No possible train from Spain into Portugal and vice versa? Recommended routes?

  • 30 June 2022
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  • Right on track
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Hello everyone!

Me and my girlfriend are planning to go from Madrid→ Porto → Lisabon → Sevilla.
As we’re currently planning it shows that there is a real scarcity to of possible connections. 

What is the most recommended route?
We’re planning to travel from Madrid to Porto around 22th of July. and maybe a week later from Lisabon to Sevilla.

At the moment the only viable options are to from Madrid → Vigo (bus)→ Valenca → Porto
And from Lisabon → Faro (bus)→ Sevilla.


If anyone got any tips or even great alternative plans, I’m more than happy to hear them.

Thanks in Advance


9 replies

Userlevel 7
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site seat61.om is best for this

There are/were CELTA trains (just 2 short ones/day) Vigo (other stop)-Porto-but I somehow remember it was stated due to works partly rail replacement bus (pass will then be valid in THIS bus) in summer

The only other connection is Lisboa-Entroncamento (change-small dieselset, unres.1/day)-Elvas-Badajoz(first stop in ES-then RENFE (part of this line just turned into hi-speed last week=means changed timings too.

People with a little more sense and not watching every cent indeed are far better off with a longer bustrip. You can shorten the southern busroute-but this will eat lots of time: east from Faro-walk to river, ferry across, walk via village (I think its Ayamonte)-find bus to next town Huelva-then a very few trains/day to SVL. And that in the summerheat with the tipical oversized bekpek most passholders seem to think they have to take……...

@mcadv CELTA is reporting possible strikes between the whole month of July and the tips of Seat61 seem to be outdated as the trains from Badajoz to Entroncamento also don’t show on the rail planner or any other planner.

I try to only find train routes so that I don’t have to pay extra for a bus trip.

Thanks for the answer anyway!

Userlevel 7
Badge +9

the tips of Seat61 seem to be outdated as the trains from Badajoz to Entroncamento also don’t show on the rail planner or any other planner.

The rail planner app is likely to be outdated. Seat61's hints are valid (also this page).

I'm not sure which other planner you looked at but DB and Raileurope show the daily train pair between Entroncamento and Badajoz.

It's a bad idea to plan with the rail planner app. It does not get enough updates to be a reliable planning tool. National planners are more reliable. For international planning, the DB planner or DB Navigator app are a good choice. For Spain, RENFE's website is awful but Raileurope is quite good, except for Cercanías timetables, which RENFE doesn't share with the rest of the world.

@rvdborgt 

I did check a couple of Spanish planners but not raileurope or DB. I'll try to check them.

Userlevel 7
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@rvdborgt

I did check a couple of Spanish planners but not raileurope or DB. I'll try to check them.

If you tried RENFE: they don't have a real planner but rather a searchable train database. It will only show journeys with changes in the few cases where RENFE want to show them. And I'm not sure it includes (much of) Portugal.

@rvdborgt I checked DB and the got options for the train from Madrid to Porto, but can’t make reservations due to:

‘’No reservations are available for the selected connection on www.bahn.de. This may occur if the connection is inside a transit agency, short distances or for trains with reservations required.
 
A further reason may be the requested departure for the outbound or return journey: Seat reservation is possible up to a few minutes before train departure but no earlier than three months before departure.’’

 

Userlevel 7
Badge +9

I checked DB and the got options for the train from Madrid to Porto, but can’t make reservations

Reservations for Spanish domestic trains are something entirely different. They can't be done online, please check this post:

 

Hi,

go with the train from FARO to Vila Real de S. Antonio (1h), then with the ferry to Ayamonte(15Min) and then by bus to Huelva(2h). Then you can use the train again from Huelva( Two Train-Stations)

Stefan

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We are visiting the same cities this summer, but against our principles we booked a flight from Porto to Seville to save us too much hassle. In recent years we have taken the night train between Madrid & Lisbon / vice versa, which we loved (Lusitania Express it was called, I believe), but it seems to have been wiped out by Covid (to never return)... Such a shame (correct me if I’m wrong)

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