Hi forum!
I'm probably crazy but I'm planning a last minute Portugal trip for next month (December). Thoughts on buying train tickets ahead of time? I'm planning day trips to Evora and Sintra from Lisboa via train, and will also use the train to go from Lisboa to Coimbra and then to Porto and back to Lisboa. Thoughts? Thanks!!
Posted by
California 🦋
5211 posts
Buying your train tickets in advance will save you money as long as your itinerary is set. Make sure you book your tickets here: https://www.cp.pt
You don’t mention how long your trip will be, but do consider spending at least an overnight in Sintra, if time permits it.
Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1671 posts
The train to Sintra is a commuter train and I’m pretty certain you can’t buy ahead. I know the commuter train to Cascais does not give the option for advance purchase. But, for the other trips you will save 40% if you buy ahead. That said, trains are amazingly inexpensive even if you don’t purchased ahead.
You can check out the schedules and prices on cp.pt. For day trips (Evora) you might not want to purchase ahead so you can be more flexible. However, train tickets can be changed for a small fee.
Posted by
36 posts
Hey there! We bought our Lisbon>Porto train tickets about 1.5 months in advance for 11 euro per person. When I checked the price for the same tickets a week before it was up to 30 euro. Also, in the RS book it says you have to go to Oriente station in Lisbon for a Lisbon/Porto train, but they actually all go to the more central Santa Apolonia so book your ticket through that station. The RS book also said there were trains every few minutes from Porto's Campanha to Sao Bento but when we were there it wasn't for another 30+ minutes, so we just took a taxi which I would recommend (or there is also a metro stop).