Transports

AIRPLAIN

Portugal’s excellent geographical position makes it a stopover point for many foreign airlines at airports (even for low coast air companies) all over the country:

  • Lisbon - Portela Airport - Phone: (+351) 218 413 500
  • Porto - Dr. Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport - Phone: (+351) 229 432 400
  • Faro - Faro Airport – Phone: (+351) 289 800 800
  • Funchal, Madeira - Funchal Airport - Phone: (+351) 291 520 700
  • Ponta Delgada, Azores - João Paulo II Airport - Phone: (+351) 296 205 406

ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal, SA is the Portuguese airport authority and provides departure and arrival information on www.ana.pt

TAP - Air Portugal (www.tap.pt) is the country’s "flagship" airline and has scheduled flights to more than 50 international destinations and domestic flights between Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Madeira and the Azores, and also between Madeira and Porto Santo.

RAIL

CP - Comboios de Portugal (www.cp.pt) , the Portuguese railway company, offers a vast rail network covering the whole of mainland Portugal and also offers international train services to Vigo, Madrid and Paris.

There are a number of options to meet your needs:

  • The top-of-the-range "Alfa Pendular" trains offer the fastest and most comfortable rail link between Lisbon and the Algarve and, in the north, Porto or Braga, with stops in Coimbra.
  • The "Intercidades" or Intercity service covers the Lisbon-Porto-Guimarães, Lisbon-Guarda, Lisbon-Covilhã, Lisbon-Évora-Beja and Lisbon-Faro routes.
  • The international Sud-Express train and Lusitânia hotel-train leave from Lisbon.
  • There is a vast network of regional, inter-regional and suburban trains covering the whole of the country.

ROAD

Portugal has a good road network composed of Highways (AE), Main Trunk Routes (IP), Complementary Trunk Routes (IC), Main (National) Roads (EN) and Secondary (Municipal) Roads.

There are two types of Highways:

  • the traditional Highways with toll booths, where payment is made either in cash or by bank card. These motorways also have a Via Verde (green channel), which is an electronic toll system that allows drivers to make the payment by bank debit and is intended for use solely by those who have an electronic device identifying their vehicle, previously acquired at one of the respective sales outlets (www.viaverde.pt)
  • and Highways that have an exclusively electronic toll system, where tolls are collected by exclusively electronic means. The electronic identification of the vehicle is made at the moment of crossing the point of collection, dispensing the physical barrier of the toll, which ensures greater speed of circulation, improved road safety and reduction of environmental impacts in terms of CO2 emissions and noise. Circulation on these roads is subject to a system of toll collection using an exclusively electronic system without the possibility of manual payment on site. All lanes with “electronic toll only” are properly identified in advance, through a signpost.

METRO IN PORTO

Porto's Metro covers most of the city both under and over ground, all the way to the surrounding suburbs. Trains run from 6AM to 1AM, and stations are marked with a wavy blue "M".

Tickets (or in Porto's case, cards) are bought at vending machines and must be validated before you board the train, even every time you switch lines. The very first time you use the metro when you arrive in Oporto you must purchase the metro card called "Cartão Andante" at those vending machines. That card is your ticket that is recharged at those same vending machines in future journeys.

Visit www.metro-porto.pt for the map of the network and additional information.

BUSES IN PORTO – GANDRA – V. N. FAMALICÃO

Porto has an excellent and extensive bus service (called STCP) that operates from 6AM to 9PM. After 9PM the service is less frequent and after 1AM it is reduced to the principal routes. You may purchase tickets from the driver, which must then be validated on the machine behind him or her.

Buses show their number and final destination on the front, as do the bus stops, where there are also details of the routes.

www.stcp.pt is the website for Porto bus information.

VALPI BUS (www2.valpi.pt) can take you to the Academic Campus of Gandra and TRANSDEV (www.transdev.pt) can take you to V. N. Famalicão.

TRAMS IN PORTO

The tram system of Porto, Portugal is operated by the Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos do Porto (STCP) and currently has three regular routes and one tourist route. All are heritage tram routes, as they use vintage tramcars exclusively. The No.1, for example, offers a really pleasant ride, as it goes through the river front all the way to Foz. To travel on the tram lines must have a card or must purchase your ticket on board that has a cost of 2.50 € per trip. The monthly signatures for STCP and Andante Gold are also valid.

TAXI IN PORTO – GANDRA - V. N. FAMALICÃO

Taxis in Portugal are inexpensive when compared to the rest of Europe. Most are beige, but there are also some older black and green ones. There are taxi stands by most of the main squares in Porto, or you may call the following numbers to have one pick you up at a certain location at a scheduled time:

PORTO / GANDRA

  • Raditaxis: (+351) 22 507 3900
  • Taxis Invicta: (+351) 22 502 2693
  • Taxis Unidos: (+351) 22 502 9898

V. N. FAMALICÃO

  • Central Táxis Famalicenses ACE: (+351) 252 311 642