Our off-grid campervan spends the winter in Porto. From 10 October to 31 March the Horizon is based there: fly in, get the keys in person and drive off. The Atlantic coast, the Douro valley, or south to the Algarve.
The Horizon is a VW Crafter we converted ourselves, with hardwood cabinetry and a layout that still makes sense after four weeks on the road. Off-grid here does not mean camping with less; it means you need nothing from outside. Power, hot water, heating and cooking all work without a hook-up and without a campsite.
That is exactly what makes a Portuguese winter comfortable. You park where it is beautiful, by the sea or up in the mountains, instead of hunting for a pitch with facilities every evening. Want to top up anyway? Plug in at a campsite or aire for a night.
600 Wp of solar and a 3.65 kWh battery with an inverter. The fridge, lights, laptops and phones run off it without a second thought, and the panels charge far better through a Portuguese winter than a Dutch one.
An 80 litre tank with a drinking water filter, a boiler and a hot outdoor shower. Rinse the sand off or wash your hair looking at the sea, without being tied to a campsite.
A gas hob with a real electric oven, a fridge with a freezer compartment and a Nespresso. A full gas bottle is included, and so is the kitchen kit with pans, plates and cutlery.
A fixed king-size bed of 175 by 210 cm, so nothing to build or fold away. Bed linen is ready for you. Underneath is the storage for suitcases, surfboards or hiking gear.
A Webasto diesel night heater that warms the living space in a quarter of an hour and keeps it warm all night, independent of the engine or a hook-up. Welcome in the mountains, rarely needed on the coast.
An electric wind-out awning, with table and chairs included. Ten seconds and your outdoor room is up, which in Portugal is where you spend most of the day.
See the Horizon inside and out, the van that will be waiting for you in Porto.
In Portugal we rent by the week and longer, and the pricing reflects that: over a month you pay a little over thirty percent less per night than for a single week.
10 October 2026 to 31 March 2027
all in, no surprises at the counter
Bed linen, full kitchen kit, table and chairs, water filter and a full gas bottle.
1,500 km per week included, € 0.23 per extra kilometre. Plenty for the coast and inland.
7 nights, because every handover in Portugal is done in person.
15% on booking, the balance at the start of the hire.
€ 1,200 bond and excess, insured across Europe.
From 15:00, check-out until 11:00. Extendable per half day.
You land at Francisco Sá Carneiro and the van is waiting. You get a full walkthrough of the off-grid system, the heater and the kitchen on the spot, then join the A28 towards the coast.
Would you rather spend a few days in Porto first, with the Douro, the azulejos and the port lodges in Gaia? Then collect the van afterwards in the city. We agree the point and time together beforehand.
Collection or return somewhere else in Portugal can be arranged for a surcharge. Tell us what you have in mind and we will see what works.
Every handover is done in person, with time for your questions. No counter, no queue, no list of compulsory extras at check-in. You are renting from Koen and his brother, the two people who built this van themselves.
An hour and a half inland. Terraced vineyards, narrow roads above the river and almost no visitors in winter.
Portugal's only national park, two hours north of Porto. Mountain passes, waterfalls and wild horses.
From Espinho down to Nazaré, with Aveiro and Figueira da Foz on the way. Surf, dunes and fishing villages, even in January.
Three hours south. An easy stop on the way further down, with Sintra and Cabo da Roca right around the corner.
For anyone with three weeks or more. Cork oaks, empty back roads and the cliffs of the Costa Vicentina at the end.
The border is an hour away. The van is insured across Europe, so Santiago de Compostela or the Rías Baixas are fair game.
Full routes and places are in our guide to the best places in Portugal, with our own photos and vlogs.
Yes. From 10 October 2026 through 31 March 2027 the Horizon is based in Porto and rented out from Portugal only. You fly into Porto, collect the van at the airport or in the city, and head for the coast, the Douro valley or the Algarve. From April the van is back in the Netherlands.
From € 2,492 for 28 nights, which is € 89 per night. Two weeks starts at € 1,526 and three weeks at € 1,995. Bed linen, a full kitchen kit, table and chairs, a water filter and a full gas bottle are always included.
Seven nights. Because the van is based in Portugal and every handover is done in person, we work with a one-week minimum there. The nightly rate drops considerably the longer you stay.
In Porto. Collection at Porto airport (Francisco Sá Carneiro) is possible so you can drive off straight from your flight, and a pick-up point in the city also works. We agree the place and time together beforehand. Collection or return elsewhere in Portugal can be arranged for a surcharge.
Yes. The Horizon is insured across Europe, so Galicia, Andalusia and the route down to the Algarve are all allowed. The Spanish border is an hour's drive from Porto. Just let us know roughly where you are heading.
On the coast near Porto daytime temperatures usually sit around fifteen degrees, and often higher in the Algarve. The Horizon also has a Webasto diesel night heater that warms the living space in a quarter of an hour and keeps it warm all night, independent of the engine or a mains hook-up.
The 600 Wp solar array keeps producing in Portugal through winter, considerably more than it would in the Netherlands. The fridge, lighting and charging phones use very little; the boiler and the oven use a lot more. If you want to stay put for a long stretch, hook up at a campsite or aire for a night.
An ordinary category B licence is enough. The Horizon is a VW Crafter campervan and drives like a large van, with cruise control and a reversing camera.
More answers in the FAQ. Also worth a look: the best places in Portugal · off-grid campervan rental · the Horizon.
Send us your dates and Koen will check straight away whether they work. You usually hear back within a few hours, directly from one of the two brothers who built this van.
Porto airport or the city of Porto, Portugal
10 October 2026 to 31 March 2027
only your first name and email are required · you usually hear back within a few hours