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Getting around Portugal by Train

CP train services, routes, tickets, and tips.

Last verified: September 2026.

Who this is for

  • You live in Portugal, or are moving here, and want to travel between cities by train.
  • You are a resident who takes the train often and wants the cheapest pass or discount.
  • You are 65 or over, under 26, or travelling with children.

Not for you if: you only commute inside Lisbon. Read Getting a Navegante Pass in Lisbon.

Updated September 2026. From 10 August 2026, CP sells its cheapest advance fares only online, in the app, and at ticket machines.

Portugal's national rail operator is CP (Comboios de Portugal). Its trains link Braga, Porto, Coimbra, Lisbon, the Alentejo, and the Algarve. A standard single from Lisbon to Porto costs €28.05 on the Intercidades or €35.70 on the faster Alfa Pendular, second class. Book 8 or more days ahead and you can save up to 65%. If you are resident and travel often, a €20 pass covers most regional and Intercidades trains for 30 days.

The types of train

CP runs five main kinds of service. The type decides the price, the speed, and whether you need a seat reservation.

ServiceWhat it isSeat reservation
Alfa Pendular (AP)Fastest train: Braga, Porto, Coimbra, Lisbon, and Faro. Comfort (first) and Tourist (second) classIncluded in the ticket
Intercidades (IC)Intercity trains to Porto, Braga, Guimarães, Viana do Castelo, Guarda, Covilhã, Évora, Beja, and FaroIncluded in the ticket
InterRegional (IR)Faster regional trains with fewer stopsNo
Regional (R)Stopping trains to smaller townsNo
Urban trains (Urbanos)Commuter lines around Lisbon, Porto, and CoimbraNo

The Alfa Pendular and Intercidades both have free Wi-Fi and a café or bar carriage.

Main routes: times and standard fares

These are CP's full single fares in second class, for adults, in September 2026. First class costs more. Discounts are in the next section.

RouteTrainJourney timeStandard single
Lisbon to PortoAlfa Pendularabout 2 hours 45 minutes€35.70
Lisbon to PortoIntercidadesa little longer than AP€28.05
Lisbon to Coimbra-BAlfa Pendularsee timetable€27.10
Lisbon to Coimbra-BIntercidadessee timetable€22.20
Lisbon to FaroAlfa Pendularabout 3 hours€26.30
Lisbon to FaroIntercidadesabout 3 hours 30 minutes€24.55
Lisbon to ÉvoraIntercidadesabout 1 hour 45 minutes€13.90
Porto to Pocinho (Douro line)Regionalsee timetable€15.10

Returns on the Alfa Pendular and Intercidades are cheaper than two singles. Check the CP journey planner for the exact time of your train. Timetables changed on 6 September 2026.

Discounts you can get

CP's discounts apply to everyone who meets the conditions, whatever their nationality or country of residence. On the Alfa Pendular and Intercidades, prices are rounded up to the nearest 50 cents.

  • Children: under 4 travel free if they share your seat. Aged 4 to 12, they pay half price and get their own seat.
  • Young people: up to and including age 25, you get up to 25% off. Holders of the European Youth Card aged 12 to 30 also get 25% off.
  • Seniors: from age 65, you pay half price. Pensioners can also get half price with CP's Golden Card.
  • Family and friends: small groups get up to half price on weekends and public holidays.
  • Promo fares: book an Alfa Pendular or Intercidades ticket 5 to 7 days ahead for up to 56% off, or 8 to 60 days ahead for up to 65% off.

Promo fares are limited to a set number of seats on each train. You can change them, but you cannot get a refund. Since 10 August 2026, they are sold only online, in the CP app, and at ticket machines.

For an age discount, carry an official ID with your date of birth. CP accepts the government ID app (id.gov.pt) on your phone, but not photos or plain photocopies.

How to buy a ticket

  1. Online or in the app. Use cp.pt or the CP app for the Alfa Pendular, Intercidades, InterRegional, and Regional trains. You get an e-ticket on your phone. Sales open up to 60 days before travel.
  2. At the station. Major stations have ticket offices and machines. Small stations may only have a machine, or nothing.
  3. For urban trains. In Lisbon and Porto, you use the region's rechargeable travel card or a monthly pass.

Buy your ticket before you board. If you travel without a valid ticket, you can be fined.

Trains between Lisbon and Porto often fill up on Friday evenings, Sunday afternoons, and before public holidays. Book a few days ahead for those times.

Rail passes for residents

Green Rail Pass (Passe Ferroviário Verde). This costs €20 a month and is for people resident in Portugal, of any nationality. It lasts 30 days from the day you choose. You can load 30, 60, or 90 days onto a CP card. It covers:

  • Intercidades, in second class, with a free seat reservation made in advance;
  • all Regional and InterRegional trains;
  • Coimbra urban trains;
  • urban train sections outside the Lisbon and Porto metropolitan passes, such as Carregado to Azambuja, or Porto to Braga beyond Lousado.

It does not cover the Alfa Pendular. On the Intercidades, you must book your seat within 24 hours of the train starting its journey.

Metropolitan passes. Inside Lisbon and Porto, the metropolitan passes cover urban trains, buses, and metro. See Public Transport Passes in Portugal for prices and the free pass for under-23s.

Stations in Lisbon and Porto

Check your departure station carefully. The big cities have several.

Lisbon:

  • Santa Apolónia and Oriente: trains north, to Coimbra, Porto, and Braga.
  • Oriente, Entrecampos, Sete Rios, and Pragal: trains south, to Évora, Beja, and the Algarve.
  • Rossio: Sintra line urban trains only.
  • Cais do Sodré: Cascais line urban trains.

Porto:

  • Campanhã: the main station, for the Alfa Pendular and Intercidades.
  • São Bento: in the centre, for regional and urban trains, including the Douro line. Many trains call at both.

Bikes, luggage, and accessibility

  • Luggage: there are racks at each carriage entrance and overhead.
  • Bikes: the Alfa Pendular only takes a bike if it is folded or packed as luggage. The Intercidades has spaces for bikes. Regional trains usually take bikes when there is room.
  • Wheelchair users: each Alfa Pendular has two wheelchair spaces and a lift for boarding. Ask CP for assistance before you travel.

For the Douro line, see Riding the Douro Line from Porto to Pocinho. Where the train does not go, Long-Distance Buses in Portugal fill the gaps.

If your train is late or cancelled

Delays happen, especially on regional lines. Allow a buffer if you have a flight to catch.

EU rules on rail passenger rights apply to long-distance trains. If you arrive late, you can usually claim:

  • 25% of the ticket price for a delay of 60 to 119 minutes;
  • 50% for a delay of 2 hours or more.

If the delay is likely to be over an hour, you can instead ask for a refund or a different route. Claim from CP through its website or a ticket office, with your ticket. If CP does not reply or you disagree, use the complaints book, as explained in Filing a Consumer Complaint in Portugal (Livro de Reclamações).

What is changing

New trains. CP has ordered 153 new electric trains from a consortium led by Alstom: 98 for urban lines and 55 for regional lines. The first should arrive in 2029 and the last in 2031. Some will be built at a new site in Matosinhos.

High-speed line from Porto to Lisbon. The contract for the first section, Porto to Oiã, near Aveiro, was signed in July 2025. The tender for the next section, Oiã to Soure, opened in January 2026, with building due to start in 2027. Journey times will not change for several years.

Sources

This guide is written from official Portuguese and EU sources and, for prices and contact details, the providers' own websites.

Last verified September 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.

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