Travelling in Portugal

[158801]

Has any one experience of travelling in Portugal by train ?

In particular, buying tickets in the UK?

We're travelling next March. Most trains we will be using have compulsory reservations. I don't want to arrive in Lisbon and find that my train is fully booked.

 

[rf_ioliver]

Travelled a few times a few years ago (2000-20004). We were able to buy tickets at a ticket office before departure without problems. The only issue really was trying to buy tickets for the Fertagus services at Sete Rios station - only the CP ticket office was open.

The Alfa Pendular services run at up to 220kmh from Lisbon to Porto (and elsewhere). There are some very scenic routes in the north out of Porto (Braga and Guimares are worth seeing, though when we went both lines for closed for reconstruction).

Out of Lisbon are the lines to Sintra and Cascais and up along the west coast. I recommend taking the Fertagus trains over the Ponte 25 de Abril for the views.

Lisbon metro has some very artistic stations to enjoy too!

There are some narrow gauge lines still open - ride these while you can.

Lovely places, excellent food!

t.

Ian

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I had no problems buying an e-ticket online from CP for a trip Lisbon-Porto in September. http://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/
Automatic 50% off if you are a senior.
I also did Porto-Vigo in Spain but you have to buy this online from Renfe (although it's a CP DMU that runs the service).
I bought a ticket for the Douro line at the counter in Porto.
If you can fathom the Viva Viagem city e-ticket in Lisbon, it covers suburban lines (eg to Cascais) if you choose "zapping" (pay as you go), as well as Lisbon metro, trams, buses and the cross-river ferries.
http://metro.transporteslisboa.pt/eng/customer-info/viva-viagem-card/

Highlights for me were the old river ferries and skyline in Lisbon, and the murals at Porto Sao Bento station are spectacular (as is Porto generally).
The Alfa Pendular trains can do 220kph but there is not much track where they exceed 160kph.
I bought a nice latte for €1.10 in Lisbon Santa Apolonia station. I think that's the best value railway coffee I've experienced in Europe!
Even the on-board refreshments are cheap (nice pastries!).

Downsides: right at the start, if you use EasyJet, they use a long bus ride from T2 to the main terminal (T1) at Lisbon airport, where you arrive at the back of the queue.
And when you reach the new airport metro station, expect to join another long queue for the ticket machines (no ticket office).
I also found that metro interchanges involved a lot of walking and steps between the platforms, much like the older sections of LU.
But generally, a very interesting and attractive country.
Next time, I'll spend more time in Porto and complete a trip up the Douro line.

 

[duesselmartin]

is the line from Faro to Tavira operational? Someone said it closed yet I found it in the online timetable. Replacement bus?

 

[33056]

is the line from Faro to Tavira operational? Someone said it closed yet I found it in the online timetable. Replacement bus?

It is still open through to Vila Real SA AFAIK.

 

[ivanhoe]

I had no problems buying an e-ticket online from CP for a trip Lisbon-Porto in September. http://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/
Automatic 50% off if you are a senior.
I also did Porto-Vigo in Spain but you have to buy this online from Renfe (although it's a CP DMU that runs the service).
I bought a ticket for the Douro line at the counter in Porto.
If you can fathom the Viva Viagem city e-ticket in Lisbon, it covers suburban lines (eg to Cascais) if you choose "zapping" (pay as you go), as well as Lisbon metro, trams, buses and the cross-river ferries.
http://metro.transporteslisboa.pt/eng/customer-info/viva-viagem-card/

Highlights for me were the old river ferries and skyline in Lisbon, and the murals at Porto Sao Bento station are spectacular (as is Porto generally).
The Alfa Pendular trains can do 220kph but there is not much track where they exceed 160kph.
I bought a nice latte for €1.10 in Lisbon Santa Apolonia station. I think that's the best value railway coffee I've experienced in Europe!
Even the on-board refreshments are cheap (nice pastries!).

Downsides: right at the start, if you use EasyJet, they use a long bus ride from T2 to the main terminal (T1) at Lisbon airport, where you arrive at the back of the queue.
And when you reach the new airport metro station, expect to join another long queue for the ticket machines (no ticket office).
I also found that metro interchanges involved a lot of walking and steps between the platforms, much like the older sections of LU.
But generally, a very interesting and attractive country.
Next time, I'll spend more time in Porto and complete a trip up the Douro line.

Fly TAP if you can and you arrive in terminal 1. There are enough e gates for passport control at Lisbon now so you shouldn't be queuing too long. All of this depends on what day and time you arrive. I arrived early Sunday afternoon and the place was half empty and only queued for a taxi outside for about 10 mins. Airport Bus is a good call though and you may wish to consider this rather than metro. All depends where you're staying. If you're going by metro, get a day card and you'll pay 50 cents for the card but it can be re-used . 6 euros for the day last month, when I was there. Good for metro, buses, trams and the odd ferry. Lovely people, the Portuguese.

 

[158801]

We are flying into Faro and heading up the coast to Lisbon and Porto.

 

[JohnB57]

is the line from Faro to Tavira operational? Someone said it closed yet I found it in the online timetable. Replacement bus?

Definitely still open through to Vila Real as 33056 says. We were in Olhao - on the Tavira/Vila Real line - as recently as the beginning of October. This image of Olhao was taken last year but services were normal last month.

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[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Heading to Lisbon in February for a week. I have been before so visited the tram museum in Lisbon, the railway museum at Entroncamento, tram network over the other side of the river and Sintra tram. Is there anywhere in the Lisbon area suitable for photographing reasonable quantities of freight traffic or any other suggestions of railway related days out from Lisbon?

Thanks in advance.

 

[phil1960]

Has any one experience of travelling in Portugal by train ?

In particular, buying tickets in the UK?

We're travelling next March. Most trains we will be using have compulsory reservations. I don't want to arrive in Lisbon and find that my train is fully booked.

The domestic Portuguese rail booking system isn't interfaced with the rest of Europe. So as others have suggested buy direct online or locally at a station.

International overnight trains between Spain and Portugal are bookable through agents that have access to the RENFE. And the whole Eurostar/TGV/Sleeper journey from the UK to say Lisbon is well worth the experience.

http://www.seat61.com/Portugal.htm#Lisbon

Phil

 

[Flying_Turtle]

Regarding Lisbon:

In the airport, comming from outside Schengen (like UK) you all end up in the same place either your flight goes to T1 or T2.

Regarding Lisbon Underground, don't use Alameda and Marques de Pombal stations for line change if you can avoid it.