I would like to spend a few days in London and then travel to Lisbon to see an old friend.
What would you more experienced travelers suggest as to method of transportation?
I am thinking train. Is there a ferry from London to Portugal? How about bus? I could fly but would like to see the country.
There aren’t any ferries between the U.K. and Portugal. Ferries head from Portsmouth or Plymouth to Santander in northern Spain. Getting from there to Lisbon isn’t easy unless you have a car.
The best option is to fly. Check Skyscanner. Flights operate from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. The discount airlines tend not to use Heathrow. EasyJet is my default airline in Europe.
If you want to see the country it is certainly possible to not fly. You can either take the train all the way, or use a ferry from Spain to the UK. A good start is www.seat61.com/portugal.htm
Thanks for the very helpful responses.
I am very naive (and maybe ignorant) about European travel .
I thought it would be so easy to find a train that leaves London and arrives Lisbon without my having to make any changes. I was going to just sit back and watch the world go by for two or three days.
I would love to take the train but it is a little more complicated than I expected.
I may have to fly. Oh well!
I thought it would be so easy to find a train that leaves London and arrives Lisbon without my having to make any changes. I was going to just sit back and watch the world go by for two or three days.
Well, that would be delightful but since you’d be going through four separate countries en route, perhaps you can grasp why that doesn’t happen. Each country has its own rail system.
You can catch a direct train from London to Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam, but that’s it from the UK in terms of international trains.
There used to be direct trains from the channel ports (plus Hook of Holland) to many places in Europe. These stopped years ago. There were never direct trains to Spain or Portugal as far as i am aware. The different track gauge didn't help but this didn't stop trains such places as Moscow. They used to lift up the carriages and change the bogies
You can certainly take a train for two hours from London to Paris. You need to get across Paris to another station and you can then take a TGV (very fast train) to and into Spain. That's where it gets difficult - crossing by train between Spain and Portugal is not easy. But there are then trains within Portugal.
Or as said above, the ferry to Santander then cross country.
Hi fro Wisconsin,
Portugal and Spain are a bit part from so much of Europe. I place the blame on the Pyrenees and two dictators, Franco for Spain and Salazar in Portugal. They may be ancient history for many, but decades of their rule and trying to stay out of Europe's wars didn't encourage them to build connections.
wayne iNWI
The specific details aside, Lisbon is a bit remote from the rest of Europe. Even from Spain. People with cruise departures from Lisbon can find it tedious to get there from Madrid. There aren't enough flights for peak demand.
It sounds like maybe you prefer cruising, because many of the details are taken care of for you. I mention that, because if you do take the Eurostar train to Paris, you'll have to deal with arriving at least an hour early for pre-departure Customs and Immigration screening. Remember that apocryphal headline, "Fog in Channel, Continent Cut Off".
It is unreasonable for me to make suggestions for YOUR vacation, but Madrid is such a rich destination that you might consider a week in Madrid, followed by seeing your friend in Lisbon. There are plenty of nearby cities (like Segovia, Toledo, Avila ...) if you feel constrained by being in one city that's not ... London. We have used bus daytrips from Madrid to avoid renting a car, but seeing (yes, on their jack-boot imposed schedule .... but for instance, we had the option to skip the extra-cost lunch in favor of 1.5 hours extra free time) multiple sights each day, say 8AM to 7PM on the longest days. I guess I'm trying to make independent travel sound like a cruise, sorry!
Thank you all for your input.
I do have a cruise booked beginning in Southhampton and ending in Lisbon for August 2023 but I hate traveling during the season. I thought perhaps I could just visit London and then on to Lisbon off season. I thought that it would be simpler and less expensive.
But I think I better stick with the cruise.
I am 77. I have not traveled much and I have trouble with directions, maps, etc. I do enjoy cruising because so much is taken care of.
I still will be spending time in Lisbon when the cruise ends and London before flying back to the USA so I sill get to see friends and family, hopefully.
