Madrid to Lisbon

We did an overnight train from Madrid to Lisbon last Sept. 2009. It was gender friendly (good for us since we were women only) and very nice accommodations in a 4-person sleeper. We had the most polite and very accommodating conductor in all our trains trips in Europe-making sure we were alright and woke us up 45 mins prior to arrival and answered other questions we had the best he can. It also saved us a one-night stay in the hotel.

There is only a night train between Madrid and Lisbon. There may be day buses, but it'd be a long ride. Not sure about driving logistics.

Hi Daniel,

I've been to Madrid and Lisbon but have not traveled between the two as you're planning to do. One option would be to look at the map and plan a trip that has points of interest to you along the way. For example, we've taken a bus from Madrid to Salamanca (about a 2 hour trip)--it's a nice city for a night or two. Then you could either rent a car there or explore the bus options to Coimbra and/or surrounding area, and then on to Lisbon from there.

You can check viaMichelin.com for the distance and drive time between Madrid and Lisbon--it looks like it's only about 6-7 hours. That might be the best bet.

We seem to have difficulty getting in or out of Madrid when we have rented a car there so I'd suggest either plan your route very carefully once you pick up your rental car or bus to Salamanca and rent there--that's what we did the last time.

Have fun!!

Thanks both, that is very helpful.

If you decide to fly, check out the Portuguese airline, TAP. We flew from Lisbon to Barcelona easily and with a good fare in Feb. JKR

Don't forget - if you rent a car in one country and drop off in the other, you are probably going to get dinged badly with a big drop-off fee (like $500 or more).

I'd probably just fly - there are cheap flights.