Transportation in Portugal

ON THE GO

Traveling by plane

TAP Portugal (TP) flies to Lisbon, Faro, Madeira, Porto Santo, Porto and the Azores. The airline SATA (Sociedade Açoriana de Transportes Aereos) (SP) (Internet: www.sata.pt) connects the individual Azores islands with each other, with mainland Portugal and other European and non-European cities.

ATA – Aerocondor Transportes Aéreos (Internet: www.aerocondor.com/) offers regular domestic flights and international charter flights. In addition, charter flights from other providers.

On the way by car / bus

According to youremailverifier, Portugal has a well developed road network. A distinction is made between AE-Auto-Estradas (motorways), IP-Itinerarios Principais (expressways), IC-Itinerarios Complementares (subordinate expressways), EN-Estradas Nacionais (national roads) and EM-Estradas Municipais (country roads).

Petrol stations
are open 7 am-8pm, some have 24-hour service; a small fee may be charged when paying by credit card. Unleaded gasoline is widely available.

All motorways are marked with a corresponding sign and their use is chargeable.

Motorway tolls (Internet: www.brisa.pt or www.aeatlantico.pt) depend on the vehicle type and distance. The toll is paid electronically on some sections of the motorway. These motorway sections are marked with the notice ” Electronic toll only “. With this payment method, the license plates of the vehicles are associated with the previously registered credit cards (Mastercard or Visa). Registration for an initial period of 30 days is possible at the following Welcome Points: A28 – Viana do Castelo, A24 – Chaves, A25 – Vilar Formoso and A22 – Vila Real de Santo Antonio.

Another way of paying tolls for drivers of vehicles with foreign license plates is the Tollcard. The Tollcard can be purchased at post offices, at service points on the Autobahn or online at www.tollcard.pt. The Tollcard is activated via SMS.

There are also toll service vignettes with prepaid credit (Internet: www.ctt.pt).

For visitors who are frequently in Portugal, it is worth renting a Via Verde toll box (Internet: www.viaverde.pt).

Further information on the payment methods on the individual routes for vehicles with foreign license plates is available at www.portugaltolls.com.

Some Portuguese rental cars are equipped with an electronic toll box. In this case, customers pay the tolls with the final invoice. If you have rented a car without an electronic toll box, you pay the toll between two and five days at the counter of a post office (CTT) or at a Payshop branch.

An ADAC international emergency call station has been set up in Spain. It is also responsible for Portugal and offers ADAC members and holders of an ADACForeign health and accident protection assistance with hotels, rental cars, vehicle or patient repatriation. The emergency call station in Barcelona (Spain) is responsible and manned around the clock (Tel: (+34) (093) 508 28 28. Internet: www.adac.de).

Bus:
There are regular bus connections between all Portuguese cities. Further information is available from Rede Nacional de Expressos (Tel: 707 22 33 44. Internet: www.rede-expressos.pt).

The new taxis are ivory in color (older models are green and black). Taxis are metered. If there are tolls, these are paid by the passenger. Tips are paid voluntarily and are usually 10 percent of the fare. The taxi prices are displayed in the taxi window or the driver has a national price list.

Rental cars
with and without a driver are available at airports and in major cities. The minimum age to drive a rental car is 21 years, drivers must also present a driver’s license issued more than a year ago.

Documents:
international or national driver’s license. Liability insurance is mandatory. Transit documents are required for delivery vehicles. For nationals of EU and EFTA countries, the car registration number is used as proof of insurance. Nevertheless, EU and EFTA citizens are advised to take the international green insurance card with them in order to make it easier to record accidents in the event of damage and to enjoy full insurance cover. Otherwise, the statutory minimum liability insurance cover applies.

Traffic regulations:
– vehicles can be imported for a maximum of 6 months;
– For motorcyclists, dipped headlights are also mandatory during the day;
– Children under 12 must sit in the back seat unless a child seat is available;
– Seat belts are mandatory on the front and rear seats;
– There must be a warning triangle in the car;
– Wearing safety vests is mandatory in the event of a breakdown or an accident.
– Spare canisters with petrol are not allowed;
– alcohol limit: 0.5 â?? °;

Speed limits:
in built-up areas: 50 km / h,
on country roads: 90 km / h,
on expressways: 100 km / h,
on motorways: 120 km / h.

Traveling in the city

Lisbon has a tram, a metro (Metropolitano) (Internet: www.metrolisboa.pt) with 4 lines (blue, yellow, green and red) and two urban bus companies, Scotturb (Internet: www.scotturb.com) and Carris (Internet: http://www.carris.pt/). The operating times of the metro are daily from 6.30 a.m. to 1 a.m.

All major Portuguese cities have a tram network.

Porto
has a subway (Internet: www.metro-porto.pt/).

For day trips in the area, there are regular S-Bahn connections to Sintra (journey time approx. 45 minutes from Rossio train station) and to the seaside resorts of Estoril / Cascais (approx. 30 minutes from Cais do Sodré train station).

Ferries from Transtejo e Soflusa (Internet: www.transtejo.pt) run from Belem, Cais do Sodre and Cais da Alfandega to six berths on the south side of the Tagus.

Discounts: A tourist pass for 4 or 7 days is available in Lisbon, which gives you free use of the trams, buses and metro.

The Lisboa Cardis available for either 24, 48 or 72 hours and offers free use of all means of transport as well as free entry to 26 museums and a 50% discount on other attractions. The Carris dia ticket is valid for 1 day for the use of buses, trams, underground, S-Bahn and elevators.

Taxis
are everywhere, they are metered and inexpensive. A uniform tariff applies within the city limits and includes 4 passengers; Outside the city, the tariff is calculated based on the number of kilometers traveled and the costs for the return journey may be included in the final price. The tip is voluntary and is usually around 5-10% of the fare or rounding up the fare.

On the go by train

The Portuguese State Railways (Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses) (Internet: www.cp.pt) maintains rail connections to all cities. Trains run every hour between the larger cities. The main trains have dining cars and minibars. Express trains run regularly from Lisbon to the tourist areas of Cascais and Sintra.

Alfa pendular high-speed trains run from Lisbon to the Algarve; They also run to the north of the country, for example to Porto, Braga or Guimarães with stops in Coimbra and Aveiro.

Intercity trains operate on the Lisbon-Porto-Braga, Lisbon-Guarda, Lisbon-Covilhã, Lisbon-Alentejo and Lisbon-Algarve routes.

Run in LisbonFertagus trains (Internet: www.fertagus.pt) between Roma-Areeiro station across the Tagus to Setúbal.

Rail passes

With the Portugal Rail Pass, foreign tourists can make as many train journeys as they want throughout Portugal over a period of 3 or 7 days.

Note on rail travel

Fare reductions: Groups of 10 people or more receive a 20-30% discount (Bilhete de Grupo). The application should be made by the group leader 4 days before the trip. The Check Trem card is issued in different price categories in your own name or the company name. This pass grants a 10% discount and, depending on its value, can then be used for a corresponding number of tickets and for other rail services.
Seniors over 65 years of age receive a 50% discount. These discounts do not apply to local trains. Children under 4 years of age travel for free, children between 4 and 11 years of age pay half price. The International Youth Ticket (BIJ)offers discounts for young people between 12 and 26 years in 25 European countries. Further information is available from the Portuguese State Railways (see above).

InterRail passes
are also valid in Portugal, for details see p. Germany. Further information from all DB, ÖBB and SBB agencies.
For more information on family passes, inclusive travel by train and tourist tours, please contact the Tourist Office or the Portuguese State Railways Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses, Calçada do Duque 20, P-1249-109 Lisboa. Tel: (021) 854 52 15 or (0) 808 20 82 08 (Call Center) (Internet: www.cp.pt).

On the way by ship

Ferries run between numerous places on the coast and on the larger rivers. A ferry (Internet: www.transtejo.pt/) connects Lisbon with Barreiro, among others. Ua Nicko Cruises offers river cruises on Douro River.

Transportation in Portugal