Portugal - car versus train
 

Hello ALL,

Heading to Portugal for our first time trip. This is our itinerary:

Lisbon - 4 nights
Obidos - 2 nights
Coimbra - 2 nights
Douro Valley - 2 nights
Porto - 3 nights
Then we head to Spain.(Thanks, Maribel)

I'm now looking at train-versus-car for the after-Lisbon to Duoro Valley portion.
I could pick up in Lisbon (but where??) and drop off in Porto before getting train to Duoro.
Any pro and cons of the car versus train? I read that picking up cars can be a major hassle.
My husband loves stick shifts so we'd probably save money on that.

Also, do trains have to be reserved in advance? Are they less expensive if you do that?

Thanks for any insights as we finish up our plan!
Annealex

All depends on your destination in Spain.
Porto - Douro Valley - Salamanca is best done by car.
Porto - Vigo - Santiago can be done by bus or train as well.
I suppose that you will drop off the car in country where you rented it.

Hi there. Thanks. We're just considering the car versus train in Portugal between Lisbon and Porto.

Annealex

Hi
The Portuguese train site
https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/how-to-travel
You don't need train reservations except for the bullet train between Lisbon and Porto - it's called "Alfa Pendular". Or for international trains - Portugal - Spain - France.
I don't advise to drive in Portugal.
Cons of driving in Portugal:
- "fees" / scams from rental agencies
- no parking in large cities
- unofficial parking individuals that expect a fee - maybe you find some damage on the car when you return, maybe not
- electronic toll roads - without toll booths in most areas
- expensive fuel
- dangerous / aggressive driving
- tailgating
- speeding
- roundabouts - what a nightmare - in some roundabouts is so bad they have traffic lights to control them (Marques Pombal - Lisbon)
- poor / confusing road signage
- narrow roads - except for modern ones
- pedestrians that cross the road unexpectedly
- and of course if driving no drinking - missing out on some great Portuguese wines

Pros of driving in Portugal:
- can travel to areas not serviced by public transit
Happy travels

May be you will check which places you can easily reach by train or bus:
https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en
https://www.rede-expressos.pt/en

We picked up our car from Europcar, RUA RODRIGUES SAMPAIO 142, near the Marques de Pombal metro station. Driving north from that area is very easy. We rented the car through Kemwel. We had few of the issues mentioned by aulop but make sure you rent a transponder from the car agency.

Obidos does not take more than a couple of hours to see. But from there you can visit Alcobaça and Batalha. On your way to Coimbra, stop by Conimbriga to see the Roman remains.

https://flic.kr/p/2gwQkMh
https://flic.kr/p/7Qvhtf

We are renting at Europcar through AutoEurope, picking up at Lisbon airport on our way out of town (not upon arrival in Lisbon). We wanted the freedom of going to smaller places without the hassle of figuring out buses and train schedules.

I agree with Michael, we've rented cars twice, and had no issues. Get the transponder, that you rent with the car, 1.5 Euro/day, and tolls are paid automatically with the $ taken from your credit card. I've picked up at the airport and right off Avenue da Liberdad, no issues with either. Can't remember who it was with, but I tend to stick with the larger 'brands'.

Obidos, what time of year are you visiting? It can be crawling with coach tour buses. We stayed one night, it was nice to walk the walls after the crowds have left. I think you could spend the time more enjoyably other places. Look at Viseu, Guimaraes, Tomar...plenty of other spots.

We did drop off a car in Porto once, stayed the last night in Guimaraes, 50 minutes to the airport, no issues. I have read that parking and driving in Porto can be a headache.

Trains limit where you can go. If you're fine with that, great. I just enjoyed the smaller places so much I'm glad we made the extra effort.

Thanks, All! I'll keep you posted on how it goes.