Getting There By Rail
Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses – CP (tel: (21) 888 4025; website: www.cp.pt) is Portuguese national rail service provider. Over the last decade, CP’s reputation has improved, with more efficient services and a modernisation programme, which has especially benefited the Porto–Lisbon service. Travellers should contact CP direct for all national rail enquiries.
Lisbon is served by five major railway stations, as well as a number of suburban stations. Santa Apolónia, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, serves long-distance and international routes, as well as suburban routes heading north and west. The gleaming new Oriente station, at the Parque das Nações on the city’s eastern approach, is becoming an increasingly important long-distance train station. Rossio, between Praça dos Restauradores and Rossio, serves Sintra, while Cais do Sodré, near the Praça Duque da Terceira, serves Cascais and Estoril. The Barreiro station, on the south bank of the River Tagus, serves the south. Facilities at the stations vary from refreshment amenities at Oriente station to a complete shopping centre at the somewhat unique Rossio station.
Rail services: Intercity trains connect all of Portugal’s major cities to either Lisbon or Porto. Both the comfortable Alfa Service from Porto and the InterCity train from Faro take 3 hours 30 minutes to reach Lisbon. There are overnight trains from Madrid (journey time – 10 hours) and Paris (journey time –18 hours 30 minutes).
Transport to the city: Rossio is connected to the Restauradores metro station. Cais do Sodré has its own metro station. Santa Apolónia is linked to the centre by bus. From Barreiro, CP operates a ferry to the Terreiro do Paço port near Praça do Comércio. The Oriente station is connected to the city by its own metro station.
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