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Belem Tower on the Tagus River, Lisbon, Portugal

© www.123rf.com/Oleg Kozlov

Travel to Portugal

Flying to Portugal

Portugal's national airline is TAP Air Portugal (TP) (www.flytap.com) which runs direct flights from London and New York to Portugal, as well as from other UK cities. Alternative airlines flying to Portugal from the UK include British Airways (www.ba.com) and easyJet (www.easyjet.com). Prices tend to increase in July and August.

Flight times:

From London to Lisbon is 2 hours 30 minutes and from New York is 7 hours.

Departure tax:

None.

Travel by rail

Travelling from the UK, the quickest way is to travel by Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel to Paris (journey time - 2 hours 20 minutes) and, from there, to Portugal. The Sud-Expresso runs between Hendaye/Irun (linked to Paris by TGV) and Lisbon, offering first- and second-class seats, sleepers and a restaurant car. For further information and reservations, contact Eurostar (tel: 0843 218 6186, in the UK or +44 1233 617 575, outside the UK; www.eurostar.com), Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; www.raileurope.co.uk) or book the 20-hour trip from Paris to Lisbon directly with French railway SNCF (tel: +33 805 700 805, in France; www.sncf.com). Caminhos De Ferro Portugueses (tel: 808 208 208, in Portugal or (707) 201 280, outside Portugal; www.cp.pt) offers an international rail service to Vigo, Madrid and Paris.

Rail passes:

InterRail: Offers unlimited first or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 15 days, 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of 25 European countries. Travel is not allowed in your country of residence. Travellers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children's tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (www.raileurope.co.uk).

Eurail: The Eurail Global pass offers unlimited train travel in 22 European countries. Select, Regional (Portugal is grouped with Spain) and One-Country Eurail passes are also available. Tickets are valid for two months or three months and allow between three and 10 days’ travel in those periods. The passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe. Available from The Eurail Group (www.eurail.com).

By rail note:

Portugal is not noted for its train services like France and Spain, therefore be prepared to take it easy. A good book or people watching are the best way to avoid frustration.

Driving to Portugal

The quickest route from the UK is via ferry from northern Spain. For the more adventurous, there is the option of taking the ferry or Channel Tunnel to France and driving down. Brittany Ferries (tel: 0871 244 0744, in the UK;www.brittany-ferries.co.uk) runs from Plymouth to Santander, and from Portsmouth to Santander and Bilbao. Eurotunnel (tel: 0844 335 3535, in the UK; www.eurotunnel.com) operates 24 hours per day through the Channel Tunnel between Folkestone in Kent (with direct access from the M20) and Calais in France.

Coach travel to Portugal from the UK and other countries is possible, although it can be a long, hot and laborious journey. Eurolines (tel: 0871 781 8178, in the UK; www.eurolines.co.uk) runs services to Portugal from Victoria coach station in London, but you’ll need to change in France and often in Spain too.

Getting to Portugal by boat

Main ports: Lisbon (www.portodelisboa.com), Leixões (Porto) (www.apdl.pt), Funchal (Madeira) (www.portosdamadeira.com) and Portimão (Algarve).

Cruise ships:

Portugal is not known as a major cruise destination; nevertheless you can join cruises that head around the Mediterranean and up the coast which stop off in Lisbon.

Ferry operators:

There are no international ferries into Portugal, so if travelling from the UK, you’ll need to take the ferry to France or Spain and continue down to Portugal using other transport means.

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