We land in Lisbon at 8. Should we purchase the tickets for 10 or 1130? If we miss the 10, can we change the tickets to the later train or is it easier to purchase the later tickets and move up if we are early? Traveling in February.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6288 posts
Where are you going? I often buy tickets for certain trains in advance, including when we were in Portugal for the AP train. That said, I never buy tickets in advance for train travel the day I arrive Europe. I think its risky in case the plane is cancelled or delayed. Additionally, my planes are almost always early and deplaning, customs etc., seems to go faster than planned. I prefer to get as much as I can out of my trips, so I don't want to wait for a later train that I purchased tickets for. Trains in Portugal are relatively cheap. What is your potential savings?
Posted by
OP
NH
98 posts
We are going Lisbon to Porto on 2/24. Four people. Don't really care about savings. I assume it won't sell out this time of year?
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
532 posts
Because of the possibility of delays in your flights, I wouldn't buy in advance. The tickets aren't terribly expensive (it's relative, I suppose). I went in July of 2022 and caught a train from Lisbon to Porto when I arrived. I was glad that I hadn't booked in advance because I landed in Lisbon 6 hours later than expected. I ended up being able to get a last-minute ticket in first class, but I was traveling by myself. You have four people, so if you buy last-minute, you may not be able to sit together.