Day trips from Lisbon by train and busSintra, Cascais, Évora, Óbidos and more

Checked on 10 October 2026. Fares are 2026 adult prices from the operators; timetables change with the season. Check the operator’s site the day before.

The short answer

Without a car, the easy day trips from Lisbon are the ones on a suburban train: Sintra (palaces) and Cascais (seaside town), each about 40 minutes and €5.10 return [1][2][3]. For a beach day, add the Cascais line beaches or Costa da Caparica by bus. Further out, Évora works by Intercidades (about 1 h 45) and Óbidos by express bus (about 1 hour) [7][9]. Arrábida, Fátima and Nazaré are easier with a car or a tour.

Day trips from Lisbon at a glance

Destination	How, from where	One way	Adult fare (2026)	With kids	More
Sintra	CP train from Rossio	about 40 min	€5.10 return	Best with children over 6	Sintra day trip
Cascais	CP train from Cais do Sodré	about 40 min	€5.10 return	Flat, town beaches by the station	Things to do in Cascais
Cascais line beaches	CP train from Cais do Sodré	23–36 min	Zapping €2.05	Lifeguarded in season	Best beaches near Lisbon
Costa da Caparica	Bus 3710 from Areeiro, or ferry + bus	45–60 min	Ferry €2.00 + bus	Long sandy beaches	Costa da Caparica
Ericeira	Bus 2801, 2740 or 2803 from Campo Grande	44–81 min, by line and direction	Navegante or on board	Calm harbour beach	Ericeira
Évora	CP Intercidades from Oriente, Entrecampos or Sete Rios	about 1 h 45	€13.90 single, €25.50 return	A long, hot day in summer	on this page
Óbidos	Rápida Verde bus from Campo Grande	about 1 h	€9.45 single	Small town, half a day	on this page
Setúbal and Arrábida	Fertagus train to Setúbal, then bus in summer	58 min to Setúbal	€5.70 single	Beaches in summer	on this page
Fátima and Nazaré	Express bus, tour or car	not checked	Nazaré €11.75 single on some Rápida Verde runs	Long day	on this page

Sources: CP urban fares and timetables [1][2][3], Carris Metropolitana open data for 13 and 17 October 2026 [4][5], TTSL [6], CP Intercidades [7][8], Rápida Verde timetable from 6 October 2026 [9], Fertagus [10][11]. Children aged 4 to 12 pay half on CP and Rápida Verde, under-4s travel free on Rápida Verde [1][9]. Fátima and Nazaré journey times are not from an operator: the Rede Expressos website blocked our check.

Sintra: palaces, gardens and a forest

The classic. The train from Rossio takes about 40 minutes [3]; then pick two sights, not five, and book timed tickets on the official sites. With school-age children, Quinta da Regaleira (tunnels and the spiral well) is our first pick. Train times, the 434 bus, 2026 ticket prices and a day plan: Sintra day trip from Lisbon.

Cascais and the beaches on the way

The Cascais line runs along the river and the sea from Cais do Sodré: Santo Amaro de Oeiras in 23 minutes, Carcavelos in 27, Cascais in 40, every 20 minutes during the day [2]. In 2026 buses replace the evening trains between Caxias and Cascais (weekdays from 21:50, Saturdays from 20:50, Sundays early morning and from 19:50) and take no wheelchairs, bikes or scooters, so with any of those come back earlier [21]. From 8 November 2026 this changes: work at Oeiras station brings a new Cascais-line timetable, with trains in CP’s data running 00:00 to 23:30 every day. Recounted figures and the caveat about the night trains are in getting around Lisbon and the coast. What to do in Cascais itself, from the town beaches and Boca do Inferno to the Paula Rego museum and the bike path to Guincho: things to do in Cascais. Which beach for which day: best beaches near Lisbon. Sintra or Cascais for one day is answered in the Sintra guide.

Costa da Caparica: the long beach across the river

The long sandy coast south of the Tagus. Bus 3710 runs from Areeiro in 45 to 60 minutes, about 40 times a day on weekdays [5], or take the ferry to Cacilhas (€2.00) and a bus from there [6]. Which part of the beach suits children and how to get to the quieter ones: Costa da Caparica.

Ericeira: surf town for a day (or a week)

Three Carris Metropolitana lines leave Campo Grande for the Ericeira terminal: 2801 is the quickest at about 44 minutes but runs mainly on weekdays; 2740 (about 68 minutes) and 2803 via Mafra (about 56 minutes) also run on Saturdays, with fewer trips [4][22][23]. For children, Praia dos Pescadores is the calm harbour beach. Many people end up staying: Cascais vs Ericeira and surfing in Ericeira.

Évora: a Roman temple and a walled old town

Évora’s centre, still partly inside medieval walls, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986: the Roman temple, the cathedral and the Chapel of Bones are the usual round, and the city is European Capital of Culture in 2027 [15].

• Train: Intercidades from Lisboa Oriente (also Entrecampos and Sete Rios). On weekdays the 07:02 and 09:02 arrive at 08:47 and 10:45; at weekends and holidays the first useful train is the 09:58 (arrives 11:40). Back: 16:51 or 19:14, daily [7]. Seat reservation is mandatory, so buy ahead [7].
• Fare: second class €13.90 single, €25.50 return; the half fare is €7.00 [8].
• From the station: about 1.2 km in a straight line to Praça do Giraldo, a little more on foot [16].
• When: Évora is one of Portugal’s hottest cities in summer [15]. Spring and autumn are the comfortable months for a walking day.

Óbidos: a walled village an hour north

A small hilltop town inside its castle walls [17]. The Rápida Verde bus from Campo Grande takes about an hour to Óbidos; on weekdays buses leave Lisbon roughly every 30 to 60 minutes, at weekends about hourly, and tickets can be bought on board: €9.45 for adults, €4.75 for children aged 4 to 12, under-4s free (timetable from 6 October 2026) [9]. Half a day is enough for the town; it fills up during the Medieval Fair in July and the Chocolate Festival in early March [17].

At Christmas, the town runs Óbidos Vila Natal, a ticketed Christmas village for families. The 2026 dates and prices were not published when we checked: see obidosvilanatal.pt [18]. Christmas in the city itself: things to do in Lisbon.

Setúbal and Arrábida: dolphins and mountain beaches

Setúbal is 58 minutes from Roma-Areeiro on the Fertagus train, with departures every 20 minutes during the day and a €5.70 single [10][11]. The Sado estuary in front of the town has a resident population of bottlenose dolphins [14].

The Arrábida beaches (Figueirinha, Galapos, Portinho) take planning. In summer 2026 private cars were restricted from 07:00 to 20:00, from 4 June to 15 September, with a shuttle (4477) from the Creiro car park to the beaches [12]. Line 4474 runs from Setúbal (Alegro shopping centre) to Figueirinha; the town’s 2026 calendar has it daily from 14 September until the next bathing season, and line 4470 to Creiro via Azeitão at weekends and holidays [12]. In Carris Metropolitana’s timetable data (feed of 9 October 2026) the 4474 runs three times a day each way in mid-October, weekends included: from Setúbal at 10:00, 12:15 and 15:00, back from Figueirinha at 10:45, 13:15 and 17:10, about 50 minutes [13]. Confirm on carrismetropolitana.pt before going.

Fátima and Nazaré: the long day north

• Nazaré is known for the giant waves at Praia do Norte, formed by an underwater canyon; the viewing point is the lighthouse at the Fort of São Miguel Arcanjo [19]. Some Rápida Verde buses start or end in Nazaré (€11.75 single from Campo Grande) [9], and Rede Expressos express buses serve the town; times on rede-expressos.pt.
• Fátima is the pilgrimage shrine. Express buses run from Lisbon; the Shrine’s calendar lists the anniversary pilgrimage on 12 October 2026 with the candlelight procession, and the dedication of the Basilica on 13 October [20]. On days like that, the town and the buses fill up.
• Both in one day: they are on different bus routes and we found no simple connection between them, so a guided tour or a hire car is the easier option.

Which day trips work with kids

• Easy: Cascais (flat, beaches by the station) and the Cascais line beaches in the lifeguard season.
• Good with school-age children: Sintra, if you choose two sights; see the Sintra guide.
• Long days: Évora, Fátima and Nazaré. Doable with older children, hard with toddlers.
• For rainy days and city days with children, see Lisbon with kids.

Day trip, or move your base?

If you work remotely and stay for a month, a beach town can be a better base than a day trip: a week in Cascais, Carcavelos or Ericeira costs you a commute only on the days you go into the city. The Navegante Metropolitano monthly pass (€40) covers CP suburban trains and Carris Metropolitana buses in the Lisbon area, but not the Intercidades to Évora or the Rápida Verde to Óbidos. See where to stay on the Lisbon coast and Lisbon for digital nomads. For trains beyond the Lisbon area, see trains in Portugal.

Planning tips

• Check the timetable the day before: CP (trains), Carris Metropolitana (buses outside Lisbon), Fertagus (Setúbal) and Rodoviária do Oeste (Óbidos) all publish seasonal changes.
• Load a Navegante card (€0.50) with Zapping credit for the suburban trains and buses; it saves queuing for paper tickets [1].
• Some bus lines run few trips at weekends: line 2801 to Ericeira had 3 trips each way on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October 2026 against 23 to 26 on a weekday [4].
• Getting to the stations and the airport: getting around Lisbon and the coast.