I'm still confused. We want to go from Madrid to Lisbon and back to Madrid. We are considering flying, but how about train travel other than the Hotel overnight train which can be expensive? Are there other trains?
No, there are not. Train service between Spain and Portugal, in general, is very poor, with only overnight services available. This is a throwback to the days when the roads between the two capitals weren't terribly good, so rail was the way to go, and overnight was the best use of the time. But discount airlines have taken the market for now....at least until they complete a high-speed rail link between Madrid and Lisbon.
Thanks, Norm. We will fly.
Two summers ago we also travelled from Madrid to Lisbon. We got a very cheap flight on one of the local airlines for much less than the cost of the overnight train and it was a quick flight too.