Green Traveller's Guide to taking the train from London St Pancras International Railway Station to Lisbon, Portugal for onward connections to the south of Portugal and the Algarve.
Journey Time: fastest from 21 hours 59 mins
Sample timetable: Depart London 7.55am, arrive Lisbon 7.30am the following morning
Changes: 2
Transfer: 1. Paris Gare du Nord to Paris Gare Montparnasse and 2. Change at Irun (Hendaye station) on the French/Spanish border for the overnight sleeper train to Lisbon Estação do Oriente
Frequency of Departures: 6/day
Carbon emissions: 10.95kg (flight would be 251.59kg)*
Train tickets provided by Trainline:
What's the journey like?
You have to change trains twice - in Paris from Gare du Nord to Gare Montparnasse, which can take about half an hour on the Paris metro (though we recommend you leave at least 50 minutes for the entire transfer) - see our guide to How to transfer between train stations across Paris; and then change trains at Irun on the French/Spanish border to take the overnight sleeper to Lisbon Estação do Oriente.
Stopover hotels to break the journey in Paris
If you want to break the journey and stay overnight to see a bit more of Paris while you're travelling through, there are lots of lovely places to stay near both Gare du Nord and Gare Montparnasse. Here are some examples of hotels that are conveniently near these stations:
Miss your connection?
Don’t panic. Railteam’s ‘Hop on the Next Available Train’ service means that if you have missed your connection because of a delay on the preceding leg of your journey, you’ll automatically be put on the next available high-speed train. NB Remember to get your ticket stamped by your Train Manager. Whenever you’re connecting, always remember to validate your onward train ticket at the machine on the platform before departing (these are often coloured yellow).
On arrival
Bem-vindo a Lisboa! Lisbon offers a complete, comfortable transportation network. Probably the most common way to get around the city is the Lisbon metro. The outstanding work by the artist Maris Keil represented on the walls of the underground stations revived the Portuguese of the "azulejo" (glazed painted tile) and is considered a touristic attraction itself. Lisbon's underground train network is constantly evolving towards a fully accessible service, currently providing full accessibility in 36 stations out of 56, excellent attention to customers that need it and technologies and carriages adapted to visual disabilities. The metro runs from 6.30 am and 1 am daily.
Don't miss the Trams, a Lisbon's iconic transport that is part of the city's identity and a must activity for everyone that visits the Portuguese capital. Tram 28 consists of a network of fifty wooden, vintage cars with capacity for 20 seating and 38 standing people. Their route is a 40 min journey through some of the main monuments, sights, and the old, narrow streets in Lisbon. Check the route and plan the places you'd like to stop at during the journey, you can get off the car and get in the next one (every 15 mins). If you are visiting Lisbon during peak season, consider the alternative option for sightseeing by Tram as Tram 28 carriages are likely to be full: Lisbon Tram Tour.
There is a local bus service provided by Carris company, which can be the best way to get to different places around the city. Check bus timetables, fares, and accessibility.
Hotels near Lisbon train station (Estação do Oriente)
For destinations outside Lisbon, one of the best options is Express buses, which offer cheap journeys from and to many destinations around Portugal.
Another comfortable, relatively cheap way is to take the train. There are ten railway stations in Lisbon: Gare do Oriente (modernist station at the east of the city with connections to the other stations and a metro line), Santa Apolonia (the oldest station, ideal for a number of attractions in Lisbon and long distance trains to Madrid and Paris), Sete Rios (north location, good for long distance buses and trains to Faro, Setubal and other destinations, and with a metro line), Rossio Station (centric and connected to city bus, metro and tram), Cais do Sodré station, Sintra station (connects to Rossio Station, Oriente, Entrecampos, Sate Rios and Campolide), Campolide, Cascais and Roma-Areeiro stations.
You can get a Lisboa Card which provides free use of the metro, trams, buses, and Elevadores, plus discounts and free entry to many sights, museums, and tours (includes a free guide to Lisbon).
Tenha uma boa jornada!
