Changes

|state = Norte North Region|district = Porto

If you don't want to stand at the roundabout, a better option is to walk from there onto the first petrol station. Its just a bit more than 2km and you can start hitching right on [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=metro+dom+joao+II,+vila+nova+de+gaia,+portugal&daddr=41.1162456,-8.6073042+to:Unknown+road&hlFrom Santo Ovídio =en&geocode=FaxvcwId6q18_yk_Hei00mQkDTHO6jAWa1xOEw%3BFVVicwIduKl8_ymBCBysLXskDTHgckG0vesAEw%3BFVspcwIdOMd8_w&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=17&via=1&dirflg=w&sll=41.116058,-8.605481&sspn=0.003734,0.006899&ie=UTF8&ll=41.102784,-8.601093&spn=0.003735,0.006899&t=h&z=17 a petrol station on the motorway]. This is the best option, and it will not take very long to catch a lift south.You can walk about 2km along the edge of the highway (the shoulder is very wide, and it isn't very dangerous) until you reach the petrol station--this is the most straight-forward way to get there. If you don't want to walk on the highway to get to the petrol station, then you can walk down the hill for 2km as indicated on the map, then you cross the motorway through a tunnel. Walk up a smaller hill for 200m until on your left there is a spring and a smaller sandy road. On both sides of the sandy road there are two wild gardens. On the end of the road (heading to the motorway) up comes a house on your left and a door on your right. The door leads to the petrol station framed by a 1.80 metre high fence on top with barb wire. The fence has already been repaired quite a bit. After 50m you come to another metal door which leads you onto the petrol station. It can be opened with a little rusty wire on the right - just pull very hard. Otherwise you can always shout for somebody to open the door. (August 2011)

Better option: 100m before Hitching South is very easy, especially when you start from within the petrol station therenearby city of ''s [http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=metro+santo+ov%C3%ADdio,+vila+nova+Vila Nova de+gaiaGaia'',+portugal&daddr=Unknown+road&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=41which is just across the Douro River.105436One spot in Gaia is a roundabout,-8next to the last metro stop (''Santo Ovídio'').601093&spn=0.004123This is an okay spot to stand,0.010568&sll=41.104943even at night,-8for going to both towards the north Porto and above as well as going south.601319&sspn=0.004123,0.010568&geocode=FZxfcwIdpax8_ylz2JPBLXskDTGsUdsNETeCXg%3BFZM0cwIdGbt8_w&t=h&dirflg=w&mra=dme&mrsp=1&sz=17&z=17 a road passing under It is better if you stare down the highway] - it's an easy place which points towards A1 Highway going to go up into the highway, Lisbon and just walk your way until the petrol station. In order turning right to reach easily this pointPorto and North, there is a small red light and eventually go up into the highway it's also possible stand there if you want to head back to catch a bus from the main bus station in BATALHA with destination PEROSINHO Porto and get off at LABORIM stop (just ask the driver). The bus will drop you just a few meters from thereNorth.

Look ==== From Repsol, Vila Nova de Gaia ==== [[File:Porto_south_repsol_back_entrance.jpeg|200px|thumb|right|The entrance to the fenced tunnel to the back entrance of the gas station]] There is a petrol station on the A1 highway just after the ramp which is excellent for rides to the south. Get to the last stop of the metro line D called Santo Ovídio. Walk south down Rua de Soares dos Reis (N1) and continue walking when it becomes the Rue Fonte dos Arrependidos. Pass under the highway through the tunnel and keep walking on the Rua Alto das Terras. After a few hundred meters you will see the petrol station on your left. Should take ~15 minutes, mostly downhill and in the shade. Walk the dirt road full of garbage to the left till you find fenced tunnel (pictured) that leads to door to the station with a doorbell you can ring so the staff will come and let you in. They're fine with coming to open it.As of June 2017 the doorbell is broken, but if you happen to have a mobile phone with you, you can call them at +351 22 712 6842 and they will open the door for you. In case you don't have a working sim card, you can probably shout to attract attention and have them come over. Failing that, it's also easy to get to the petrol station forsomeone that is ok with a "short moment of illegality": Rua da Palmeiraafter the tunnel you can climb to your left side and then walk along the highway for some meters to the petrol station. Otherwise it's also possible to climb over the gas station fence. A special tip, after the tunnel keep looking on your left side, you can find a lot of wild strawberries (in Summer, of course). You can either stand in the petrol station or at the exit ramp. You can also try to stand in the highway itself, but as a passing policeman said, it is unlikely cars in the highway stop. The following service station on the A1 is called Antuã-Estarreja. Anyone who is going in the direction of [[Aveiro]] but not to Lisbon can drop you off here, where there will be plenty off cars almost all bound straight for Lisbon. === The route to [[France]] === For people trying to go from Porto and enter France as fast as possible. Go to the second Gas station, get lift in the direction of Viseu and then get dropped at any petrol station and then look out for cars and Portugese trucks which are going to France or cars that are from Belgium or Netherlands. Be patient and ensure you do not get down anywhere else but only '''petrol stations'''; don't go with drivers to their city center or you will get stuck. Near border of Spain before the border if you are at a gas station, wait until you find a car or truck that goes all the way to Saint Sebastian, a Spanish town on the French border. You will have to be patient and you will definitely find with a little time and patience. Try to get a direct ride to France ( so that you can '''skip Spain''') which is a disaster for long distance hitchhiking. Start from the petrol station near "Vila Nova nova de Gaia". === North towards [[Braga]] and [[Spain]] ([[Vigo]], Portugal[[Santiago de Compostela]]) === ==== Option 1 ====

'''==== Option 2'''==== 

Me and my travel-buddy tried the petrol station close to the metro station "Estadio do mar", but couldn't get a ride after trying for one hour. Some people at the petrol station told us about a FREE shuttle bus '''(free bus shuttle – MAR Lines – ended its operation in July 31st 2017''' ) going north to IKEA (located close to the motorway A28) where a lot of spanish people go for shopping. The best way to get to the bus-station for the free shuttle-bus is to take the metro to "Senhora da Hora" (one stop before "Estadio do mar"), walk back (if you took the metro from the city) on the street along the metro-line, take a right into the street called "Avenida de António Domingues dos Santos / Rua da Barranha" and find a bus-station on the right side. This is how it looks like:

There is a motorway (A4) going from Porto to Bragança, a good way to get into it is to take the metro line F (direction FANZERES) and get out on station BAGUIM, from there you can walk till the The [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/A4_%28autoestrada%29#.C3.81reas_de_servi.C3.A7o_e_de_repouso second petrol station] on the A4 motorwayis a good spot to catch a ride East. You can get there

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=esta%C3%A7%C3%A3o+de+'''By Metro (1,50€ from center)''' <br>Take the metro+baguim,+rio+tinto,+porto&daddr=Unbekannte+Stra%C3%9Fe&hl=de&ie=UTF8&ll=41line F (direction FANZERES) and get out at CAMPAÍNHA (not to be confused with Campanhã!).192542,-8.555775&spn=0.024608,0.055189&sll=41.189896,-8.570343&sspn=0.024609,0.055189&geocode=FSJxdAIdnJl9_ynd2Y7BwGMkDTGvNlzAZdOmpg%3BFaKpdAIdnlB9_w&t=h&dirflg=w&mra=ltm&z=14From there you can walk:

The map above doesn't show the metro station on the satellite imagehttps://www.google.com/maps/dir/Campa%C3%ADnha,+4435-140+Rio+Tinto/41.2000340, but the B arrow points to the petrol station+-8.5645780/@41.1938539, the walk takes about 40min (fast walking) and to enter the petrol station you can easily jump the fence if you follow it from the gate to the left-8.5616676,1165m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m15!4m14!1m5!1m1!1s0xd2463eb34b18f31:0x9959d0cff0f293ca!2m2!1d-8.553955!2d41.183452!1m5!1m1!1s0x0:0x0!2m2!1d-8.564578!2d41.200034!3e2!5i1?hl=de

The walk takes about 30min (fast walking) and to enter the petrol station you can easily jump the fence if you follow it from the gate to the left. '''By Train (1,40€ from center)''' <br>For a shorter walk, take a train going to Braga, Guimarães, or Marco/Caíde (green, red, or blue line) from "S. Bento" or "Campanhã", and get off at "Águas Santas/Palmilheira". https://www.google.com/maps/dir/41.200041,-8.5565396/41.2000340,+-8.5645780/@41.1980698,-8.5662228,15z/data=!4m9!4m8!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x0:0x0!2m2!1d-8.564578!2d41.200034!3e2 ATTENTION: There are only 2 3 other petrol stations on this motorway ([http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/A4_%28autoestrada%29#.C3.81reas_de_servi.C3.A7o_e_de_repouso check Wikipedia for update]), one just after [[Penafiel]] , the next one near Lamares after Villa Real, and other the last just before [[Mirandela]], so if you stay on the petrol station above, ask for someone drivers going to [[Vila Real]] to leave you on Penafiel's petrol Station, from there it's pretty easy to get a hitch to [[Amarante]] and [[Vila Real]], but you will have to ask a hitch to someone going further than [[Mirandela]] in order to reach [[Bragança]] and ask to be left on Lamas de Orelhão's petrol Station.