The Portuguese railway company is called CP or Companhia dos Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses. The company offers comfortable Alfa Pendular (AP) trains to cover the Lisbon (Lisboa) - Porto (Oporto) route. People travel in Conforto (1st) and Turística (2nd) class on these rápido trains.
Intercidade (IC) trains travel between the other main cities and are almost as comfortable. Interregional (IR) trains cover most of the network. The Suburban or Regional (R) service stops at every town and village on the line.
The Portuguese railways
Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses (CP), the Portuguese National Railways, offer the following facilities:
- ALFA Pendular trains: circulating on the routes Lisbon – Porto – Braga and Porto – Lisbon – Faro
- Intercity trains (IC): from Lisbon to Porto-Guimaraes/ Guarda/ Covilha/ Faro/ Beja/Évora
- Regional and interregional trains for short distances
- Suburban train in the cities of Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra
- Lusitânia Hotel Train between Lisbon and Madrid
- Sud Express between Lisbon and Hendaye with connecting TGV trains to Paris
Railway service
ALFA Pendular trains have a buffet car, mini bar, audio and video channels (ear-phones are distributed), nappy changing facilities, toilets and special places reserved for reduced mobility passengers. The IC trains have a buffet bar service.
Please note: There is no longer a train connection from Beja to Funcheira in Portugal.
Domestic train types
- Alfa Pendular (AP, high-speed trains): reservations required
- InterCidades (IC, intercity trains): reservations required
- InterRegional (IR) and Regional (R): reservations not required
- Urbanos (commuter trains): reservations not required
Reservations for Alfa Pendular and IC trains cost about € 5. Reservations can only be made in Portugal.
A nice scenic route in Portugal is the trip from Porto to Pocinho (Douro valley).
Airport station links
From Lisbon international airport there are several options to continue your journey into the capital Lisbon. The bus service is cheap and fast. Eurail passes are not valid on the bus.
From Porto Francisco Sá Carneiro airport there are various public transport connections to Campanha (Metro Porto operates every 20 minutes). Eurail passes are not valid here.
Eurail aid offices
For questions about Eurail, you can go to the international ticket office at any of the following railway stations: Estação de Santa Apolónia Lisboa (Lisbon) or Estação de Porto Campanha (Oporto). See the page Eurail aid offices for detailed information and more aid offices in Europe.
