Removals from Hammersmith to Portugal.
The furthest of the four, and the destination that has changed most in the last decade — Lisbon and Porto now take a real share of what used to go straight to the Algarve.
Who is going
The Portugal move out of west London has shifted. It used to be retirement to the Algarve almost exclusively; now a large part of it is people relocating to Lisbon or Porto for work or for cost, and they are considerably younger. That changes what travels — more apartment-sized loads, fewer whole houses full of a lifetime.
Getting there
M4 and M25 to the Channel, south through France past Bordeaux, over the Pyrenees at Irún, into Spain. From there it splits three ways: across Galicia for Porto and the north; through Salamanca and Vilar Formoso for Lisbon and the centre; or down through Seville and across the Guadiana for the Algarve.
The destinations
Lisbon
The growth destination and the hardest delivery. Alfama, Bairro Alto and the older central districts have streets too narrow for a lorry, gradients that genuinely matter, and buildings where a hoist is the only way furniture goes in. Familiar territory if you have moved out of a riverside W6 address, just steeper.
The Algarve
Still the largest by volume. Faro, Tavira, Lagos, Albufeira, Loulé and the villages behind the coast. The best-served part of the country and the most predictable, with the usual exception of hillside villas on steep private drives.
Porto and the Douro
A working city with an old centre as constrained as Lisbon's, and a hinterland that is not constrained at all.
The Silver Coast and the interior
Nazaré, Óbidos, Caldas da Rainha, and inland towards Tomar and Coimbra. More land, more renovation, and rural tracks that decide the final vehicle.
The paperwork
A NIF first. Then the UK export declaration and the Portuguese baggagem entry, supported by a certificate of residence and an inventory that matches the vehicle. Portugal is reasonable but procedural — the documents have to agree with each other and with what is actually in the boxes.
Before asking for a price
Destination region, property type, access at the far end, rough volume and date flexibility. The hub page explains groupage scheduling, which matters more on this route than any other given the distance. If you are choosing between here and Spain, the transport is similar and the paperwork is not.
Hammersmith to Portugal — questions
What is a NIF and when do we need it?
The Portuguese tax number, and the first thing to arrange. The import entry needs it, and so does renting or buying. Without one the paperwork cannot be completed and the load waits.
What does "baggagem" mean?
The Portuguese term for a personal-effects import accompanying a change of residence. It carries relief where the conditions are met, and it needs a certificate of residence plus an inventory matching the load.
Does the load go through Spain?
Every time, overland. There is no realistic direct route from the Channel, so a Portuguese move is a French run, a Spanish transit, then a final leg. It is the longest of the four and the transit window reflects that.
Is Lisbon difficult?
In the older districts, yes. Alfama and Bairro Alto have narrow streets, severe gradients and buildings where the stairwell will not take furniture. Hoists are common. Tell us the district and the floor and we will plan for it rather than discover it.
The house has been empty a while. Does that matter?
It can. Portuguese houses shut up for months get damp, and unloading soft furnishings and wooden furniture into one invites trouble — particularly the period furniture that tends to come out of W6 and Chiswick houses. Air it before delivery day, or let us hold the load briefly.
Moving to Portugal?
Both addresses, the floor at each end, and roughly what is going. That is enough for a real figure.