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An Alfa Pendular at Porto Campanhã. Courtesy of Angus Duncan
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The best way to travel between Lisbon & Faro is by train. Fast trains link Lisbon Oriente station with Faro in just 3 hours, city centre to city centre, and they serve other stations in the Algarve such as Lagos and Albufeira, too. Choose between a front-rank tilting 200 km/h Alfa Pendular, or a slightly slower Intercity train. Further feedback or photos would be appreciated.
Lisbon Oriente to Faro is 302 km (188 miles) by rail.
Train times Lisbon to Faro &
the Algarve
Train times Faro & Algarve
to Lisbon
Lisbon ► Faro & Algarve
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Check times at the Portuguese Railways (CP) website www.cp.pt or at Omio.com.
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Trains leave Lisbon Oriente for Faro around 5 times per day, 2 departures are 200 km/h Alfa Pendulars taking 3h00, the other 3 are Intercity trains taking around 3h30. The two Alfa Pendular departures are direct trains from Porto to Faro via Lisbon.
After Lisbon Oriente, trains call at Lisbon Entrecampos, Pinhal Novo, Tunes, Albufeira - Ferreiras, Loule & Faro.
Change at Tunes for a local train to Portimão & Lagos.
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Lisbon Oriente is located next to the Parque da Nações, the former Expo '98 site. Metro trains run to Lisbon Oriente, or you can take a suburban train from Lisbon Santa Apolonia (walking distance from the old town) to Lisbon Oriente, these run every 20-40 minutes taking 10 minutes..
Faro & Algarve ► Lisbon
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Check times at the official CP (Portuguese Railways) website www.cp.pt or at Omio.com.
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Trains leave Faro around 5 times per day, 2 departures are 200 km/h Alfa Pendulars taking 3h05, others are Intercity trains taking around 3h40.
After leaving Faro, trains call at Loule, Albufeira - Ferreiras, Tunes, Pinhal Novo, Lisbon Entrecampos then Lisbon Oriente.
From Lagos or Portimão, take a local train to Tunes and pick up the express to Lisbon.
The two Alfa Pendular departures from Faro continue beyond Lisbon all the way to Porto.
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Lisbon Oriente is located next to the Parque da Nações, the former Expo '98 site. It has a metro station, you can either use the metro or take a suburban train from Lisbon Oriente to Lisbon's Santa Apolonia terminus, which is walking distance from Lisbon's old town. Suburban trains link Oriente to Santa Apolonia every 20-40 minutes taking 10 minutes.
How much does it cost?
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Advance-purchase fares between Lisbon & Faro start at just €8 in 2nd class or €19 in 1st class.
These Promo fares vary like air fares, you must book at least 5 days in advance to see Promo fares, maximum 60 days.
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The full-flex fare is around €22 by Intercity or €24 by Alfa Pendular in 2nd class, €29 by Intercity or €31 by Alfa Pendular in 1st class.
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Children under 4 travel free. Children under 12 get 50% off the full-price. There's no discount on Promo fares, which might be cheaper.
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Youths under 25 get 25% off the full-price. Seniors over 65 get 50% off the full-price. Just show proof of age, for example your passport. There's no discount on Promo fares, which might be cheaper.
How to buy tickets
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Buy tickets at the Portuguese Railways (CP) website www.cp.pt (in €) or at Omio.com (in €, £ or $).
Booking opens 60 days ahead. You print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop or phone, including in the CP app.
Omio.com is easy to use, overseas credit cards welcome, small booking fee. Cp.pt is more fiddly, but has an English version ands works with most overseas payment cards.
Rail Ninja is not an official CP reseller and should be avoided. Omio and CP are currently the only two sites currently authorised to sell Portuguese train tickets, no other retailer connects to CP's system.
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Booking tips
For Lisbon city centre select Lisboa - Santa Apolonia, or select Lisboa - Oriente for the east of the city & Parque da Nações.
AP = Alfa Pendular. IC = Intercity. IR = Inter-Regional. R = Regional. U = Urban (suburban train). AP or IC on their own indicates a direct train. A combo, for example AP|U means Alfa Pendular with 1 change onto a suburban train (it'll show you details if you click the + sign).
When registering on www.cp.pt, it won't accept UK-style postcodes with letters in, so enter your postcode as 123456, it makes no difference.
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You can buy tickets at the station, there are almost always places available.
Route map
What are the trains like?
Alfa Pendular trains are CP's premier trains, fully air-conditioned 6-car electric trains. Built by FIAT, they tilt into the curves, enabling them to go faster than conventional trains. They have 1st & 2nd class and a cafe-bar. There's free WiFi & power sockets at all seats. They are shown in the booking system as AP. For a seating plan, see the seat numbering page.
Intercity trains are CP's second-rank expresses, fully air-conditioned 1st & 2nd class, most also with cafe-bar & free WiFi. You'll find power sockets at some 1st class seats, but not in 2nd class. The distinctive stainless-steel exterior built in Portugal hides an interior design closely based on SNCF's (French Railways) successful Corail carriages. They are shown in the booking system as IC. For a seating plan, see the seat numbering page.
Travel tips
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Seat reservation is compulsory on Alfa Pendular & Intercity trains, all tickets come with a specified reserved seat automatically included. For a seating plan of an Alfa Pendular and of typical Intercity cars, see the seat numbering page.
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Boarding your train: There's no check-in, you just walk into the station, glance at the departure indicator to see which platform your train is on, walk over to it and get on, any time before departure. The doors may close a minute beforehand, so don't cut it too fine.
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Luggage: You take your luggage onto the train with you and stick it on any suitable rack near your seat. Suitcases and backpacks are fine, nobody weighs it, measures it, if you can manage it yourself and it'll go on a normal train luggage rack, it's fine.
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Children under 4 go free: Babies and infants under 4 years old travel for free if you're happy to have them on your lap, just bring them along without a ticket. If you want to them to have their own seat, book them a ticket, either child rate or a Promo fare.
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Children, Youth, Senior fares: Children under 12 get 50% off full-price fares, Youths under 25 get 25% off, Seniors over 65 get 50% off, but there's no discount on Promo fares. When booking, change the Discount box from Full-Price to Children, Youth or Senior after you've selected your train. Important tip, check that selecting Full-Price and Promo Ticket (in other words, buying an adult-rate Promo fare) doesn't make it cheaper! If it is, buy that.
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Food & drink: Alfa Pendulars have a cafe-bar in car 3. Most Intercity trains on the Lisbon-Faro route also have a cafe-bar. You can buy beer, wine, tea, coffee, soft drinks, sandwiches and snacks, with the menu displayed in both Portuguese & English. On Alfa Pendular, 1st class passengers can pre-book an at-seat meal when they buy their ticket, see the Afla Pendular photos above.
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WiFi & power outlets: Alfa Pendular trains have free WiFi & power sockets at all seats in both 1st & 2nd class.
Intercity trains have free WiFi, but only a few seats have power sockets, mainly in 1st class. Seats with a socket are indicated with a plug symbol in the seating plan when you book an intercity train online at www.cp.pt.
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First class lounge at Lisbon Oriente: If you have a 1st class ticket for an Alfa Pendular, you can use the 1st class CP Lounge at Lisbon Oriente with free WiFi & complimentary tea & coffee.
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Interrail & Eurail passes: These trains are all covered by Interrail & Eurail, but you'll need a compulsory seat reservation which costs a few euros. Make this at any CP station, it cannot be done online, and cannot be done at any station outside Portugal as no other operator or retailer has a connection to CP's ticketing system.
What's the journey like?
Until 1999, trains to Faro left from Barreiro, a terminus on the southern bank of the river Tagus - the journey from Lisbon to Faro began with a ferry! In 1999 a train deck was added to the Ponte de 25 Abril, the vast 2.3 km red suspension bridge that has carried road traffic across the Tagus in 1966, and which bears a striking resemblance to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Trains now run direct from Lisbon Orient to Faro over this dramatic bridge with no need for a ferry. If you sit on the right hand side of the train you'll get the best views over central Lisbon when heading south to Faro. If you get any other good scenery photos from this journey, let me know!
Station information
Lisbon Santa Apolonia is the city's main terminus, walking distance from the old city centre. However, Lisbon-Faro trains all start & end at Lisbon Oriente, if you want to travel to or from Santa Apolonia you'll need to use a frequent suburban train between Santa Apolonia and Lisbon oriente. See location map.
Lisbon Oriente is a modern station & transport hub to the east of the city centre. Designed by celebrity architect Santiago Calatrava (who also designed Lyon St Exupéry and Liege Guillemins), it opened in 1998 next to Expo '98, an area now occupied by the Parque da Nações. The Lisbon to Faro trains start from here. Click for location map.