Portugal can be proud of its simple and comfortable railway system, which connects remote parts of the country with comfortable and modern trains. As popular as buses and road transport, railways have the advantage of speed.

PORTUGAL RAILWAYS NOW

The Portuguese railway system is of a high standard, although it is not very large. The comfort of the trains pleasantly surprises those who use them for the first time to travel around the country. Disabled people will be able to move around Portugal without any problems with all comforts.

Types of trains​

Urbano(suburban trains) Has only second class service (tourist). The trains themselves are modern electric trains with climate control and information boards. The ticket is valid for 24 hours and you can take any available seat. Regional(regional) These trains connect nearby cities in the same region, which also only have second class service. The ticket is valid for 24 hours and you can take any available seat. Intercidades(intercity) Trains connecting major cities in Portugal are equipped with everything necessary for traveling in comfort. Cafeteria, air conditioning, toilets. The trains have two classes - tourist and high comfort. The ticket is valid for a specific train, the carriage and seat are indicated. Alfa Pendular(high-speed trains) Comfortable, safe and very fast trains accelerate to 220 km/h. Air conditioning system, cafe, space for oversized luggage, mother and child room, free wi-fi, in first class you can watch TV shows and films. Trains with two classes of service, tickets are valid for a specific train, the carriage and seat are indicated.

WHERE CAN I BUY A TICKET

Ticket office at the station Vending machine at the station ATM Website Comboios de Portugal Current prices and train departure times can also be found at official website Portuguese railway.

STATIONS IN LISBON

HISTORY OF RAILWAYS IN PORTUGAL

​Almost until the end of the 19th century, passenger transportation and cargo delivery were carried out primarily by sea. In 1844, the Minister of the Interior, António Bernardo da Costa Cabral, decided to add railways to the poor transport system. The first project, which provided for a railway connection between Lisbon and Porto, did not seem interesting to the Portuguese government. It foreshadowed large expenses, and the connection between the two largest cities of the country was well established across the sea. The next idea was much closer to implementation. The railway to Spain seemed very promising, but the difficult political situation suspended any work in this direction.

​As a result, it was decided to begin work on creating a railway network that would help develop important areas of the Portuguese economy, for example, connecting the capital with Alentejo, where grain was supplied from. In 1852, the Ministry appeared public works, trade and production. It is engaged in major national projects, which include the development of railways. On October 28, 1856, the inauguration of the railway section between Lisbon and Carregado took place, which became the birthday of the entire railway system in Portugal. The first train consisted of 14 carriages and two locomotives and bore the name of the royal heir - “D. Luis”.

​From this moment on, the development of railways became much more active. Already in 1963 the road reached the border with Spain. The development of the northern direction begins. On May 1, 1865, Lisbon Santa Apolonia Station, one of the most important stations in the country, opens. Ten years later, the railway also entered the Spanish region of Galicia. There were some minor difficulties with this, since the Portuguese engineers initially chose a gauge size of 1435 mm, although Spain was already using a gauge of 1668 mm. Therefore, the Portuguese later changed their gauge to the “Iberian” one. In 1891, Lisbon received another famous station - Rossio. Built according to the design of the architect José Luis Monteiro, until 1957 it bore the proud name – Central Station (Estação Central). In November 1897, Sud-Express appeared - a railway connection between Lisbon and St. Petersburg.

​The course of development of all transport system Portugal changed with the outbreak of the First World War, especially with respect to the railways. The shortage of coal leads to the need to heat locomotives with wood, many companies go bankrupt and are absorbed by others. But large companies are coping with the crisis and continue to develop the railway network. In 1926, the Cascais Line was electrified, which gave rise to the emergence of electric trains. The Second World War hindered progress even more. Fuel problems are becoming global. Coal, firewood, fuel oil - the government is trying to find the most economical solution. But even after the end of the war, it is not possible to get out of the crisis immediately, although Portugal has an advantage over other European countries, since their railways were not damaged by direct military action.

Railways Portugal (Rede Ferroviaria Portuguesa, REFER) is represented by the main passenger rail carrier - (Comboios de Portugal, ). The second company (Fertagus) operates the Lisbon - Setúbal line.

Understanding passenger rail transport in Portugal and train classifications is not difficult.

1 - "Urban Lines"- these are urban and suburban (Urbano, Suburbano - U) modern electric trains of Lisbon (Urbanos de Lisboa) and Porto (Urbanos do Porto). From Lisbon, for example, they are good for getting to Sintra Line, Cascais Line, or to the center, to Rossio station. From the city of Porto using these commuter trains you can drive to the city of Guimarães. If you need to travel by train in Lisbon or in the city of Porto, click “Timetables in PDF Format” and download a map of lines and train stops in Lisbon, Porto for your further use on the spot.

2 - "Alfa"PendularandIntercidades« - these are intercity high-speed "Alfa Pendular" (AP), an analogue of Eurostars, which will help you quickly get from the capital to Faro, Coimbra, Porto, Braga, etc. (Faro, Loulé, Tunes, Albufeira, Entecampos, Lisboa Oriente, Santarém, Entroncamento , Pombal, Coimbra B, Aveiro, Espinho, Gaia, Porto Campanha, Braga) or back to Lisbon.

The usual intercity Intercidades (IC), with stops in the same and other significant cities and their connections with Lisbon. Tickets on these trains are valid for a specific train, indicating the carriage number and seat. The difference in ticket price depends on the speed of the train, class of service and quality of service.

3 - "Regional"(R), Interregional(IR) servicesandCoimbraUrbantrains« - these are regional trains and interregional trains running in the regions and following with all stops*. Tickets can be purchased either at the ticket office or from the train conductor. Valid for one day for one trip, without specifying the location. The train always has a very comfortable and clean toilet. The carriages of all trains are equipped with air conditioning, which makes the trip more comfortable. To open the doors, use buttons or the door handle; they close automatically.

For those who want to plan their route around Portugal, or get from the south of the country to the northern region by train, these are the types of trains you will need. You can see the movement directions and stops made by trains on a schematic map by selecting “by clicking on the menu “Train Times” / Timetables in PDF Format” - one of the routes.

4 - "International"« - These are high-speed trains with international connections (Lusitânia Comboio Hotel, Sud Expresso, Celta, InterRail). Such trains will be of interest primarily to those who decide to visit neighboring Spain, other European countries or travel by train to Portugal itself. A schematic map of each route can also be viewed by “clicking” on this type of train.

Trains in Portugal- This is not only a convenient and fast means of transportation around the country, but also enjoying a wonderful view from the window, especially in the northern region of the country. By the way, using the northernmost railway line of Portugal - the Minho line (Linha do Minho) you can conveniently “cross the border” with Spain and comfortably continue your journey to Santiago de Compostelo. We recommend! We also recommend taking a ride on the regional Douro line (Linha do Douro) on a real historical train with a steam locomotive (Comboio Histórico) through the most picturesque corner of the country, Porto - Douro. This popular route along the famous wine-growing Douro River (Régua > Tua > Régua). All the details of this historical line can be found on the official website (Comboios de Portugal) or read in our special section. This excursion is in particular demand among tourists, because... has accessible connections to major rail transport and discounts.

ScheduletrainsPortugal(Horários os comboios de Portugal)

Depending on your direction, or creating your own route using the services of the Portuguese railway, you can always find out the train schedule using the Portuguese railway website navigator.

You can choose from results of city, suburban, regional, intercity and high-speed connections on intercity lines.

In the “Timetables and Prices” column, select the departure and arrival stations, date, number of people and “OK”. On the next page, check out the results of the route; train type “service”, departure time, arrival time, prices and additional information “detail”. Keep in mind that if you do not receive a response from the station finder in your request, then enter the departure/arrival stations correctly. For example, in the city of Lisbon there are two different railways station; Lisbon Santa Apolonia (Lisboa - Santa Apolónia) and Lisbon Oriente (Lisboa - Gare do Oriente). There are also two railway stations in the city of Porto; Porto Campanhã and Porto São Bento.

Print in advance or download to your mobile phone online schedules trains in Portugal. This will help you plan your day's itinerary in Portugal more accurately, locally. You may need to remember a few words of Portuguese when using the trains; Comboio - train, Origem - where from, Destino - where the train is going, Hora - its departure time. Braga, Aveiro, Guimarães, Coimbra.

Tickets and fares

If you are in Lisbon or Porto, then to travel on city and suburban trains (electric trains) you will use universal city cards public transport. Read about this in our special sections “Buy a train ticket in Lisbon” and “Ticket for passenger transport in the city of Porto”.

For intercity traffic, study the schedule and ticket price to finally decide whether you need to travel by train, or whether it is better to use an alternative mode of transport on the chosen route - buses. If you are satisfied with everything, then the next step is to buy a ticket.

Tickets are purchased from vending machines, ticket offices, directly at the train station or central station of the city, before departure, or preferably in advance. The ticket sellers are amazingly understanding people, they speak excellent Portuguese, but weak English, while understanding all other languages ​​of the world. You can also book a ticket through the online system. However, there are no discounts on tickets for this type of booking. There are no problems with a lack of free places. Therefore, with the exception of the month of August, there is no point in purchasing an electronic version of the ticket. Don’t worry if there are no tickets available at the time of train departure, be sure to go next or consider an equally convenient and more economical backup option - by bus.

Discounts (up to 50%) in one direction are available only for groups of 4 people. For example, the price of a ticket for 4 passengers traveling on the route Lisbon - O Porto will cost only 15.50 euros per passenger. Lisbon - Faro and Lisbon - Coimbra - 11.50 euros. Discounts are available under special conditions: buy a two-way ticket on the same day - on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

In the usual version on Alfa Pendular and Intercidades, there is no point in buying a first class ticket, the services of which are practically no different from the second.

In regional traffic at provincial stations where there are no ticket offices, a ticket is purchased from the train conductor-controller (Regional. InterRegional). He will definitely come up to you and ask where from and where.

On the Lisbon - Setúbal - Lisboa line operated by the Fertagus company, tickets are purchased at the company's ticket offices (Bilheteiras Fertagus) located at the stations or in special blue machines (Fertagus). A green “Viva Viagem” card and a blue “Set Colinas” (7 Colinas) card filled using the “Zapping” system also gives the right to travel to Fertagus.

Map of passenger rail services in Portugal

Portugal's railways meet international criteria for quality of service. The railway network began to form in the country in 1844. Today its density is 30 km per 1000 sq. km. The national company Comboios de Portugal is a monopolist in the Portuguese railway sector. It is the main carrier in the country's railways.

The territory of Portugal is not very large, and trains and buses are equally popular. It is more convenient and faster to get to some points by rail.

Trains in Portugal

The country's railway system is multi-stage, extensive and well developed. Urbano trains operate in densely populated suburbs. Regional trains move around the periphery, making stops at each station. Ticket prices for commuter trains comparable to prices for Russian trains. Train tickets can be purchased from vending machines, ATMs and ticket offices located at train stations. Many people prefer to buy train tickets on the website of the state company Comboios de Portugal.

The country uses high-speed AP trains, IC intercity trains, regional and interregional R and IR trains. IN high speed trains There is a division into classes: 1st – Conforto, 2nd – Turistica. If you purchase a special ticket, you are allowed to carry a bicycle. Safe and comfortable travel guaranteed to customers who have purchased tickets for the Alfa Pendular train. It accelerates to 220 km/h. Portuguese trains have a high level of comfort. The total length of the country's railways is more than 2,500 km. There are three railway border crossings between Portugal and Spain. Basic international route passes through Walesa station, which is located in the north of the country.

Train tickets

The cost of travel is largely determined by the degree of comfort. Passengers purchase tickets at ticket offices, ticket machines and on the website www.cp.pt. If there is no ticket office at the station, you can buy tickets from the ticket inspector on the train.

Portugal has main and secondary routes and trains of different categories, from low-speed to high-speed. The gradation is based on the degree of comfort, distance between end points and speed. Alfa Pendular trains belong to the highest category. They are the fastest and most convenient. The lines used by Alfa trains start in the north of Portugal and go to southern point. Express routes pass through all major settlements countries including Lisbon, Coimbra, Aveiro, etc.

Purchase instructions train tickets in Portugal.

At first, I was going to add some information on how to buy tickets through the official website of the Portuguese railway company, but, as I started to look into it, I realized that buying a train ticket is far from trivial. I present to your attention the result of my research.

Attention: Online, on the CP website, you can only buy tickets for Alfa Pendular and Intercidades trains!

1. If you are not familiar with Portuguese, click on the flag picture to select the English version of the site.

If you are going to buy train tickets, and not just look at the schedule, then I suggest you register on the site at this stage. You will need registration in any case, and by registering now, you will not have to fill out the search form a second time, since the site will not remember what was found.

Registration for purchasing train tickets

To register, click on myCP and select Register:

Information from the office. website: A mobile phone is needed to facilitate future ticket purchases; you will not need to enter it again. After purchasing a ticket, you will receive a special purchase confirmation number and can use it as e-ticket(show the SMS to the controller on the train). Thus, you will do without printing out the ticket (PDF), which you will receive by email. But, as it turned out later, this is not entirely true, or I was just “lucky”.

1. In the first part, fill in your personal information: full name, date of birth, gender, number of children, city, mobile phone, postal code.

2. Add travel companions or children if you are traveling in a group (see discounts section).

3. Enter your email and create a password. After filling, click “next”.

You can skip the next screen, collecting data for market research. Click “next” and proceed to complete registration, where you will be asked to subscribe to various newsletters. The choice is yours whether you want to receive emails or not.

Once you have made your selection, click “Submit” to complete registration.

It would be interesting to look at the person who invented this “torture machine”. I caught myself thinking that the CP company did everything possible to complicate registration on its own website.

Schedule, prices and seat selection

Search and purchase

It is not necessary to buy tickets on the site; you can simply use the “Train times” tab.

To purchase tickets, click on the “Buy Tickets” button.

1. Select from the list or write the city and station of departure. If you arrive in Lisbon by plane, Oriente Station will be closest (5-7 minutes by metro). If you are coming from the center, then Santa Apolonia
2. Select your destination station.
3. Travel date.
4. Return date if you want to buy a return ticket.
5. Number of passengers. Choose at this stage, or you will have to start over.
6. Service class (first - Comfort or second - Tourist).

After making your selection, click “Submit” and proceed to selecting the train and travel time:

Train selection

Choose the train and schedule that is most convenient for you.

1. regular ticket price
2. ticket price with discount available now

The earlier you buy your tickets, the greater the discount. It is not fixed and depends on the date of purchase and the number of seats. To those who bought online tickets on the Russian Railways website, such a system should be familiar.

If you are traveling with a bicycle or in a wheelchair, check the appropriate boxes (below) and click “Continue”.

Passenger

If you have not registered or logged in, you will be presented with an authorization form.

How to register is described above. I didn't do this in advance, so after registering, I had to repeat the search and selection of the ticket. I don’t understand why the system doesn’t save either search results or previously selected stations and dates. Every time you have to start over.

Well, the lucky ones who took advantage of my advice will log in and move on to the next step:

1. Write your name as in your passport;
2. Select the type of document and enter its number;
3. Select the type of ticket: full ticket, children's, youth, etc.;
4. Choose full payment or discounted price (if purchased at least 5 days before the trip);
5. Any ticket entitles you to receive a voucher for sightseeing tour. Here you can choose a tour from the city where you want;
6. At the same time as purchasing a ticket, you can rent a car from railway partners;
7. Click and recalculate the ticket price after the changes have been made;

Click Continue.

Now you have 10 minutes to complete your purchase; if you don’t have time, you’ll have to choose tickets again. Attention: It is possible to temporarily block funds in the amount of the cost of tickets on the card! The blocking period depends on your bank and card.

Select seats, some with laptop sockets and/or tables. I prefer with a table, very convenient. You can put a laptop or a book on it, and if there are four of you eating, you can have a normal conversation while traveling.

When confirming, you will be asked again in a pop-up window if you are sure of your choice, since it will not be possible to return to this step. The selected location is indicated in grey. I encountered some glitches in the Firefox browser and was unable to change my seat and carriage. I hope you have better luck.

If you buy round-trip tickets, you will be promptly asked to select your return seats.

Payment

In the next window, select payment option (1): card, PayPal or Amex.

If you need a check for a company (2), then write the company name and taxpayer number. I don’t know how relevant this is for the Russian Federation. And lastly (3) - agree to the terms.

After clicking on the “Continue” button, you will need to enter payment information and so on.

I can’t show this to you, since I don’t need a ticket yet :-), but I will definitely correct this omission.

the site wishes you a happy journey!

Details 1411 Published: October 22, 2013 Last updated: October 29, 2018

Portuguese railways date back to 1844, when the country's first railway track was laid. But it was only in 2008 that they began to meet international requirements after being awarded the ISO 9001 certificate. The name was changed to Comboios de Portugal (CP), which translates to “Trains of Portugal”. All assets of the enterprise are 100% owned by the state.

While traveling by train, every traveler has the opportunity to experience all the beauty of the nature of this country, simply looking out the window, as the railway runs through the most picturesque places. Often the Portuguese themselves use trains just to enjoy the views of their country.

High speed train CP

Ways to purchase tickets

Portuguese Railways official website https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en, presented in two languages ​​- Portugues and English for ease of use by foreigners and informs visitors about train schedules, ticket prices, discounts, and also provides many convenient functions . The site does not exist in Russian, however, for complete information about railways in Portugal, you can use the site page https://discoverportugal.ru/transport-portugalii/zheleznye-dorogi-portugalii.

Train tickets can be booked and purchased in the following ways:

• Call the hotline +351 707 210 220, 24 hours a day.
• Via the CP App mobile application, following the instructions. Before starting the purchase procedure, the passenger must register in the application.
• Using the Internet portal, online sales have been opened at the link https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/buy-tickets.
• If it is not possible to purchase a ticket online, sales offices are open throughout the country, a list of 296 addresses of which can be found here https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/train-times/Stations.
• At every train station in every city in Portugal there are machines that allow you to independently purchase a ticket using a credit card.
• If the passenger did not have the opportunity to buy a ticket in advance, he can do so in the train carriage from the conductor by paying a commission.

On a note. Each of the listed purchase methods is available at uniform rates valid throughout the country.

Ticket sales office

Types of train services in Portugal

Portugal has developed railway connections both between its cities and with neighboring Spain. Passengers are offered the following types of messages:

• Suburban passenger trains with a range of up to 100 km, depart from Lisbon, Faro, Porto and some other major cities. The trains are not high-speed, according to the schedule, these types of transportation are regular and trains depart on average once every 15-30 minutes. Suburban destinations are traditionally called Intercidades, or Inter City
• Long distance trains, Alfa Pendular- designed to cover long distances across the country, as well as for international communication. Thus, the most popular route for travelers - Lisbon - Madrid, is carried out on a modern train, moving at a speed of over 220 km/h and covering a distance of 600 km in less than 4 hours, which is 1.5 times faster than traveling by road.

Train types

Comboios Portuguese operates different trains for different routes. If commuter trains have only seats, then carriages intended for long-distance travel can be equipped with both soft “airplane” seats and individual compartments with the possibility of organizing a berth in first class, which affects the ticket price.

In each train, passengers are provided with a dining car, a mobile cafe, the latest newspapers, bathrooms, a smoking room, Wi-Fi for an additional fee and other services, which can be found in more detail on the pages of the official website of the Portuguese Railways at https:/ /www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/passenger-information/Useful-information .

Commuter train interior

Map of the main routes of Comboios Portuguesa

The train route covers the entire country from north to south and from the Atlantic Ocean to the border with Spain, with terminal stops not only in major cities, but also in sparsely populated areas.

Note! International connections are carried out only to Spain (2 directions) and France (1 direction, Lisbon - Paris).

The location of Portugal on the very edge of the European continent does not give it the opportunity to develop railway communications at the same level as other European countries, but the quality of service that is now available, along with the range of services and the length of the tracks, is quite consistent with the global level.