Train from Lisbon to Porto
 

We are planning a fall trip to Portugal. We will be arriving in Lisbon 6:15am on a Friday and plan on going directly to Porto by train and have some questions:

Do we need to get train tickets in advance or can we get them at the station?
From what I understand, it's the Oriente station, correct?
What's the easiest way to get to the station from the airport (I'm thinking taxi) and about how much would it cost?
How much time to allow to get from plane to train?
Where do we get breakfast (either to go or on train, whatever is easiest)?
What are the differences in classes on train (comfort vs tourist)?

We figure we'll get some sleep on the train, so we can hit the ground running in Porto. We'll be staying at Guest House Douro.

Thank you.

don't know
yes, oriente station
taxi (5 to 10 euros, 10 to 15 minutes)
don't know
don't know

Ok Friday is a week-day.

You need to allow time to clear immigration and customs.

You will then have to face the Lisbon rush hour traffic.

With bags, I would recommend a taxi.

Allow at least 2 to 2,5 hours before planning to catch your train

There is also the Aeroshuttle bus from outside the airport terminal to Gare Oriente.(CARRIS Nº96) - Available everyday, every 30 minutes between 7am and 11pm, the aeroshuttle connects the Airport with Gare Oriente.

You can get tickets at Gare Oriente station. The Ticket offices are on the mezzanine floor. Allow plenty of time to purchase them as the ticket offices may be busy at that time of the morning.

There are two main types of trains running between Porto and Lisbon.

1) Alfa Pendular - High Speed
2) Inter-city - More stops.

If you go to my blog at:

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/

Scroll down on the right hand panel until you come to the section entitled:

»» Algarve & Portugal - Travel Transport Links

You will find links to the Portuguese Railways Porto/Lisbon/Faro Train Timetable in pdf fromat which details current services.

Both train types have cafe services with sandwiches and snack on board. I would not try to pick up breakfast en route as the station and airport will be very busy at that time of day.

If the train is not busy, tourist class is fine. There is no smoking in the carriages.

Thanks! I was concerned about the time involved if I were to get tickets in advance. Since I don't need to, then I can relax a little and pick up the tickets for whichever train is there.

Hopefully at 6:15am, the airport won't be too busy with arrivals. As for rush hour, being from NYC, I can't imagine rush being worse than that!

Also thanks for the blog link Bar, I'll take a look at it.

When I did the trip from the airport to Oriente last September (midweek) there was no traffic. The taxi fare was e10. There are cafes in the lower level of the train station to get something to eat and drink (I had a very good sandwich there). Trains depart from upper levels. There was hardly anyone buying tickets; most ticket windows were closed and I had to look for one that was open (look behind pillars for open ticket windows). Second class was fine. I always buy second class tickets since you can always upgrade once you're on the train if you're not happy with second class.

Which level are the ticket windows?

Ticket windows are at street level near the escalators. There are RR officials walking around who will help you.

sounds easy enough...I know we'll be tired and hungry when we arrive in Lisbon, so we are actually looking forward to the train ride to grab a bite and catch up on some sleep.

IMHO I wouldn't bother with the bus from the airport to the train station. I would take a taxi: easy and cheap.
Have a great trip.

I looked forward to a nap on my train ride after landing in Lisbon so I put my ticket in the holder on the seat in front of me so I wouldn't be awakened. The ticket conductor was not accustomed to people doing that and woke me up to ask for my ticket. LOL

Last question...is there a luggage rack on the train that we just put our bags on ourselves, or do we need to check them?

The Portuguese trains are normal - there are luggage racks over the seats and at the ends of cars.

Thanks again. At least 1 of our bags will be too big for the overhead, but as long as they have the regular racks, we'll be ok.

Is it better to take the train to Porto from the Santa Apolonia or Oriente station?

All or almost all trains from Santa Apolonia stop at Oriente. It really just depends on where you are staying. The Santa Apolonia station is downtown, on the river, at the end of the Blue line of the metro. Oriente is on the Red line, but is further out of town, right next to the Expo site, aquarium, etc. If you are by any chance coming from the airport, it'd be a quick metro ride to Oriente and a much longer ride downtown to Santa Apolonia. But if you will already be in downtown Lisbon, Santa Apolonia is likely to be much more convenient.