World Country Guide

Travel - International

Air
Portugal’s national airline, TAP Air Portugal (TP) (website: www.tap.pt), operates direct flights to Faro, Lisbon and Porto from a number of countries, including Canada, France, Spain, the UK and USA. Portuglia Airlines (NI) (website: www.pga.pt) operates flights from Europe. Other airlines flying to Portugal from the UK are British Airways, GB Airways and Monarch Airlines, Easyjet, bmibaby, Jet 2, MyTravelLite, Flybe, Flyglobespan and SATA.

Approximate flight times
From Lisbon to London is two hours 30 minutes and to New York is eight hours.

International airports
Lisbon (LIS) (Portela de Sacavem) (website: www.ana-aeroportos.pt) is 7km (4.5 miles) north of the city (travel time – 35 minutes). Bus nos. 44, 45 and 83 run every 15 minutes from 0530-0100 to the city centre and main railway station. A special ‘Aerobus’ departs to the city centre every 20 minutes. Taxi services to the city are available, with a surcharge after 2200. Airport facilities include bureau de change, banks, tourist information, post office, duty-free shops and car hire (Auto Jardim, Avis, Drive Car, Europecar, Hertz, National and Sixt).
Faro (FAO) (website: www.ana-aeroportos.pt) is 4km (3 miles) west of the city (travel time – 30 minutes). Bus nos. 17 and 18 go to the city; taxis are available.
Oporto (OPO) (Oporto S Carneiro) (website: www.ana-aeroportos.pt) is 20 km (about 7 miles) from the city. Buses and taxis to the city are available.
Faro and Oporto airports both have the following airport facilities: outgoing duty free shop; bank/bureau de change; car hire and a restaurant/bar.

Departure tax
None.

Sea
The principal ports for international passengers are Lisbon, Leixes (Oporto), Funchal (Madeira) and Portimo (Algarve), served by Cunard, Italia, Linea C, Olympia, P&O and Union Castle. For details, contact shipping lines.

Rail
Travelling from the UK, the quickest way is to travel by Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel to Paris (travel time – three hours) and, from there, to Portugal. The Sud-Express runs between Paris and Lisbon, offering first- and second-class seats, sleepers and a restaurant car. For further information and reservations, contact Eurostar (tel: (0870) 6000 792 (travel agents) or (08705) 186 186 (public; within the UK) or (+44 1233) 617 575 (public; outside the UK only); website: www.eurostar.com); or Rail Europe (tel: (08705) 848 848). Travel agents can obtain refunds for unused tickets from Eurostar Trade Refunds, 2nd Floor, Kent House, 81 Station Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 1PD, UK. Complaints and comments may be sent to Eurostar Customer Relations, Eurostar House, Waterloo Station, London SE1 8SE, UK (tel: (020) 7928 5163; e-mail: new.comments@eurostar.co.uk). Rail travellers from the UK not using the Channel Tunnel link need to cross the channel via some form of sea crossing, usually by ferry or catamaran; for details on sea crossings, see also the Sea section above. The cost of the crossing is usually included in the price of the rail ticket. There is a daily service between London, Paris and Lisbon, taking approximately 26 hours.

Road
The only land border is shared with Spain. Major border posts are now open around the clock, but smaller ones may close earlier in winter. From the UK, the quickest routes are via the ferry links from Plymouth to Santander and from Portsmouth to Bilbao in northern Spain (which obviates the need to drive through France). Cars can be imported for up to six months. For information on documentation and regulations, see the Travel - Internal section. Travelling from the UK, Eurotunnel operates trains 24 hours per day through the Channel Tunnel between Folkestone in Kent (with direct access from the M20) and Calais in France. All vehicles, from motorcycles to campers, can be accommodated. For further information, contact Eurotunnel Reservations (tel: (08705) 353 535; e-mail: callcentre@eurotunnel.com; website: www.eurotunnel.co.uk). For further details, see also Travel – International in the France section. For information on required documentation and traffic regulations, see Travel – Internal section. Coach: Eurolines operates an extensive network of coach services to many destinations throughout Europe, including Coimbra, Faro, Lagos, Lisbon and Oporto. For information on timetables and fares, contact Eurolines (tel: (08705) 143 219; e-mail: welcome@eurolines.co.uk; website: www.eurolines.com).