Traveling from Lisbon to Porto soon? Check out how to get from Lisbon to Porto – you’ll find detailed information about trains, buses, flights, and more.
Lisbon and Porto are two cities that are definitely worth visiting if you’re in Portugal. While most tourists start off in Lisbon, I find Porto even more beautiful, with its bridges, great wine, and azulejos.
Finding the best way to travel from Lisbon to Porto is easy and it’s all a matter of your personal preference when traveling, your budget, and the convenience you look for.
Just a couple of basic info before we get started. The distance between Lisbon and Porto is 314 kilometers or 195 miles, so any way you decide to travel from Lisbon to Porto, it won’t take more than half a day (or less).
To help you plan your trip from Lisbon to Porto (or from Porto to Lisbon), I put together information about each of the transportation options available so you can decide what’s the best way for you.
➤ OVERALL BEST WAY TO GET FROM PORTO TO LISBON (or opposite): train
➤ CHEAPEST WAY FOR TRAVELING FROM LISBON TO PORTO: bus or ridesharing
➤ FASTEST WAY: high-speed train (Alfa Pendular train)
➤ MOST SCENIC WAY: drive from Lisbon to Porto
➤ LESS ECO-FRIENDLY: Lisbon-Porto flight
Table of Contents
Take the Train from Lisbon to Porto
Traveling from Lisbon to Porto by train is one of the most efficient (THE most efficient in my opinion) ways to go from Lisbon to Porto. This journey takes an average of 3 hours. However, you can find trains (the Alfa Pendular train, which is the high-speed train) that will get you there in as little as 2 hours and 35 minutes.
The earliest train to Porto from Lisbon departs at 6.30 AM and the latest trip departs at 10:09 PM. An average of 32 trains travel between Lisbon and Porto each day, so you have plenty of opportunities to catch one throughout the day. Each train departs at an interval of an average of 30 minutes.
If you’re traveling the opposite way, the first Porto train to Lisbon departs at 5.32 AM.
The departure station in Lisbon is at the Lisboa Santa Apol station or Lisboa Oriente station (pictured above). The Porto to Lisbon train departs from the Campanha station.
The price for train tickets from Lisbon to Porto starts at 23 Euros (if you buy in advance) for the regular ticket and 36 Euros for the faster trains. All the train connections are regulated and managed by Comboios de Portugal, which is the national railway company in Portugal.
➤ You can visit the website below to find out about the train schedule and book your tickets in advance. I especially recommend booking a ticket online if you’re visiting during the summer or high season in general.
OMIO is the website I generally use to book transportation in Europe – it’s reliable and usually offers the best deals for train tickets Lisbon to Porto.
BOOK HERE your train Lisbon to Porto
BOOK HERE your train from Porto to Lisbon
Take the Bus from Lisbon to Porto
If you prefer to travel by bus, maybe because of budget, or maybe you just prefer the bus, there’s no problem. Getting from Lisbon to Porto by bus (or getting from Porto to Lisbon by bus) is a breeze.
In fact, these two cities are well connected by bus routes making it easy to transfer from one city to another. The average travel time on a Lisbon to Porto bus is 3 hours and 30 minutes (although it depends on traffic), and there are many departures from Lisbon throughout the day so you can easily catch a bus any time of the day.
If you buy your Lisbon Porto bus ticket in advance, it will cost as little as 9 euros. However, if you buy it on the spot, the regular ticket price is around 20 euros, depending on the bus company. So in this case, it totally makes sense to buy your ticket in advance if you already know the time and date you want to travel.
The Rede Expressos is one bus company that operates between these two destinations, it’s also the largest long-distance bus company in Portugal. Other companies offering the same route are Citi Express and RENEX. You can also check out the Flixbus Lisbon to Porto for some great deals.
➤ You can check the website below (OMIO) for the latest information on bus schedules and pricing from Lisbon to Porto (and from Porto to Lisbon if you’re going the opposite direction). The bus will depart from the Lisboa Gora Oriente station and will drop you off at Porto’s Campo 24 de Agosto station.
BOOK HERE your bus from Lisbon to Porto
BOOK HERE your bus from Porto to Lisbon
Driving from Lisbon to Porto
If you want to travel at your own pace and have the flexibility to stop at destinations along the way, the best way for traveling from Lisbon to Porto is by renting a car and driving yourself.
Driving from Lisbon to Porto is a fun road trip experience worth trying, especially if you have the luxury of a little bit of time.
READ ALSO: The 22 Best Road Trips in Europe to Take in 2024
The distance between these two cities is a little more than 300 kilometers. The driving time Lisbon to Porto is around 3 hours if you don’t make any stops, but since there are many interesting spots along the way, you can expect that drive to take a bit longer – but it’s worth it! There are many must-see attractions on the Lisbon to Porto drive that you’ll definitely want to make a stop or two.
In fact, why not make it a Lisbon to Porto road trip and see it all? I’ve written an extensive article with the exact itinerary for a one-week road trip from Lisbon to Porto – if you have enough time, it’s highly recommended.
The average cost for a car rental from Lisbon to Porto is 25 Euros per day. If you choose to rent for several days, you’ll definitely save more. You should also expect additional payment if you choose to drop it off in a different location, so it’ll probably make sense to go back to the departure point, at least financially speaking.
➤ The best option for renting a car from Lisbon to Porto is to book in advance online. I usually use Discover Cars to compare prices and find the best deal. ➥ COMPARE PRICES HERE
When renting a car, make sure to check the condition of the car first. Make sure there are no previous scratches so you won’t be liable for any damages on the vehicle that you didn’t do. If there’s any previous damage, take photos of it and report it before leaving with the rental car.
Go from Lisbon to Porto with Ridesharing
There’s one more way to travel from Lisbon to Porto which is often overlooked – in fact, it’s one more way to travel from Lisbon to Porto by car without having to rent a car. Ridesharing (also called carpooling) is a fairly common way to travel in some areas of Europe, and it’s the cheapest way to get from Lisbon to Porto (unless you get your hands on a deal for a bus ticket).
You can look on BlaBlaCar for people who are driving in the same direction on the same day, and who are offering a few seats in their car. You usually contact them, set up a meeting point and time, and a drop off point at the destination. I’ve used BlaBlaCar many times in Italy when I was younger and I was often commuting to a city a few hours away, and always had good experiences.
This is a great option for budget travelers and backpackers, especially if you’re an extrovert and you don’t mind chatting with people throughout the drive. It’s also great if you’re a solo traveler and like to meet people, but always make sure that the driver has a bunch of positive reviews before going on the ride.
Flights Lisbon to Porto
Traveling via plane from Lisbon to Porto is an option but I wouldn’t recommend it. For one, it’s very expensive as compared to other transportation options above, but it will also take more time as you have to go through the check-in process at the airport and wait for your flight to depart.
Granted that a Lisbon to Porto flight will take only one hour, but you need to be at the airport around 2 hours prior to your flight departure to check-in and go through security so it could easily eat up more time than if you were to travel via train or bus. And more importantly, traveling via plane is not an eco-friendly option.
➤ However, if you’re dead set on flying, you can check out here your options for flights from Lisbon to Porto, and here your options from Porto to Lisbon.
Go on a Day Trip from Lisbon to Porto
You’ve got very limited time and want to visit Porto on a day trip? I would recommend spending more than one day in Porto, but if you can’t, a Lisbon to Porto day trip is still doable.
I’d say you have two options when it comes to day trips from Lisbon to Porto. You can either go by train as explained above in the paragraph about train travel – in this case I’d choose the fast train from Lisbon to Porto (called the Alfa Pendular train), to get there as fast as possible and not lose valuable time. The other option is to join a Lisbon to Porto day tour to be completely hands-off.
I haven’t gone on a day tour myself, but I have checked quite a few Lisbon to Porto tours online to be able to recommend you the best one.
➤ This full-day tour features a private driver and a customizable itinerary. You’ll be able to visit some of the most famous Porto’s landmarks such as Sao Bento Railway Station and Livraria Lello (Harry Potter fans, anyone?), walk by the Douro River, and have a porto wine tasting at one of the best wineries in town. Tours from Lisbon to Porto aren’t cheap, but the reviews of this one are great. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Coming or Going from/to the Airport?
TRAVELING FROM LISBON TO PORTO AIRPORT
➤ If you’re traveling by bus, once you arrive at Porto’s Campo 24 de Agosto bus station, walk 15 minutes to the Trindade subway stop and take subway E to the airport.
➤ If you’re traveling by train, once you arrive at Porto Campanha train station, take the subway (lines A, F, C, B, B Expresso) until the stop Siete Bicas. Get off here and take subway E all the way to the airport.
TRAVELING FROM PORTO AIRPORT TO LISBON
Follow the instructions above but in the opposite direction.
GETTING FROM LISBON AIRPORT TO PORTO
➤ There isn’t a direct train from Lisbon airport to Porto. You’ll have to take the train from Lisbon Aeroporto to Oriente station in Lisbon, and then take the train to Porto.
➤ If you want to travel by bus, you’ll also have to get to the Oriente station and take a bus from there.
GETTING FROM PORTO TO LISBON AIRPORT
Follow the instructions above but in the opposite direction.
How to get from Lisbon to Porto – Frequently Asked Questions
The distance from Lisbon to Porto is 314 kilometers or 195 miles.
Driving Lisbon to Porto takes approximately 3 hours.
It depends on your priorities and budget. In my opinion, the best way to travel from Lisbon to Porto is by train (it takes around 3 hours and it’s pretty affordable). However, if you’re traveling on a budget, the best way is by bus or by ridesharing. If you’d like to make the drive into a road trip, then renting a car is the way to go.
Yes, there are many direct trains from Lisbon to Porto every day.
Yes, it’s called the Alfa Pendular train and it’s the fastest way to get from Lisbon to Porto or vice versa. The Alfa Pendular Lisbon to Porto (or Porto to Lisbon) takes around 2 hours 35 minutes so it saves you about half an hour of travel time.
The train ride from Lisbon to Porto takes around 3 hours with the regular train, and approximately two hours and a half with the high-speed train.
A train ticket between Lisbon and Porto usually costs 23-31 euros, depending on the type of train, the class, and how long you buy it in advance.
Uff, this is a difficult question! I honestly like them both a lot, although between Porto or Lisbon I might prefer Porto. I found Porto to be more authentic, and I really loved the Douro Valley which is near Porto. Plus, Porto is very walkable and I mean… wine! Tons of wine!
However, Lisbon is great too. The Alfama and Belem neighborhoods are beautiful, and there are so many attractions and things to do!
I’d say 3 days in Porto is the perfect time. This way you can spend two days exploring the city, and you still have one full day to go on a day trip to the Douro Valley – trust me, it’s totally worth it.
Yes, it is. The train ride between Lisbon and Portugal will go through hilly landscapes, the Atlantic coastline, and Coimbra, one of the most charming cities in Portugal.
Yes – I’ve given some suggestions in the paragraph called “Go on a Day Trip from Lisbon to Porto”
And it’s a a wrap. Hopefully this info is useful for you to get from Lisbon to Porto. I have written a few other posts about Portugal, so make sure to check them out to plan your trip in the area.
This post contains affiliate links, which means if you book something through one of my links I might get a commission, at absolutely no extra cost to you
READ MORE…
One Week in Portugal: The Perfect Itinerary
25 Epic Things to Do in Lisbon
