I am taking the train from Porto to Sintra this summer. Do I go on Eurail from Porto into Oriente station in Lisbon and then
a commuter train that goes out of Orient station to Sintra?
Also is that the easiest and most direct?
If so, do I buy tickets for both through Eurail?
You can just buy train tickets (probably just to Lisbon) when you get to Porto. You could buy them at https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en (don't bother with Eurail) if you want to try buying in advance, but Portugal's trains aren't really that expensive, so you will save some money but maybe not much buying in advance. You can check prices right now for say tomorrow and see what last-minute prices are like. I think they haven't updated their schedules past early July yet so you may not be able to buy tickets past then right now, anyway.
Trains to Sintra do use a local rail operator, a commuter rail system with smart cards. You swipe the smart card as you enter the station to get to your stop (and may need to swipe it again to exit in Sintra.) There are direct trains from Oriente to Sintra, and you can buy them at a machine (or probably from an agent). I was in Lisbon last week and did a day trip to Sintra. I bought a Viva Viagem (smart card) at a machine for 50 euro cents, then added a round trip ticket to it at the machine. The card can be re-used later (new tickets added to it) at machines.
Yes, except you will not be going on Eurail. Eurail do not run any trains, Eurail is a travel agent in North America that sells passes and re-sells tickets that are valid on the companies that actually run the trains.
The national rail company in Portugal is CP (Comboios de Portugal), website here: https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en
If you look up Porto - Campanha (the name of the station) to Sintra on that site, pick a date and it will list all the trains. Pick one of the options and click on "Details" and it will show you where to change trains.
You can also buy tickets on the same site, but they may not be available for your date yet, and you may only be able to buy the first leg to Lisbon, the second leg you may have to buy on the day.
Thank you-very helpful!
I agree with not using anything other than the cp.pt site for your tickets from Porto to Lisbon. And, you can only purchase up to about 30 days ahead. It is very much worthwhile to buy them 2-3 weeks ahead because you save 40%.
But, the train from Oriente to Sintra is a commuter train and there is no benefit to purchasing ahead of time. The fare is 2.25 either way. If you are staying in Lisbon for a few days, it is worth your while to purchase the Via Viagem card. It saves you every time you use the metro, bus, ferry or commuter train.
And, trying to purchase single ride tickets in the summer is a lengthy process because of the long lines at the metro and commuter train stations.
Thank you so much- very helpful!
