Train from Santiago de Compostela to Lisbon

[cantwait]

Hi, Need to get from Compostela to Lisbon via train. Am I right in seeing no train on Saturday? Does anyone have history? Is there a late night Friday train that gets into Lisbon? Any experience with car rental? international drivers liscense? Thanks.

 

[jkontheway]

There is no direct train. You have to transfer two times, once in Vigo and then again in Porto. Depending on the connection times it will likely take you a full day. I'm not sure about car rentals and if they will let you drop off the car in PT, better check with the rental company.

By the way, I believe there is also a bus from SdC to Pontevedra and then from Pontevedra to Lisbon.

 

[oursonpolaire]

International car drop-offs in Europe can be astonishingly pricey. Check the fine print. My preference is to take the train but the problem there is that there is only one Vigo-Porto run daily, at 8.58 am, likely necessitating an overnight stay in Vigo the night before--- but the situation could be worse. Trains from Santiago to Vigo are frequent, as they are for the run from Porto to Lisbon-- hourly departures for a three-hour journey. Just note that your arrival station in Vigo is not the same as your departure station!

My friends tell me that the Mercado de Pedra in Vigo is great for seafood and, now that you are no longer on pilgrimage and no longer exempt from days of abstinence, you could enjoy the fish on your Friday evening, should you end up there.

 

[peregrina2000]

I don’t know about trains or how the strike will affect trains to Portugal. But you can get there by bus.

Alsa lists three buses a day from Santiago to Lisbon. The noon bus doesn’t require a transfer, while the 2 pm and 10 am do have a transfer (but their total travel time is less than the one without transfer).

i have taken the bus from Santiago to Lisbon and I did not enjoy it. There was a 45 minute tstop at an interstate rest area, and it was a LONG trip. About 9 hours. I have never taken the train, but I would rather have to change trains several times than to repeat that bus ride. Some forum members love Alsa, but I am not one of them!

P.S. When calculating time, remember that Portugal is one hour behind Spain.

 

[Former member 91017]

I have taken the train, admittedly in stages, both to Lisbon, and to Madrid… And as much as the bus will do in a pinch, I do prefer the trains (for their washrooms, for their food service, for the ability to get up and walk about, for the generally better views… And yes, you have to go to Vigo, switch, then on to Porto and switch. I had a stop over for a few days in Salir do Porto before continuing on to LIsbon, but I just picked up from there and continued to Lisbon. No problem.
If you are having difficulty, the people inside the entry to the monasterio museum — which is where the train ticketing information was when i was last there in 2019 — will be happy to help you.

 

[naplesdon]

I can only second the comment about the rip-off the international drop-off fees are for rental cars. IF I rent in Spain and drive to visit friends in France I make sure my return location is back in Spain, same goes for France to Spain and back to France. So I guess taking a bus or train from SdC to Porto and renting a car from there might be a viable option. There are usually rental agencies at train stations. BTW, Rome2Rio has some inventive options on their site.

 

[jmcarp]

Several options here:

Rome2rio

Discover how to get anywhere by searching plane, train, bus, car and ferry routes

www.rome2rio.com

 

[Jim]

Hi, Need to get from Compostela to Lisbon via train. Am I right in seeing no train on Saturday? Does anyone have history? Is there a late night Friday train that gets into Lisbon? Any experience with car rental? international drivers liscense? Thanks.

Check with ALSA bus— I think one run daily from SDC to Porto (with change of driver at the Spain/Portugal border). Buy tickets in advance. As I recall, bus departs sometime shortly after 8:00 am when I last used it. Then you’d have to get yourself from bus station in Porto to the train station to catch the Porto to Lisbon train ( frequent service as others have posted). Shouldn’t be that difficult.