Fall in love with Portugal

Air

There are several Portuguese airlines offering regular domestic and international flights.
TAP - Air Portugal (www.tap.pt) is the country’s "flagship" airline and has scheduled flights to more than 50 international destinations and domestic flights between Lisbon, Oporto, Faro, Madeira and the Azores, and also between Madeira and Porto Santo.
SATA  (www.sata.pt) has regular flights between all the islands of the Azores and from the Azores to Madeira and mainland Portugal. SATA also offers regular flights to a number of international destinations.

Rail

CP - Comboios de Portugal (www.cp.pt), the Portuguese railway company, offers a vast rail network covering the whole of mainland Portugal and also offers international train services to Vigo, Madrid and Paris.

There are a number of options to meet your needs:
- The top-of-the-range "Alfa Pendular" trains offer the fastest and most comfortable rail link between Lisbon and the Algarve and, in the north, Oporto or Braga, with stops in Coimbra.
- The "Intercidades" or Intercity service covers the Lisbon-Oporto-Guimarães, Lisbon-Guarda, Lisbon-Covilhã, Lisbon-Évora-Beja and Lisbon-Faro routes.
- The international Sud-Express train and Lusitânia hotel-train leave from Lisbon.
- There is a vast network of regional, inter-regional and suburban trains covering the whole of the country.

Road

Portugal has a good road network consisting of auto-estradas (AE, motorways), itinerários principais (IP, main trunk roads), itinerários complementares (IC, complementary trunk roads), estradas nacionais (EN, national roads) and estradas municipais (municipal roads).
All motorways are marked with the internationally recognised sign and motorists using them have to pay tolls. See prices on www.brisa.pt or www.aeatlantico.pt

In case of breakdown or accident on the motorway, you can phone for assistance on 808 508 508

Toll gates have Via Verde channels. This is an innovative electronic system enabling motorists to debit tolls to their bank account. Only holders of Via Verde identifiers supplied by Brisa can use it.

Coaches

There are regular coach services between Portugal’s main towns and cities. For details of routes, timetables and fares visit www.rede-expressos.pt the website of Rede Nacional de Expressos (only in Portuguese). 

Underground

The underground is an important addition to the traditional forms of public transport.
In Lisbon and Oporto it operates between 6 a.m. and 1 a.m.

The Lisbon underground (www.metrolisboa.pt) is the older of the two and reaches a considerable part of the city. Its network has gradually been extended in recent years. Both the oldest and the most recent stations are decorated with panels of tiles by renowned Portuguese artists, making them true underground art galleries.

In Oporto, the underground (www.metro-porto.pt)  is new. There are five lines in operation - blue, red, green, yellow and violet -, and most of their route is above ground.

Taxis

Taxis are usually cream in colour, although there are still some painted black with a green roof in the traditional Portuguese style.

The fare is shown on the taximeter. The prices are affixed inside the car or you can ask the driver about them.
If you phone for a taxi you have to pay an extra 0.80 euros. There is a charge of 1.60 euros for luggage, regardless of weight or the number of pieces.
Carry cots, pushchairs, wheelchairs and walking aids are carried free of charge.
Outside towns, taxis charge by the kilometre and the driver and passenger agree on the fare in advance. Where they exist, the passenger has to pay the road tolls there and back.
Tipping is at the passenger’s discretion, though it is normal to tip 5-10% or round the amount up to the nearest euro.