PT Portugal: how to get around

The Alfa-Pendular high-speed trains are comfortable, and first class is excellent. Operating up to speeds of 220 km/h, Alfa-Pendular trains only stop at main city stations like Braga, Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Aveiro, Coimbra, Lisbon, and Faro. It's recommended to purchase your tickets in advance, due to high demand. If booked at least five days in advance there's a very generous 40% discount.

Intercity (Intercidades) trains will take you to further destinations, specially in the interior, such as Évora, Beja, and Guarda.

Timetables can be found and tickets can be purchased online at Comboios de Portugal (CP) ("Trains of Portugal").

There are various discounts: children aged 4 to 12 receive a 50% discount, as do people aged 65 and over. Young people (13 to 25 years old) receive a 25% discount.

You also get 40% off the regular ticket price on the Intercidades trains if you book between 5 and 60 days in advance. advance tickets per train.

Lisbon and Porto, the two largest cities, have clean, modern and air-conditioned metro systems.

The rail network does not reach all corners of the country, so you may find yourself busing about to get anywhere off the beaten path. Rede Expressos and Flixbus are the largest intercity bus brands, serving most major destinations in Continental Portugal. Numerous regional bus companies fill in the gaps and reach smaller communities.

Taxis are either light beige or black with green roofs. They have meters, but prices for rides beyond the city limits are often negotiated. Major cities have taxi stands. You can call to request a ride.

Ride-hailing is available in Portugal, and providers include:

• Bolt. Includes many towns. (updated Jul 2020)
• Uber. Uber claims to serve the entire country, but availability may be spotty beyond Lisbon. (updated Feb 2021)

You can reach almost all major cities in Portugal with ease, either via motorway or modern roads. The biggest cities are well served by modern highways, and you can travel the full north-south length of the country without ever leaving the highway, if you choose to.

Drivers will encounter several classes of roadways:

• Autoestradas are known as motorways, expressways, or freeways in English.
• Estradas nacionais are non-motorway national highways, some in better condition than others.
• Itinerários principais are main routes that may overlap other roads.
• Itinerários complementares are secondary routes that may overlap other roads.
• Estradas regionais are regional roads.
• Estradas municipais are municipal roads.
• Estradas Europeias are international European roads, connecting with Spain.

Some secondary roads are poorly maintained and care is required. Also, Portuguese driving can seem erratic and, frankly, scary to the uninitiated. In order to fight this, road laws punish with great severity speeding, driving without a licence, or driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. The most congested motorways are those surrounding Lisbon and Porto, the A1 and A2 and in the Algarve.

In the countryside and interior regions, road signage pertaining to location names and road numbers can be confusing to follow in certain areas due to overlapping municipal and national entities. For example, at a crossroads a sign without an arrow shows a name straight ahead but the place is either to left or right, thus, a good road map is an essential tool to have.

It is probably unwise for those unfamiliar with Portuguese driving to try to drive in Lisbon or Porto - be aware if you do that city drivers give no quarter and have limited respect for lane markings (where lane markings exists!) If you do want to try, choose a weekend or an hour outside the rush hour periods. These are early mornings (08:00 - 09:30) and late afternoons (17:00 - 19:30). Other Portuguese cities are much better, but often have very narrow roads.

When driving in rural areas, do not trust Google Maps or other Satellite Navigation Systems, particularly if you don't have 4WD. It is easy to become stuck on a narrow dirt road designed for a tractor, with no way to turn round. In towns and cities, you can be routed via narrow streets that can result in scratched sides to your vehicle. If you are planning such adventures with a rental car, fully comprehensive insurance is highly recommended.

Road traffic in Lisbon and Porto is pretty congested all day round and gets completely stuck in the rush hours, at least in the main roads to exit or enter the city. Car travel is the most convenient or only method to reach areas outside the main cities, however (car rental is not too expensive, but the associated insurance is - unless you book the total package abroad). An important aspect when renting a vehicle; do not accept a dirty vehicle under the pretext there was no time to make it ready from the last customer before you. Whatever happens insist you have time to wait until it is given to you in proper order. Once that is done, conduct the inspection with the agent and make sure that every little defect and damage is noted down thoroughly from the interior to the exterior, engine bay and trunk, when your copy of the report is handed over for signing, first insist on comparing it with the agents copy in case the carbon transfer didn't match the two copies exactly. It's been known for unscrupulous agents to try hide previous damage and let you drive off and upon returning the vehicle claiming the insurance excess payment by swearing the car was perfect when you got it. Also, many major freeways are tolled and fuel/gasoline prices are above average, therefore if you are travelling on a budget, hire smaller and economical motorcars and avoid tolled freeways whenever possible. Heed the advice about the quality of some people's driving skills and road manners mentioned below. Avoid at all costs driving during peak traffic hours within major urban centres, try to enquire about this if possible. On open roads keep your eyes peeled for speed limits and abrupt changes of speed signage. Rather be driving conservatively and admiring the scenery. Traffic officers tend to speed trap with radar in unusual places like entering or exiting a freeway, down hills and curves.

Generally speaking, Portugal is not a good country for hitchhiking. In the deserted country roads in the South, you might wait for many hours before you are offered a ride. Try to speak with people on gas stations or parking lots. Drivers tend to be suspicious, but when you show them that they should not be afraid, they will probably accept you and mostly also show their generosity. Try to look neat and clean. The hippy style will get you nowhere. As with everywhere in the world, two males hitchhiking together will not get a ride from anyone.

Portugal has a system of electronic tolls, known as "Via Verde" and you need to make arrangements to register you licence plate or to obtain a tag for tolling if you are going to use the main motorway system. Arrangements can be made to register your licence plate at the border, if entering by car. If hiring a car in Portugal, it is likely the rental car company has an arrangement for the payment of tolls, if not, Via Verde offices are easy to find in the Loja do Cidadão (Citizen Shop) a hub containing various public service entities); most people will be able to direct you to the nearest one.

Drunk driving is a controversial issue and still rather common. The tolerated limit is 0.49‰; being above this limit is thus illegal and can result in a fine of up to €1,250 and licence suspension for 1–12 months. If you are tested and found with between 0.8–1.2‰, the fine may reach €2,500 and you will be facing licence suspension between 2-24 months. Driving with levels above 1.2‰ is a criminal offence punished with up to one year in prison and a three year driving ban.

On-street parking is scarce in many cities. Car parks (parking garages and lots) are widespread and reasonably priced or even free.