Traveling by public transport in Portugal
 

We're headed to Portugal for three weeks in April and have been doing our homework regarding train and bus options, as we'll be traveling strictly by public transport.

We always travel by train and bus in Europe, but Portugal is proving to be a bigger challenge, and we've discovered that a few of our intended routes are very limited, especially on Sundays.

Before I get into specific questions I have a few general questions:

Are reservations needed on regional trains or just AP and IC trains, and how far in advance do reservations need to be booked?

Is the cp.pt app a useful resource? We use the SBB app when in Switzerland and it's a wonderful thing, but wondering about the experiences of others using the cp.pt app? Is it easy to use on the fly?

Also, does anyone here have any experience with the Rede Expressos bus? It seems to offer more options on a few of our routes. Their April schedules aren't out yet, but their March options look better than some of the train options. By better I mean more frequent, and at better times.

Is the bus service reliable? Are advance bookings required/suggested?

All help greatly appreciated.

Mel,
Portugal by bus or train is somewhat more limited.

Reservations are mandatory on the AP and IC trains and can be booked up to 60 days in advance. IME that far in advance isn't always necessary. Just check www.cp.pt for a few days from now and see if tickets are still available.

We've taken the AP from Lisbon to Coimbra and Coimbra to Porto and have booked a month or so out. It's a popular high-speed route, so I don't know if the trains get sold out in high season, since we travel off season.

One can't book the regional train from Porto's Campanha station to Régua or Pinhão or Pocinho in advance. You purchase your ticket at the station.

I only use www.cp.pt to book my tickets because the discounts there are unbeatable. I'm registered and it's easy. I don't use the app so don't know how handy it is but I suspect that it is.
The very heavily discounted promo tickets (up to 65% off) for the high-speed and medium distance trains are available up to 5, 8 days or more in advance, and the sr. discounts of 50% are available with proof of identity.

For traveling from Lisbon (Sete Rios) to Evora, the Rede Expresso bus is a better option, we've found, as the departures are more frequent. This can be true with some of their other routes as well. This bus company is very reliable. Most buses have WiFi. I checked the buses, Lisbon-Evora for tomorrow and seats are still available, and cheap! Rede Expressos also has a sr. discount for those 65+

The Rede Expressos route map attached.

Hi
I have used all modes of transport in Portugal.
Be aware that rede expressos is a national carrier mostly for intercity travel.
Regional and city bus companies may complement your travel requirements however they require regional and city search since they aren't listed on rede expressos.

CP is the national train carrier that lists all trains except for subway/light rail in Lisbon and Porto.
Tourist streetcar / seasonal trains are not listed on CP ( ex: Praia das Macas or Caparica).
Happy travels

In 2017, we took the Rede Express buses between major cities in Portugal (e.g., Lisbon to Fatima to Coimbra), and -- a year later -- from Faro to Sevilla, Spain. The buses are very comfortable, have wifi and are (were) amazing value for money. I would highly recommend the buses for getting between large cities.

Thank you all. Looks like we need to get cracking making reservations. I'd hoped we could wing it like we do in other parts of Europe, but I guess not.

Okay, have just bought tickets for the IC from Porto and Coimbra and the IC from Evora to Lisboa - Sete Rios (site wouldn't let us book all the way to Sintra, but looks like there are many trains and we can do that on the fly).

I assume that buying a ticket and selecting a seat is the same as making a reservation?

We tried to book the Rede bus from Coimbra to Evora, but our dates aren't yet available.

I'm assuming the rest of our travel on IR and Urbano trains can be booked as we go, perhaps a day or so in advance if necessary?

The trains we booked are wide open, only one or two seats taken. We opted for full price on the first route, just in case we're forced to cancel for a third time, we can at least get a few Euros back. Even full fares are pretty cheap (especially by Swiss standards), and we chose second class, as that's how we usually roll. I'm assuming we'll find a place to stash our suitcases?

Uber is another option getting around Lisbon as well as Sintra I believe. Going up and down the Metro escalators with luggage wasn't always fun, especially if they happened to be closed for whatever reason (like a strike or other labor action). And I did have issues with the ticket machines at times, and the booths are not always open.

I bought my Sintra tickets on the fly, showing my passport for the senior discount.

Mel,
It’s too early to book the Redes Expresso bus. Yes, your booking of the IC train and seat selection is all you need.
Uber and Bolt work in Lisbon and surrounding area. When arriving at Lisbon airport you go upstairs to departures and out the door and across the road to the Kiss and Fly area (like an American cell phone waiting area) and that’s where the Ubers or Bolts pick you up. Depending on your destination and time of day, the ride should cost a max of 12 euros. We opted for a taxi there instead and our ride to the Heritage Britânia cost 15, with the supplements for bags carried in the trunk. This was this morning.

Yes you can buy your train tickets to Sintra upon departure. The Sintra trains, commuter line, leave from Rossio, if your traveling there from downtown Lisbon. If going to Sintra directly from the airprt, you should taxi, uber or metro to Oriente station to catch this commuter line to Sintra.

Thanks Maribel. We're flying into Porto.

We bought tickets from Evora to Lisboa Sete Rios. Assume we can get from there to Sintra? If not, that explains why we couldn't book the whole thing today.

From Siete Rios bus station you’ll need to make your way to either Rossio or to Oriente rail stations to catch the commuter rail line to Sintra.

We're seeing trains every 15 minutes to Sintra from Siete Rios???

You´re right. Most day trippers and commuters go from Oriente or Rossio, so I´ve never done that, but I also see the trains on
https://www.cp.pt/sites/passageiros/...rios-resultado. That´s much easier than a transfer. Sorry I didn´t check.
Buy your ticket for these urban trains at the station.

Thank you mateldamellgren!

Melnq, I’m getting excited for you! Enjoy your trip! Looking forward to your report - though we leave early May, so not sure I’ll have the benefit of your post-trip writings. I’m sure you will have a fabulous trip!

Tourism is certainly roaring back in Lisbon!
The street were packed on a sunny, warm Sunday, lines were long at Manteigaria on Rua August for nata, the Queen Elizabeth was docked (a 6,000 passenger ship is arriving tomorrow!), the 28 tram was standing room only, and everyone was enjoying a maskless day of strolling around, sailboats were out, and it was a perfect day for a ferry ride to Cacilhas for lunch and photography of Lisbon's skyline. Only with an occasional rain shower, the. temperatures have reached 61-62 in the afternoon.
Today is our Belém day, yesterday was Alfama.

Thank you progol - we're finally allowing ourselves to get a bit excited too.

I was wondering how busy it might be Maribel. Not looking forward to crowds, although it's nice to hear things have come back to life.

Mel,
Today is our Belém day (we’re in the middle of it). We wisely got a very early start so as to be at the entrance to the Monastery 15 minutes before opening and with tix in hand we zoomed in and snapped great photos. But promptly at 11 the tour buses arrived en masse. At noon the lines to get in were soooo long. Ditto to lines to purchase Torre de Belém tickets. We didn’t do the inside, just photographed the Torre and Monument to the Discoveries from outside. Now after lunch the Berardo and Coach Museums. I can’t stress enough an early start to Belém! More later…

You’re very lucky to have good weather. We’re currently in Cabo de Gata, Spain, where Storm Celia is keeping us indoors. The air quality is unhealthy. Orange sky from Saharan dust, intense winds, with rain on the way. Supposedly Celia might coincide with a humid front to cause muddy rain. And tomorrow we drive to Malaga with potentially awful weather!

Today’s high in Lisboa—69 F and hazy.