CathyM

I will be traveling from Merida (Spain) to Elvas next month and need to know the easiest way to get to Elvas via public transportation.

I believe the easiest option is via bus from Badajoz.

Also, is it possible (and not super expensive) to simply take a cab from Badajoz to Elvas? I think the distance is actually quite short.

Absurd

I took the bus from Badajoz to Elvas a few years ago. The bus station in Badajoz is on the other side of town from the railway station. The bus station in Elvas is next to the town wall, near the aquaduct.

There is only one train from Badajoz to Elvas. The Portuguese railways' website http://www.cp.pt/cgi-bin/Search/pass1.pl?linguagem=uk gives the departure time from Badajoz as 14:10, but I read that as 15:10 Spanish time. Arrives 14:27 in Elvas. A taxi ride the 2 miles from the train station up to the town costs 5 euros according to http://www.letsgo.com/SPAM/23-Alentejo-49. A taxi all the way from Badajoz should be an alternative, because the distance is only 7 miles.

When I look at http://www.auto-res.net/consulta/consulta_iber.htm, there seems to be buses from Merida to Elvas at 16:20 and 19:25, but I'm not sure I understand the timetable correctly.

I did not find Badajoz very interesting. Better visit Zafra, Caceres and Trujillo. Elvas is very nice, like all towns in Alentejo.

CathyM

Thanks, Absurd.

I think I'll take the bus to Badajoz from Merida so I can check out the situation on how to get to Elvas. May just see if a taxi will work if they are permitted to cross the border.

I'll follow up when I get back on how it went.

I have several guidebooks and there is conflicting information on which method is easier. Let's Go and most books recommend bus but Rough Guide says the train!

gpotvin

We were going to take the train from Elvas to Badajoz, but when I asked for a taxi ride to the train station we were offered a taxi to Badajoz for 15 Euros. We were not sure about the train schedule (it was a holiday), so we went for the taxi. It was effortless, there is no border issue, just a freeway across the plain. Takes 10-15 minutes max.

We went to the train station only to find that there were no more trains to Caceres that day, so we took another cab (5 Euros) to the bus station and caught a bus to Caceres.

Probably more than you wanted to know.

CathyM

gpotvin:
Thanks so much for the information. I've been through much of Spain by public transportation and feel very comfortable so Portugal is new ground for me and I'm just a little anxious. Glad to hear the taxi may be an option. Considering I'd have to take a cab to the pousada in Elvas once I arrived there by bus/train it may be easier to take a taxi straight from Badajoz!

I'll definately check out all the options and post when I get back.

gpotvin

We have been all over Europe, but our trip to Portugal this summer was our first. We found people to be extremely friendly and helpful. We speak very little Portuguese, a little Spanish and no French, but we got by with few problems. The bus stations are well marked, so once you have a ticket, identifying the departure gate is fairly easy. The information person in Lisbon was incredibly helpful and friendly.

I think the biggest problem we ran into was the lack of frequent transportation options, especially when we got caught on a bank holiday (2 times). We were concerned about how we would be received as Americans, but that seemed to be the farthest thing from anyone's mind. In fact we were taken for French, Scots and Canadians, but never assumed to be from the USA. I don't know why.