How to navigate Portugal by Train?
First things first
You have probably wondered what would be the best way to navigate through Portugal, either by renting a car or just getting on a bus. But, I’m here to teach that we have wonderful trains that are confortable, affordable and easy to use and that will make your experience Portugal in a much easier way.
The first thing to understand is that we have different trains for different routes and purposes. With the help of this diagram provided by CP - Comboios de Portugal (the only company operating trains here) I’ll explain in detail using colour codes, as displayed on the diagram:
Alfa Pendular
This is the best train we’ve got on our fleet and even though is not the bullet train like in Japan, it is in fact the fastest train in Portugal. It is our luxury train and It connects Braga to Algarve with the main stops in Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Lisboa, Entrocamento, Tunes and Faro.
It has the least amount of stops (the reason why it’s faster) and has the most amount of commodities aboard, like:
Free Wi-Fi;
Electrical outlets everywhere;
Audio and video channels;
Headphones available in the bar car;
Bar in carruage 3;
Baby changing room.
Intercidades (Intercities)
As the name indicates, this train is the one that connects every city in Portugal. It will give you a line connecting North to South covering most of Portugal.
On this one you can choose between first class and second class seats. On first class you may have electrical outlets, but not on every seat. So it is more of a pratical train that a fancy fast train. It also has a cafeteria bar, but not on the line in Alentejo.
Regional
This is the type of line which I like to associate with trails out of the beaten path. It connects you with the interior and the more inland areas of Portugal, like the Douro region for example. But, you may notice on the diagram that it can also take you from north to south, in which the difference will relay on a less confortable train.
Interregional
Inter-regional trains type services allow fast-paced connections between the main centers of local and regional areas, serving as connecting trains between intercities and regional lines. It can also be used from north to center of the country, in a beatiful line along the coast of Portugal.
Urban
Line dedicated to travel inside the metropolitan areas, usually used by locals for their daily commute.
International
International connections with the rest of Europe, connecting to Vigo by Porto - Campanhã.
Fun fact, the longest train ride in the world starts in Portugal and ends in Singapore.
Provided by CP - Comboios de Portugal.
What you should know before booking your train!
There are small details to consider when purchasing your train tickets that can make or break your train experience in Portugal. Besides managing your expectations, here are some ideas to consider:
From Lisboa Airport
If you are using the airport in Lisboa and want to take the train to Porto, you need to exit the airport upon arrival and go down the outside stairs to the subway and buy a ticket to get to the Lisboa Oriente station. There is no train station at the airport, so you need to take 3 metro stops from the airport;
From Porto Airport
If you are using the airport in Porto and want to take the train to Lisboa, you need to also exit the airport upon arrival and go outside, in front of the airport in the open to catch the subway. You buy a ticket to go on the ligne E - Estádio do Dragão (direction FC Porto Stadium) and will take you 19 stops (33 minutes) to reach Campanhã.
On each train station, either in Porto or Lisboa, there are specific lignes for the Alfa Pendular. It’s easier if you ask at the information desk which one is it instead of trying to figure it ou alone.
How to book a train
You can book a train in different ways, either by the app on your smartphone (link for IOS | link for android), by the website on your computer or in loco at the train station. On the app, you may amend your train ticket if needed.
When buying the ticket, take in consideration the following:
how you feel when traveling: Some people may feel sick riding the train backwards and some people may prefer to stay close to the bar carruage number 3, for example;
where do you want to seat: there are seats that have a table in the middle and usually are amazing when traveling in groups of 4. But if you are alone or traveling as a couple, it may be better to book two seats away from the tables so you can have more privacy.
Here’s a print screen of the booking seat system of a Alfa Pendular (fast train):
In red are the occuppied seats;
In retangular grey are the tables;
To choose which direction you will be seated, you have a darker colour either before the number, like number 42 in which you are seated in the direction you are traveling, or after the number like number 41 in which you are seated backwords. A good detail is knowing that > Sentido da Marcha > means “Direction of Travel (gait)”,
Image from CP - Portugal train booking system.
Now that you have a better understading of the train system in Portugal, you are ready to book a train from Porto to Pinhão (Douro), from Lisboa to Sintra, or any other place you would love to visit.
