Are you planning to go from Lisbon to Porto on your trip? Or perhaps the other way around, from Porto to Lisbon? In that case, you should compare the different methods of transportation to find out what is easiest, cheapest, and most practical. Here are all the ways to get from Lisbon to Porto!
There is a bit over 300 kilometers between Portugal’s two most important cities. However, the travel time and the prices can vary depending on how you choose to accomplish your journey.
You can get from Lisbon to Porto (and vice versa) by plane, train, bus, and car. We will lay out each of these methods below so that you get an idea of transportation time, practicality, prices, and everything else worth knowing.
What is the cheapest way to get from Lisbon to Porto?
The bus is the cheapest option since prices start around 20€ for a one-way ticket.
What is the fastest way to get from Lisbon to Porto?
Taking the plane takes 55 minutes, but the full travel time will be around 3 hours since you have to get to and from the airports.
Going by train will take you 2 hours and 45 minutes, but you also have to get to and from the train stations which could be an extra 10-20 minutes of transport depending on where you are staying.
Driving will take around 3 hours in total, so going by car should be fastest when everything is factored in.
What is the easiest way to get from Lisbon to Porto?
The high-speed train line, Alfa Pendular, is very comfortable. You get the ideal combination of short travel time, a fair price, and decent comfort. So we would say that is the easiest way to travel between Lisbon and Porto. Unlike driving or flying, you won’t have any stress when taking the train.
By plane
TAP has hourly flights between Lisbon and Porto. The travel time in the air is just 55 minutes, but you also have to account for the time it takes to get to and from the airports. You still need to go through security and show up at the gate on time. If we assume you need an additional hour of transport/waiting in both Porto and Lisbon, the total travel time will sneak up to 3 hours.
So practically, it will take you around the same time to fly as it would to take the train or drive. For that reason it rarely makes sense. Flying is sensible if you find ultra-cheap tickets (which can definitely happen). On most days, it will cost you around 50€ to fly between the two cities. Sometimes it can be cheaper, and sometimes it can be more expensive, so be flexible with your hours!
Both Lisbon and Porto have metro lines going from their airports to the central parts of each city. For faster and more private transportation, you can decide to get a taxi instead.
By train
There are many direct train routes between Lisbon and Porto every single day. The national train operator in Portugal, CP, makes it very easy to travel between the two cities.
You should take the Alfa Pendular train. It is the fastest of the bunch, as it has a relatively high speed and only stops in major cities. The Alfa Pendular typically connects Lisbon’s Santa Apolonia and Oriente stations with Porto’s Campanhã station. While Lisbon’s stations are relatively central, Porto’s Campanhã will require most travelers to take another train into the central São Bento station which will be a few extra minutes of travel time.
There is also a slower train you can take: The Intercidades train which stops in more cities and usually costs less, but takes longer to arrive.
Expect to pay anywhere between 25€ and 50€ depending on which train you take, the time of the day, and the availability of tickets. You can book your tickets with CP online in advance. You don’t need to print anything, as you can show them on the phone. Either as a document or in the official CP application.
We recommend that you take the Alfa Pendular high-speed train, even if it costs a bit more. It takes just 2 hours and 45 minutes, which is a lot faster than other trains covering the route. The journey between Lisbon and Porto is relatively boring, aside from the 20-30 kilometers around Porto which is very beautiful, so you can easily take a nap while waiting to arrive.
On top of the 2 hours and 45 minutes on the train, it is a good idea to get to the train station 20 minutes before your trip, so we can estimate the full travel time at 3 hours and 25 minutes.
By bus
It takes from 3 hours and 30 minutes with the fastest buses.
You will find bus connections from the stations Sete Rios and Oriente in Lisbon, and from Camelias, Casa da Música and Campanhã in Porto. It is important that you check where to get on your bus – it will say so on the ticket.
Prices start around 20€ so it is by far the cheapest way to travel between Porto and Lisbon.
By car
If you’re traveling in your own car, or if you are renting one, it makes sense to drive from Lisbon to Porto.
The full journey will take you around 3 hours. It is extremely easy to drive because you just go directly north or directly south, depending on whether you are going from Lisbon to Porto, or from Porto to Lisbon. The vast majority of the journey will be on the A1 motorway.
You should know that Portugal’s road network has a lot of toll fees. Expect to pay around 40€ to use the A1 motorway, so it gets a bit expensive. You also have to account for fuel as it is a somewhat long ride.
There is an old highway without toll fees – the N1/IC2 highway. You can save the toll fees by using it, but there will be so much more traffic since many locals take this one. The total travel time will be at least an additional hour and a half, possibly more. So if you are going by car, we recommend simply taking the A1 motorway and paying the toll fees – it will save you time and frustration. If you are 3 or 4 people in the car to split the cost, it will not actually be more expensive than taking the fast train or the TAP flight. If you are driving solo, it will obviously be quite a high cost, but that’s how it is.
Conclusion
There are several ways to travel between Porto and Lisbon. For most people, it will be easiest and fastest to take the train. But if you want it cheaper, there are buses that can take you at very low prices. Flying works in some cases, but it can be a bit more stressful, and you have to spend time at the airports. Driving is a great option if you have access to a car, but be aware of toll fees as well as gasoline prices.
Enjoy your trip, and don’t miss our articles on things to do in Lisbon and in Porto!
This article was written by Jacob Jensen. He primarily covers European and South American destinations for Scope Trip while also working as the main editor for the site.
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