I would like to travel by train from Porto to Lisbon. I tried to book on line but the website was in Portuguese. Does anyone know if buying a ticket when I reach Porto would work or do I need an advanced reservation for that trip.
Thanks,
Rick
Posted by
Anaheim, CA, USA
1455 posts
Richard,
I found the English link...
(http://www.cp.pt/cp/displayPage.do?vgnextoid=87cbd5abe2a74010VgnVCM1000007b01a8c0RCRD&lang=en)
To buy now or later depends when you are going. If you're going during a peak season, I'd get it before you leave. That's just me. Some travelers likes the flexibility of getting it there.
Posted by
Toronto
4 posts
Don't worry about advance tickets. There are many trains and buses. You won't have any difficulty making a connection. Enjoy the food and wine!
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
You can wait until you arrive in Porto to purchase tickets. Its best to purchase a day before departure as reservations are required on the high-speed trains. There are automated machines at the stations that makes the process very easy.
Posted by
OP
san rafael, cA, usa
72 posts
Thank you for the responses. I have actually returned from Spain and Portugal and you are right, I had no trouble simply going to the train station and getting a ticket on the day I was traveling. I thoroughly enjoyed the food, wine and the people of both Spain and Portugal.
Just to share a few other experiences that answer some questions I saw on the website prior to our leaving. We had absolutely no trouble in either Spain or Portugal finding ATM machines which worked. (Both Bank of America and Washington Mutual) We also rented a car and drove from Barcelona to Porto via the Pyrenees, San Sebastian and Leon and had no trouble finding petrol. It was relatively expensive but the car we rented was diesel and got excellent mileage. We did learn especially in San Sebastian that we would have been better off turning the car in when we got there and re-renting when we left as there is no parking in San Sebastian so we ended up parking the car in a long term garage which was fairly expensive. Overall our three week experience on the Iberian Peninsula was wonderful.
Rick
Posted by
Ridgefield, WA, USA
160 posts
Would one of ya'll please post the duration of the train ride between Porto and Lisbon? I'm thinking of flying into Lisbon someday and taking the train up and back from Porto. Thanks!
Posted by
OP
san rafael, cA, usa
72 posts
The trip on the schedule was listed at 2 hours and 44 minutes. The train we were on ran a little late so it took a little over three hours. It is a pretty train ride. The express trains leave every two hours.
Rick
Posted by
Ridgefield, WA, USA
160 posts
Thanks for the info!