Getting There
Air
Portugal’s major international airports are at Lisbon, Porto and Faro. Portugal’s international airline is TAP Air Portugal, who offer reasonably priced flights. Other major airlines fly to Portugal and some cheaper airlines also fly to smaller towns such as Madeira and Asturias.
Train
Travelling by train to Portugal is a great way to see the varied landscapes. There are two main long distance train journeys to Portugal from Europe. The first is from Irún in Spain to Vilar Formosa, then Coimba and Lisbon. The second is from Irún to Madrid, where you change to cross into Portugal at Marvão-Beirã, continuing onto Lisbon. For train times and prices see the Rail Europe website.
Driving
Renting or buying a car and driving down the Portuguese coast is a great way to see Portugal, and a common route for travellers embarking on a van tour of Europe. You can rent a car with any EU driver’s license or an International Drivers License, accompanied by your license by home, should also be fine to rent a car in Portugal.
Getting Around
Air
Portugal is not a huge country and so it’s not really worth flying internally, especially as it is also expensive. However, TAP Air Portugal offers flights between Lisbon to Porto or Faro.
Train
Unlike the UK, Portugal’s national trains are cheaper than the long distance buses, but often slower. The trains are divided into regular (make regular stops), interregional (faster than regular) and rapido or intercidade (express trains). For train times and prices see the Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses website.
Bus
There are many private bus companies that offer long distance coach services. The three main types of bus services are espressos (fast between major cities), rapidas (quick regional buses) and carreiras (stop at every crossroad). Major bus companies include Rede Nacional de Expressos and Eva for the Algarve.
