Transport

Railway transport

CP - Comboios de Portugal (Portuguese Railways) (www.cp.pt / Tel: 808 208 208), offers a vast network of trains covering the entire Portuguese mainland. It also runs international links to Vigo, Madrid and Paris.

There are several options to meet the needs of all passengers:

top-of-the-range "Alfa Pendular" trains provide the quickest and most comfortable link between Lisbon and the Algarve, and to Porto and Braga in the north of the country, with a stop in Coimbra.
the "Intercidades" service provides connections along the following routes: Lisbon-Porto-Guimarães, Lisbon-Guarda, Lisbon-Covilhã, Lisbon-Évora-Beja and Lisbon-Faro.

Road Network

Portugal has a good road network, made up of motorways (Autoestradas - AE), main trunk routes (Itinerários Principais - IP), secondary trunk routes (Itinerários Complementares - IC), national roads (Estradas nacionais - EN) and local roads (Estradas Municipais). The use of a seatbelt is compulsory and the use of mobile phones prohibited.

There are two types of motorways:

a traditional type with toll booths, where payment can be made in cash or with a bank card. These tolls also have a Via Verde (Green Lane). This is an electronic system that allows payment to be made by bank debit and can only be used by those in possession of via verde identification, which can be acquired in advance from points of sale.

motorways with exclusively electronic tolls, on which the charging system is exclusively electronic. Passing vehicles are detected by gantries placed at the start of these motorways, identified by the reference "Electronic toll only”. For information about these motorways, including payment methods, please visit:
www.portugaltolls.com

Buses

Regular bus services run between all of Portugal's cities, towns and main districts. Check the National Express Network at www.rede-expressos.pt for detailed information about routes, timetables and prices / Tel: 707 223 344

Metro

The Metro runs in the cities of Lisbon and Porto between 6 a.m. and 1 a.m.

The Lisbon Metro covers a vast area of the city. All of the stations are decorated with panels of tiles by well-known Portuguese plastic artists, making them into real underground museums.

The Porto Metro has six lines, and most of its routes run on the surface.

Taxis

Taxis are normally of a beige-marble colour, although there are still some vehicles in service that are black with green roofs. The price is indicated on the meter and the tariffs are displayed inside the vehicle or may be requested from the driver.

There are additional charges if you order a taxi by phone, or if you transport luggage in the boot. It is free to transport cradles, pushchairs, wheelchairs or walking assistance equipment.

Taxis charge by the kilometre outside urban areas, and the price should be agreed in advance between the driver and the passenger. Any road tolls are paid both ways by the passenger.

Tips are at the passenger's discretion, with an amount of between 5 to 10%, or rounding up the total, being normal.

Taxis - Useful Contacts

Táxis in Porto
Tel. 22 507 39 00 (RádioTáxis) / 22 507 64 00 (Táxis Invicta)

Táxis in Lisboa
Tel. 21 793 27 56 /21 811 90 00 (RádioTáxis)/ 21 811 11 00 (Teletáxis)

Taxis in Faro
Tel. 289 895 790 (RádioTáxis)

Táxis in Ponta Delgada
Tel. 296 302 530

Taxis in Funchal
Tel. 291 764 476

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