary and the Atlantic, it remains low-rise and understated, with wooden walkways over the dunes, endless beaches and rice paddies that turn the landscape green in summer. It is a place to slow down, a deliberate pause between the mountains and the Grand Prix.

One of the most enjoyable approaches from Lisbon involves the short car ferry from Setúbal to the Tróia peninsula, followed by a drive south along the narrow strip of land between estuary and ocean.

Space to Enjoy the Drive

The appeal of a supercar tour lies not just in the roads but in being able to enjoy them. Away from the coast and the major cities, Portuguese roads are often notably calm. There are fewer tour coaches than on Europe's best-known passes and fewer queues at viewpoints. Mountain roads, valleys and coastal routes can be driven at an unhurried rhythm, with time to stop, look and photograph.

The country's motorway network also makes it easy to link the best sections efficiently, keeping the long transit stretches short and the great roads at the centre of each day.

Hospitality and Cuisine

Portugal's hospitality scene has grown enormously, from restored quintas in the Douro to design-led retreats on the Alentejo coast and resort hotels on the Algarve. Its food culture is generous and regional: seafood on the coast, hearty mountain cooking inland, cheeses such as Serra da Estrela, and wines from the Douro, Dão and Alentejo that are increasingly celebrated internationally.

Easy to Reach

Portugal is straightforward to reach for international guests. Porto and Lisbon both have major international airports with connections across Europe and to North America, and Faro serves the Algarve at the southern end of the country. A route that starts in Porto and ends on the Algarve means no backtracking: you arrive in the north and fly home from the south.

For European owners who prefer to bring their own cars, Portugal is also within driving distance, whether through France and Spain or via a ferry to northern Spain. The drive south can become part of the adventure.

Why June Works

June brings long days and green landscapes in the north, before the height of the summer crowds. The 2027 Grand Prix date gives a natural finale to a journey that begins in the north and travels south through the heart of the country.

The Renisetté Portugal Grand Prix Supercar Tour

We built our flagship 2027 journey around all of this. The Portugal Grand Prix Supercar Tour runs from 14 to 21 June 2027: seven nights from Porto and Vila do Conde through the Douro Valley and the Serra da Estrela to Comporta, finishing with three nights in Portimão for the Portuguese Grand Prix on 19–20 June.

Guests drive their own supercar or hire one through Renisetté, with hotels, dining, routes, luggage and Grand Prix arrangements handled throughout. Prices start from €25,980 per person with your own car, and drivers must be aged 26 or over. Travelling from abroad? See our pages for US drivers and UK drivers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Formula One returning to Portugal?

Yes. On 16 December 2025 Formula One announced a two-year agreement for Portugal to host Grands Prix in 2027 and 2028 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve near Portimão.

Where is the Portimão circuit?

The Autódromo Internacional do Algarve is in the hills north of Portimão on the Algarve coast. Faro airport is the nearest international airport.

What makes Portimão special as a circuit?

The 4.653 km circuit is built on natural hills, with dramatic elevation changes and blind crests that have earned it a "rollercoaster" reputation. It hosted Formula One in 2020 and 2021.

Where is Comporta?

Comporta is on the Alentejo coast, between the Sado estuary and the Atlantic, roughly 120 km south of Lisbon by road. It is known for long beaches, pine forest and rice fields.

When is the Renisetté Portugal tour?

The Portugal Grand Prix Supercar Tour runs from 14 to 21 June 2027, from Porto to Portimão, finishing with the Portuguese Grand Prix on 19–20 June 2027.

Sources: Formula 1: F1 to return to Portugal in 2027 and 2028 · BBC Sport, 16 December 2025 · Portuguese Government · Autódromo Internacional do Algarve: racing track · Avis: World's Best Driving Road

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