Train from Porto to Lisbon

Train from Porto to Lisbon at a glance

Here is what the train from Porto to Lisbon looks like with CP Alfa Pendular and Intercidades: direct, with no change of train, about 2 hours 50 minutes from platform to platform, about hourly, roughly 340 km. You board at Porto Campanhã and step off at Lisbon Oriente or Santa Apolónia. Haqqi Tours checks the seats for your date and tells you the cost before anything is booked.

• Route: Porto to Lisbon (about 340 km)
• Operator: CP Alfa Pendular and Intercidades
• Journey time: about 2 hours 50 minutes
• Connection: direct train
• Frequency: about hourly
• Departure station: Porto Campanhã
• Arrival station: Lisbon Oriente or Santa Apolónia
• Classes: second class and first class
• Booking: form on this page, confirmation by WhatsApp, electronic ticket by message

Lisbon has two stops for this train: Oriente, the Calatrava station by the Parque das Nações and the airport metro, and the terminus Santa Apolónia beside Alfama - choose by where you are staying.

Things to do in Lisbon after the train

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, a city of seven hills and trams above the Tagus estuary, with Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) unusually close - about 7 km north-east of the centre; the Alfama, Baixa and Chiado quarters are at its heart, Belém along the river, and Sintra, Cascais and the Estoril coast within 30 km. Start with the Santa Justa lift, the Oceanário at Parque das Nações and Praça do Comércio, then the LX Factory and Sintra's Pena Palace. A tip from our desk: Many Alfama and Bairro Alto guesthouses are on lanes too narrow for a car - send the address and the driver will stop at the nearest point and help carry the bags.

Haqqi Tours offers guided day tours, tickets and private drivers in Lisbon; ask when you book the train and we send the options.

Best time to take the train from Porto to Lisbon

The train from Porto to Lisbon runs all year. Lisbon is mild all year, hot in July and August and busiest from May to October and at the June Santo António festivities; the Segunda Circular ring road by the airport is slowest at the weekday rush. If you can travel outside those weeks, the same seat costs less and the train is quieter. Whatever the month, early booking is the single biggest saving.

Train, plane or bus from Porto to Lisbon?

For most passengers the train is the best way to get from Porto to Lisbon: about 2 hours 50 minutes centre to centre, no change, no airport time and no baggage fees. A flight only wins when the distance is very long; a bus is cheaper on some days but slower and less comfortable, and arrives at a bus station rather than the centre. Haqqi Tours arranges flights and transfers as well, so if the train is not the right answer for your dates we say so.

Return train from Lisbon to Porto

We book the return leg from Lisbon to Porto just as easily, and generally on the same confirmation. Booking both directions together lets us compare a return fare against two singles and choose the cheaper combination for your dates. Tell us the day you want to come back on the form and we send both directions with the cost.

How much does the train from Porto to Lisbon cost?

"How much is the train ticket from Porto to Lisbon?" is the first question we get, and the honest answer is that it depends on when you travel and when you book. Fares open months ahead at their lowest level and rise as seats sell; peak days, holidays and the first and last departures of the day sit higher; first class and flexible tickets cost more than a fixed second-class seat. Haqqi Tours can provide the current cost for your travel date quickly of receiving the form - no estimates, the actual fare.

Let us know for two or three departures and we send the cost of each, so you can see how much the time of day changes the Porto to Lisbon train fare. We also flag family and group fares when they apply, which is where most people save the most.

Cheapest train ticket from Porto to Lisbon: how to pay less

The cheapest train ticket from Porto to Lisbon is almost always the one booked earliest for an off-peak departure. Our booking desk applies the same rules on every booking:

• Ask about children's, youth and senior fares - most operators on this route discount them
• Book both directions together - a return or two singles, whichever comes out cheaper on your dates
• Choose a fixed-departure ticket if your plans are certain; flexible tickets cost more
• For families and groups, ask about group fares - four or more travellers often unlock a lower rate
• Book early - fares on this route open weeks or months ahead and the lowest tiers sell first
• Travel mid-week and mid-day - Tuesday to Thursday departures after the morning rush are typically the cheapest

When you fill out the form, mention if you are flexible. We compare the fares across the day and send the cheapest Porto to Lisbon train ticket first, then the alternatives.

How to book train tickets from Porto to Lisbon with Haqqi Tours

Here is how to book a Porto to Lisbon train ticket with Haqqi Tours: use the booking form on this page - date, one-way or return, passengers, class - and send it. Shortly afterwards we write to you through WhatsApp with the departures that day, the seats we can hold and the price. Once you confirm and payment is arranged in the same conversation, we issue the ticket and send it to you as a PDF or a booking reference, whichever the operator uses.

• Step 1 - fill in the form: date, one-way or return, adults and children, class
• Step 2 - we message you in the WhatsApp chat with the available departures, the seats and the cost
• Step 3 - you confirm the departure you prefer and we arrange payment in the same chat
• Step 4 - we issue the electronic ticket and send it to you; we stay in touch until you arrive in Lisbon

Because a person books the ticket, not a machine, we can do the things a booking site cannot: hold seats together for a family, pick the coach nearest the luggage racks, choose a quiet carriage, or line up the Porto to Lisbon train with a transfer from your accommodation to Porto Campanhã and another from Lisbon Oriente or Santa Apolónia to your hotel in Lisbon.

Timetable of the Porto to Lisbon train

About hourly - that is how often the train from Porto to Lisbon runs with CP Alfa Pendular and Intercidades. The fastest services take about 2 hours 50 minutes; some departures are slightly slower where they make extra stops. The first trains of the morning suit a full day in Lisbon; the late-afternoon departures are popular with passengers who want to sleep in their own bed and arrive in the evening.

Our advice for the timetable: choose the departure that fits your day in Lisbon, not the cheapest one blindly - though we tell you both. A train that arrives at Lisbon Oriente or Santa Apolónia in the early afternoon gives you the evening in Lisbon; a late one lands you after dinner.

Is there a direct train from Porto to Lisbon?

There is a direct train from Porto to Lisbon operated by CP Alfa Pendular and Intercidades, and it is the one we book unless you ask for something different. One ticket covers the whole journey; you keep your seat from Porto Campanhã to Lisbon Oriente or Santa Apolónia; children and luggage stay in one place. It runs about hourly.

Departure: Porto Campanhã

Your journey starts at Porto Campanhã. Platforms on long-distance routes are announced shortly before departure, so watch the boards; larger stations have separate halls for high-speed and regional trains, and we tell you which one applies to your ticket. The metro (line E) links the airport to the centre in about 30 minutes and is inexpensive and simple for a central hotel with light luggage; a private car is easier for a late arrival, a family with luggage, a hotel in the steep old town or Foz, or a trip on to Braga, the Douro valley or the coast.

• Arrive 20-30 minutes early; the platform is shown on the boards shortly before departure
• Keep the e-ticket on your phone and the ID used for booking together - some operators check both
• Luggage travels with you: racks at the coach ends and above the seats, no weighing, no fees
• Cafés, kiosks and left-luggage are available at Porto Campanhã for early arrivals

Arrival: Lisbon Oriente or Santa Apolónia

The train arrives at Lisbon Oriente or Santa Apolónia - Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, a city of seven hills and trams above the Tagus estuary, with Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) unusually close - about 7 km north-east of the centre; the Alfama, Baixa and Chiado quarters are at its heart, Belém along the river, and Sintra, Cascais and the Estoril coast within 30 km. From the platform you are minutes from taxis, local transport and the city itself. Haqqi Tours provides a private transfer from Lisbon Oriente or Santa Apolónia to your hotel in Lisbon with a driver waiting at the platform exit, which for a family with bags is the easiest way to finish the Porto to Lisbon journey.

Many travellers continue from Lisbon to somewhere else the next day. We provide those tickets too, so one WhatsApp conversation covers the whole itinerary.

Classes and what it is like on board the Porto to Lisbon train

What is the train from Porto to Lisbon like inside? Modern coaches with reserved seats, tables for two or four, racks for suitcases, sockets and usually Wi-Fi of varying quality. In second class and first class the differences are space and quiet more than anything else. Over about 2 hours 50 minutes the extra comfort of the higher class is worth it for some passengers and not for others; we tell you the cost of both and let you choose.

• Quiet coaches and family areas on selected services - just ask when booking
• Bicycles, pushchairs and large luggage accepted within the operator's rules, which we clarify
• Pets are allowed on many services with a small ticket - let us know if one is travelling
• Reserved seats with tables, power sockets and luggage racks

Children, luggage and groups on the Porto to Lisbon train

Three things people worry about on the train from Porto to Lisbon and need not: children, bags and groups. Children get their own fare band and a seat next to you; suitcases go on the racks free of charge; groups sit together in reserved blocks. Put the numbers on the form and we handle the rest - including a transfer with enough room for everyone at each end.

Why book your Porto to Lisbon train ticket with Haqqi Tours

Haqqi Tours is a licensed tour operator that books train tickets from Porto to Lisbon all year round. We provide the ticket in your name, the seats you want, the cheapest fare for the date you travel, and a human on WhatsApp in Arabic and English before, during and after the journey. Around the train, we offer transfers, tours and hotel-to-station drivers in both cities. Complete the form above; we message you with seats and the price; you decide.