Best way to get from Porto, Portugal at end of tour to London or Paris

You could fly.

Fly. Bunches of flights to both cities and the airport is super easy to get to via the Metro.

Laurie
We are counting down to our Sept 18 start date. After 7 RS tours I have learn to accept that getting from the end of the tour to a major European hub can be a little difficult. Whether to get up really early or spend an extra day and night seems to be common.
So this year we will fly out of Porto mid day and route through Madrid arriving LHR 5pm find our room at The Aerotel. We will fly out of LHR next day to Seattle. no rush no fuss.
Hello to all on the Sept 18 start.

Thanks, I should be more specific. Obviously flying is usually the fastest way, although I prefer trains. Those of you who have flown from Porto airport to either Paris or London, which airline did you take? If you flew direct to another UK or European destination which was it and which airline? I'm starting to plan my trip and always begin with what is the most efficient way to get to start of tour, where to go to at end of tour and which additional places to visit.

We flew from Porto to London (Stansted) on RyanAir.

The flight was early, so we took a cab to the airport. The trip into London was a bit long as Stansted is out there, but the train was comfortable and it was easy to transfer to the Tube and out to South Kensington.

If you prefer trains that has become harder since the overnight Hotel Train to Hendaye for the TGV to Paris was withdrawn during the pandemic.

Now it is a 2 day journey with an overnight in Madrid or Barcelona. The man in Seat 61 concentrates on the journey to Lisbon so doesn't explain Porto to Paris/London very well.

You leave Porto at 0813 for Vigo where you have 2 hours (and have to change stations), Then a fast train to Madrid, arrive about 1730. You can either overnight there or continue to Barcelona.

Next day either an 0615 start from Madrid or a 0930 start from Barcelona for the TGV from Barcelona to Paris arrive 1600, then Eurostar to London arrive just before 2000.

If you stayed in Madrid overnight there is another option- the 0715 to San Sebastian for local train to Hendaye, then the TGV Hendaye to Paris. That arrives at 2000 so misses the last Eurostar to London.

If you have between 3 and 7 days for the journey there are other slower options either along the north coast of Spain or taking slower routes from Barcelona- ways to make this into a trip in it's own right as opposed to just an A to B journey. An extra day for the slow train from Barcelona into France via Toulouse, or 7 days ish along the Spanish coast.

Another option would be to add a day and go to Santiago de Compostela from Vigo, overnight in Santiago then the routes above, Or Santiago to Hendaye avoiding Madrid on Day 2, then Hendaye to Paris and London by TGV and Eurostar on Day 3,

Lastly you can get from Porto to Santander on the north coast of Spain in one day. Then a cruise ferry from Santander to Plymouth or Portsmouth for London next day, on certain days of the week. Or use Santander as a base to explore that area for a day or two while waiting for the ferry.

From Porto to Madrid there is also a daily direct Alsa Bus at 0900, arriving at 1829- so the same journey time as the train.

There is also a 4 train option Porto to Madrid via Lisbon.

You could check Skyscanner to see which companies have flights between Porto and either of your destinations - but purchase from the airline itself.

For Paris, Orly airport is now connected to the city by a direct metro line, making it much easier to get into town (and Orly is smaller and more manageable than Charles de Gaulle).

Thanks everyone for this detailed information. It was exactly what I was looking for. Even though the train is not as fast or efficient, I particularly appreciate the choices if I decide to take the train which I enjoy instead of plane which I don't.