Recommendations for train trips during Spain / Portugal cruise

[ChrisEJ1993]

I'm looking for some recommendations please. At the end of November / start of December, I am going on a cruise visiting the following ports (listed in order of our voyage):

• Vigo
• Malaga
• Alicante
• Barcelona
• Cartagena
• Gibraltar
• Lisbon

In a port or two, I'd like to go on a train journey, so I was wondering whether anyone had any recommendations please? This could be because the route is scenic, or the traction is interesting, I don't mind. I have been to Spain before but didn't go on any trains, and I have never been to Portugal. Please bear in mind that generally, we'd be in port from 09:00 - 16:00, so the trip can't be too long. And I'd need some contingency so I didn't miss the ship's departure!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

[duesselmartin]

Lisbon, I would go for the Sintra line.
I dont see much hope for the Spanish stops and non for Gibraltar.

 

[ChrisEJ1993]

Lisbon, I would go for the Sintra line.

Thanks, I'll check that one out!

 

[30907]

From Malaga, the classic rail route to Bobadilla is on my bucket list. It might be possible using the HSL to Antaquera-S.A. outward, returning via the old route to reach Malaga by 1500.

Vigo to Pontevedra looks a possibility.

Lisbon has loads of choices - Sintra certainly, but also the Cascais line, the Tagus bridge route, and the trams/funiculars/lifts.

Barcelona to Monserrat on the FGC network might be worth it (not done it myself)

 

[ChrisEJ1993]

From Malaga, the classic rail route to Bobadilla is on my bucket list. It might be possible using the HSL to Antaquera-S.A. outward, returning via the old route to reach Malaga by 1500.

Vigo to Pontevedra looks a possibility.

Lisbon has loads of choices - Sintra certainly, but also the Cascais line, the Tagus bridge route, and the trams/funiculars/lifts.

Barcelona to Monserrat on the FGC network might be worth it (not done it myself)

Thanks, this is super helpful!

 

[Thames99]

If you've had enough of the crowds in some places (especially when cruise ships visit!) you may like to take a train to somewhere quieter. From Barcelona, Girona is within easy reach with a choice of travelling on the new high speed line or the old broad gauge route (35/ 75 minutes). Girona is a very pleasant place to spend a few hours visiting the cathedral, Roman baths and the old Jewish quarter. There's also a nice walk along the city walls.

The journey there is not particularly scenic though. The broad gauge line has had a third rail laid along one track to allow French standard gauge freight trains to travel that way. I'm not sure how far that extends - certainly from Girona through to Figueres.

 

[ChrisEJ1993]

If you've had enough of the crowds in some places (especially when cruise ships visit!) you may like to take a train to somewhere quieter. From Barcelona, Girona is within easy reach with a choice of travelling on the new high speed line or the old broad gauge route (35/ 75 minutes). Girona is a very pleasant place to spend a few hours visiting the cathedral, Roman baths and the old Jewish quarter. There's also a nice walk along the city walls.

The journey there is not particularly scenic though. The broad gauge line has had a third rail laid along one track to allow French standard gauge freight trains to travel that way. I'm not sure how far that extends - certainly from Girona through to Figueres.

Thanks, that sounds really interesting!

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Vigo to Santiago de Compostela might work, it's about an hour on a fast train, 90mins on a slow.
But it's a bit of a walk from the station to the cathedral in Santiago.

Remember there are two terminal stations in Vigo, Guixar and Urzaiz.
Both stations look to be about 1km from the cruise terminal which is further west.
Guixar is in the port area on the flat, but most trains use the modernised Urzaiz station, which is 500m up the hill.
I can see Urzaiz-Santiago 1050-1144 (fast), and Santiago-Guixar 1329-1459 (stopper).
There's also an Urzaiz-Santiago 0928-1029 which is an AVE heading for Madrid.

It's about a 20min walk from Santiago station to the cathedral and medieval quarter, with interest increasing as you go.

 

[ChrisEJ1993]

Vigo to Santiago de Compostela might work, it's about an hour on a fast train, 90mins on a slow.
But it's a bit of a walk from the station to the cathedral in Santiago.

Remember there are two terminal stations in Vigo, Guixar and Urzaiz.
Both stations look to be about 1km from the cruise terminal which is further west.
Guixar is in the port area on the flat, but most trains use the modernised Urzaiz station, which is 500m up the hill.
I can see Urzaiz-Santiago 1050-1144 (fast), and Santiago-Guixar 1329-1459 (stopper).
There's also an Urzaiz-Santiago 0928-1029 which is an AVE heading for Madrid.

It's about a 20min walk from Santiago station to the cathedral and medieval quarter, with interest increasing as you go.

Thanks, that's really informative!

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

From Gibraltar the classic excursion would be to Ronda - a very scenic route and a historic town. Train from Algerciras (frequent buses from La Linea adjacent to the frontier, or you can cut the corner off by taking a taxi to San Roque and picking the train up there). The train service is very "thin' however so a 10.11 departure wouldn't get you back to Algerciras until 18.23 which may be far too late.

You could however, have a morning excursion part way up the line to Jimena de la Frontera - a sweet little town with a castle. It was originally a British owned and operated line so most of the stations have a familiar look!

 

[nwales58]

Cartagena: Los Nietos for a RENFE ex-FEVE metre gauge DMU experience (like the nlong distance north coast services).Runs every 40 minutes, return trip takes 1h15. Station is by the roundabout immediately outside the walls on the way to, not at, the RENFE station. Los Nietos is on the Mar Menor lagoon, quiet little place, if you need a justification for a partner.

I would have suggested a trip to Murcia to see ADIF at its maddest, station+line being moved underground, for traffic of roughly 1.5 locals per hour each way plus a few Madrid and Barcelona per day but Cartagena-Murcia is bustituted at present.

Alacant has interesting light rail: trams in the town, partially underground, running onto ex-FEVE alignment to Benidorm, change for diesel over the ridge to Denia, metre gauge again. Half hourly to Benidorm, bit over an hour, hourly to Denia but that takes 3h each way so you'd probably want to come back by bus.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

From Barcelona it is fairly easy to get to Railway Museum of Catalonia by train. The journey there takes in some nice coastal scenery.

Several Metro lines in Barcelona are driverless

In Lisbon the ride out to Oriente is short but the station there is (IMHO) a striking modern design. It is also on the Metro so easy to get back to the centre if tight for time.

Lisbon's old trams are the obvious natural draw (and their equivalent of a Travelcard is valid on them), but the more modern route 15 is worth bearing in mind. It passes the depot which contains a museum of Lisbon's trams and buses which is worth visiting. At the opposite end of the depot when I was last there was a collection of shipping containers that were a tourist market, complete with two double deckers parked on top of the containers. To get there you had to walk through the depot and no one seemed too fussed which way you went - so easy to have a nosy round! The 15 route also serves Belem which is the home of the famous Pasteis de Belem - the cafe is opposite the McDonalds.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

From memory the cruise terminal in Lisbon is close to Santa Apolonia terminus which is now rather quiet since many trains now take the route from Oriente across the Tagus.
It's old-fashioned and atmospheric.
There's a bus from there to Cais do Sodre station which is where the Cascais trains go from, also the frequent ferries across the Tagus to Cacilhas which give a really good view of the city.

 

[peteb]

From Malaga dep 0925 you could do a trip to Granada arr 1043. This goes along the high speed line to Antequerra then along the modernised "branch" to Granada. Return is Granada dep 1315 Malaga arr 1429. Assuming it's a weekday. Fares from €18 each way.

If time's short just do an out and back Malaga dep 1048 to Antequerra Santa Ana arr 1107 and marvel at this new station with no facilities in the middle of nowhere, then return as quickly as you can to Malaga on the 1207 from Santa Ana. There is a slow train back dep 1323 through the mountains via Alora which is more scenic arr Malaga 1448 but this requires a dwell at Santa Ana (take your own food and drinks!).

 

[Norm_D_Ploom]

Barcelona down the coast to Salou/ Cambrils is a nice run. Options for Tarragona on same line

 

[P Binnersley]

Cartagena: Los Nietos for a RENFE ex-FEVE metre gauge DMU experience (like the nlong distance north coast services).Runs every 40 minutes, return trip takes 1h15. Station is by the roundabout immediately outside the walls on the way to, not at, the RENFE station. Los Nietos is on the Mar Menor lagoon, quiet little place, if you need a justification for a partner.

I stayed in Cartagena in April 2022. Lots of things to do in the town. I recommend the army museum (mornings only). The FEVE line is nice, but stop at La Union. Los Nietos was on the dead side of quiet when we went (no shops/bars open). The FEVE line has a few large gaps in the service, so check the timetable.

In Malaga you can get the train to El Churro for the Caminito del Rey.

Alicant to Murcia is a reasonable train service once you combine the local and high speed lines.

Vigo - Small castle, but not much else in town. Oporto is c2.5 hrs if they are offering excursions, but no viable public transport for a day trip.

 

[Backroom_boy]

I second all the Lisbon suggestions; the only thing I can add is the most frequent railway services will be on the Cais do Sodre / Cascais line (almost turn up and go) any other line you'll have to carefully peruse the timetable if you're only in port a short time.

If you're just staying in Lisbon itself, a trip to the Carris transport museum (via the E15 Electrico (tram)), hop on some of the old electricos (E28 is the classic route but v busy and you really have to get it from Praca Martim Moniz* and the join the long queue) and then a trip from Santa Apolonia to Oriente out on the metro and back by train all are excellent suggestions.

*E28 is supposed to be hop on and off but its ridership is 95% tourists who basically do the whole circular route so not likely to be any space at the intermediate stops unless you are one of the 5% non-tourists who are mainly aged Lisboetas who will have been taking the route all their lives. Drivers often seem to leave a space to squeeze them on. Try and go to Praca MM (Martim Moniz square) well before 9 am to beat the biggest queue.