Ways to Travel Around Portugal

Modes of transportation within Portugal include air travel, a comprehensive rail system, rental cars and private drivers. TAP Portugal offers daily flights linking Lisboa, Porto, Faro, Madeira, Porto Santo and the Azores.SATA flies among eight of the Azores’ nine islands. 

Due to the country’s geography, roads are generally narrow and windy. Drivers will only find long stretches of road in the area south of Lisbon. Although highways have toll booths, they are a good option when driving from south to north, although they do not allow for as much local sightseeing as secondary roads do.

Driving from Lisbon to Porto on the highway takes about three-and-a-half hours. However, if visitors plan to sightsee along the way, it can easily take from one to three days to get from one destination to the other. Driving South on the highway from Lisbon to the Algarve takes two-and-a-half hours. Crossing Portugal from West to East takes longer due to the quality of the roads and the number of highways involved. The area northeast of Portugal is best reached   from Porto, but roads, especially in the Douro Valley, are narrow and windy. Crossing the Serra da Estrela mountain range is also a good option, but drivers should allow themselves plenty of time, as they will be driving on a mountain road.

It is not recommended to drive a car in town, since parking is difficult and, due to the road grid, you might get lost. Further to this, it is difficult to find parking. The best way to travel around these cities is by using a private driver. 

Trains and buses are also available, but they do not go many places in the country.