Best airports for Portuguese Costal

[JohnCilladi]

My wife and I are planning to hike the Portuguese Costal route next year. I need advice on which airport(s) would be best to Lisbon from USA, and from Santiago to USA. Thanks!

 

[andycohn]

Your question is a little confusing. The Portuguese Coastal route begins in Porto, not in Lisbon. If you fly into Porto, you can literally walk out the door of the airport and start walking on the coastal route. Here is a screenshot from Windy Maps, showing the Porto airport and the coastal route, which is in blue. Btw, I highly recommend Windy Maps as a general mapping app. It includes all hiking trails everywhere, including the various routes through Portugal, without the need to download anything further. Free for both Apple and Android.

 

[Tincatinker]

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/United-States/Lisbon; https://www.rome2rio.com/map/United-States/Porto-Airport-OPO

 

[trecile]

As @andycohn said, the Porto airport is your best choice for the Coastal from Porto.

 

[kenwilltravel]

You need to check out sites like Google Flights and Skyscanner. But I've heard that the cheapest flights from the U.S. to Lisbon are on TAP. According to a site I saw on Google: TAP Air Portugal flies direct from six US cities to Lisbon. There are regular nonstop flights from Boston (ATL), Chicago (BOS), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK and EWR-Newark), San Francisco (SFO), and Washington, D.C. (DUL) to Lisbon.
Santiago has a small airport so that's more complicated. You need to look at Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon.

 

[trecile]

Santiago has a small airport so that's more complicated. You need to look at Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon.

All of those airports are a long way from Santiago!
It's an easy bus ride back to Porto - the bus even stops at the airport.

 

[JohnCilladi]

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/United-States/Lisbon; https://www.rome2rio.com/map/United-States/Porto-Airport-OPO

Thanks, and that's why I asked. I did not know that Porto has an airport.
I am also considering that local/regional airports can be more costly to use compared to national/international airports. Would it be better to fly into Lisbon and take a train or bus to Porto?

 

[JohnCilladi]

All of those airports are a long way from Santiago!
It's an easy bus ride back to Porto - the bus even stops at the airport.

That is good to know! Thank you

 

[kenwilltravel]

It's an easy bus ride back to Porto - the bus even stops at the airport.

Yes, you can take the bus from Santiago to Porto. You can also take the train, as my wife and I did in 2019. It's very easy. You take the Spanish train from Santiago to Vigo. After a few hours' wait at the station there, you pick up the Portuguese train that goes to Porto via Tui, Valença, Caminha, and Viana do Castelo. That was a relaxed, scenic ride. From Porto it's an easy train connection back to Lisbon.

 

[Tincatinker]

Thanks, and that's why I asked. I did not know that Porto has an airport.
I am also considering that local/regional airports can be more costly to use compared to national/international airports. Would it be better to fly into Lisbon and take a train or bus to Porto?

I've always found Rome2rio to be a reliable source of key information. Yours is not a journey I will ever undertake but if I was ever considering it I would fly USA airport of choice to Lisbon, enjoy some time in Lisbon. Use bus, rail or if pushed an internal flight to Porto. Walk to Santiago. Bus, rail or use one of those damned internal flights from Santiago back to Lisbon. Enjoy Lisbon some more and then fly direct back to where I putatively started. I've not found any direct flights USA - Porto or USA - Santiago, let alone Santiago direct to USA. I consider all time spent in Airports, and particularly Airport security, as practice for my forthcoming time in Purgatory. I see little to be gained from practising what's going to be a long-stand.

Happy planning.

PS. Don't buy your tickets via Rome2, always buy direct from the badge-holder.

 

[kenwilltravel]

I've not found any direct flights USA - Porto or USA - Santiago, let alone Santiago direct to USA.

There actually are a few direct flights from the U.S. to Porto, from New York and Newark, on TAP. Most TAP flights from Newark go through Lisbon but a few times a week they go direct to Porto.

 

[CalgaryLynn]

Thanks, and that's why I asked. I did not know that Porto has an airport.
I am also considering that local/regional airports can be more costly to use compared to national/international airports. Would it be better to fly into Lisbon and take a train or bus to Porto?

I am flying in and out of Porto to do the CP and the price difference was very minimal from the price Lisbon to and from Canada. Flights in and out of the US are always less expensive than from Canada.

Unless you wanted to spend time in Lisbon, why would you fly into there?

 

[Camembert]

You can fly to Lisbon from the USA if that is the fastest and cheapest way .
there is an excellent high speed trainconnection between Lisbon and Porto
Porto is a beautiful town to stay for a couple of days before you’ll start your caminho.

Horários Resultado | CP - Comboios de Portugal

Pesquisa de horários e preços

www.cp.pt

the Alfa Pendular (AP) is the high speed train. In about 3 hours you will be in Porto Campanha station nearby the center of Porto

once back in Porto after acomplishing your caminho you can take the bus back to Porto it takes about 3 hours to bus/undergroundstation Casa da Musica
there are also buses to Lisbon but takes you 8 till 9 hours
I advice you to take the bus to Porto. Book the bus ahead as soon as you can. It can be busy .
in Porto take the Alfa Pendular train back to Lisbon
the train from Santiago to Vigo goes on a wider railtrack .In Vigo you have to change to the Portuguese train on a smaller track and this is a train that stops at all small places so takes a lot of time.


bom caminho

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

You can also take the train, as my wife and I did in 2019. It's very easy. You take the Spanish train from Santiago to Vigo. After a few hours' wait at the station there, you pick up the Portuguese train that goes to Porto via Tui, Valença, Caminha, and Viana do Castelo. That was a relaxed, scenic ride. From Porto it's an easy train connection back to Lisbon.

They have been upgrading this rail route in the last year or two. I don't think you need to change trains anymore; they have made the tracks compatible between Portugal and Spain.

The train only goes once a day. It takes 2 hours 22 minutes...

Train times result

Timetables and prices search

www.cp.pt

(Remember that Spanish time is an hour ahead of Portuguese time.)

 

[celticone]

My wife and I are planning to hike the Portuguese Costal route next year. I need advice on which airport(s) would be best to Lisbon from USA, and from Santiago to USA. Thanks!

Hello ETB,
If I were going I would (as others have said) go direct to Lisbon Airport. You don't have to go into Lisbon City - you go 2 or so stops to beautiful Oriente Station and take connection to Porto. Only caveat is if you arrive too late in the day at the airport.
When I was in Portugal a few years ago for Camino Portugues there was a discount for Seniors on the train, if you are "the right age".
Blessings and Buen Camino
Ena b f5

 

[Marbe2]

You need to check out sites like Google Flights and Skyscanner. But I've heard that the cheapest flights from the U.S. to Lisbon are on TAP. According to a site I saw on Google: TAP Air Portugal flies direct from six US cities to Lisbon. There are regular nonstop flights from Boston (ATL), Chicago (BOS), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK and EWR-Newark), San Francisco (SFO), and Washington, D.C. (DUL) to Lisbon.
Santiago has a small airport so that's more complicated. You need to look at Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon.

Don’t fly TAP read reviews!

 

[trecile]

Don’t fly TAP read reviews!

I flew on TAP with no problems at all. Remember that people who don't have issues don't usually leave reviews.

 

[trecile]

They have been upgrading this rail route in the last year or two. I don't think you need to change trains anymore; they have made the tracks compatible between Portugal and Spain.

The train only goes once a day. It takes 2 hours 22 minutes...

Train times result

Timetables and prices search

www.cp.pt

(Remember that Spanish time is an hour ahead of Portuguese time.)

I wasn't able to enter Santiago de Compostela in the "from" field. When I search on RailEurope.com it only shows the itinerary with a stop in Vigo, which takes 2 hours 22 minutes to Porto Campanha station.

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

I wasn't able to enter Santiago de Compostela in the "from" field. When I search on RailEurope.com it only shows the itinerary with a stop in Vigo, which takes 2 hours 22 minutes to Porto Campanha station.

I think the train route only goes as far as Vigo. You would have to take a bus SdC to Vigo, first, which is not very far!

 

[trecile]

I think the train route only goes as far as Vigo. You would have to take a bus SdC to Vigo, first, which is not very far!

Thanks. I had thought that you were saying that there was now a train between Santiago and Porto with no connection.

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

I don't really know the Spanish rail lines, having concentrated on Portugal.

This map may help...

Renfe line maps

Maps of AVE (high-speed), Larga Distancia (long-distance) and Media Distancia (mid-distance) line maps

www.renfe.com

Also the PDF one linked through the page when choosing the "Mid-Distance and Avant" tab; It shows the slower trains...

 

[JohnCilladi]

Thanks to all for your input.
The best and cheapest flight I could find from NE USA is out of Newark, New Jersey (EWR). It is a direct flight to Porto and the price was $520 round trip.

 

[kenwilltravel]

Thanks to all for your input.
The best and cheapest flight I could find from NE USA is out of Newark, New Jersey (EWR). It is a direct flight to Porto and the price was $520 round trip.

Congratulations! You've done well. Enjoy your trip next year!

 

[Vacajoe]

Two things:
- I flew TAP in Fall 2022 from USA and loved it! Price, comfort and care were all excellent.
- don’t assume a flight will be more because it has an extra leg to it. Case in point is that SFO-Lisbon-Porto is almost always actually cheaper than just SF-Lisbon. Always look at all options.