Sevilla to Portugal?

Jeanne...unfortunately, there are no rail links between Sevilla and Portugal. Alsa bus lines runs two a day from Sevilla to Faro, from where you can pick up trains to Lisbon, etc. One run is a 3:30 pm...the other at midnight (!!) and it takes about 90 minutes. The Portuguese bus line, Eva, runs four services a day Sevilla-Faro....cheaper and (on some of the runs) faster. Check out http://www.eva-bus.com/home.php?lang=UK . They also offer the four runs going right through to Lisbon, if you wish, taking between 5 and 6 hours, roughly. From Lisbon, there are only 2 trains to take, both overnight. One that goes direct, bypassing Madrid, takes 14 1/2 hours and has couchette sleeping accommodations. The other, the regular overnight train to Madrid, then connecting there, takes 18 1/2 hours. They will likely be expensive. You may want to consider a discount airline from Lisbon to Madrid via vueling or easyjet, then pick up the train from there (three daytime trains, from 5 to 8 hours. But you'll have to book soon if you want the cheap fares, and they're usually nonrefundable or changeable, and come with strict luggage conditions.

I found rail service lacking in Spain and Portugal. If you take the train expect it to take the long way in order to make connections. I would recommend a bus except that I have heard they are SLOW.

As mentioned previously, there's no railways linking the two countries. I travelled from the Algarve (south Portugal) to Sevilla just this summer via bus and actually really enjoyed it. Beware, though, most of the Portugese buses do not have bathrooms on board; not so sure about the ones coming from Spain. There's great scenery, though, and enjoy exploring the Algarve. Portugal is great!

Yep, this is a common lament from travelers -- the trains in Europe seem to go everywhere, right? Well, this little corner of Europe is the exception, and getting between southern Portugal and southern Spain via rail is not so quick and easy as one might expect.

The problem is compounded when you look into car rentals, in that you get dinged with stunningly high drop-off fees if you rent a car in Portugal and return it in Spain (or vice-versa).

To get around this on an upcoming trip (leaving in 1 week...) we're renting a car in Lisbon, driving it through the Algarve, and dropping it off in Faro (closest town in Portugal to the border that has a car rental office), taking a bus a short distance across the border to Huelva in Spain (closest town to the border with rental cars), and renting another car for the next few days in southern Spain. It's a hassle, but I'm wiling to do it to save something like 500 Euros.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone for your response. I will skip Portugal this time and come back some other trip! I do appreciate the advice.

Jeanne