Trains in Portugal (2026)CP's Alfa Pendular, Intercidades, Regional and urban trains, fares and discounts

Prices checked on 10 October 2026. CP’s list fares are fixed for the year, so the numbers below are what you pay at full price. Promo fares are cheaper but limited. Check the price for your date in the CP app or at cp.pt before you go.

The short answer

Portugal has one main rail operator, CP (Comboios de Portugal). For a trip between cities you choose between two long-distance trains with a reserved seat:

• Alfa Pendular (AP): the fastest, Braga, Porto, Coimbra, Lisbon and Faro, sockets at every seat [1].
• Intercidades (IC): more stops and more destinations, a little slower and cheaper [2].

Regional and InterRegional trains cover the smaller lines (including the Algarve coast) with no seat reservation [3], and urban trains run around Lisbon and Porto [20][21].

The quickest money-saver is buying early: Promo tickets are up to 56% off from 5 days ahead and up to 65% off from 8 days ahead, only online, in the CP app and at ticket machines, and only while promotional seats last [8]. Children aged 4 to 12 pay half, under-4s on a lap travel free [10].

Which train: CP’s services at a glance

Train	Where it runs	Seat reservation	Good to know
Alfa Pendular	Braga, Porto, Coimbra, Lisbon, Faro [1]	Included, compulsory [15]	Max 220 km/h; Conforto and Turística classes; free Wi-Fi; sockets at every seat; bar in carriage 3; baby changing [1]
Intercidades	Lisbon to Porto, Braga, Guimarães, Valença, Guarda, Covilhã, Évora, Beja and Faro [2]	Included, compulsory [15]	1st and 2nd class; free Wi-Fi; sockets only in some carriages; space for bikes [2]
Regional / InterRegional	North, Minho, Douro, West, Vouga, Alentejo, Algarve, Beira lines [3]	None [15]	Slower, cheaper; bikes with some restrictions [3]
Urbanos Lisboa	Sintra, Azambuja, Cascais and Sado lines, 67 stations [20]	None	Zone fares; validate before boarding [18]
Urbanos Porto	Aveiro, Marco de Canaveses, Braga and Guimarães lines, 87 stations [21]	None	Zone fares; Andante area [19]

CP’s current timetable gives these journey times from Lisboa Oriente: to Porto Campanhã 2 h 39 to 2 h 46 by Alfa Pendular and about 3 h 04 by Intercidades (add about 9 minutes from Santa Apolónia), to Faro 3 h 00 to 3 h 04 by Alfa Pendular (two a day) and 3 h 29 to 3 h 37 by Intercidades (three a day), and to Coimbra-B 1 h 36 to 1 h 42 by Alfa Pendular [29]. Check the actual train on your ticket.

Fares: what Lisbon to Porto and Faro cost (CP list prices 2026)

Full one-way list prices from CP’s 2026 tariff PDFs, valid from 1 January 2026 [4][5][6][7]. “Child” is the 50% fare for ages 4 to 12.

Route	Alfa Pendular Conforto	Alfa Pendular Turística	Intercidades 1st	Intercidades 2nd
Lisbon to Porto Campanhã	€49.90 (child €25.00)	€35.70 (child €18.00)	€41.50 (child €21.00)	€28.05 (child €14.50)
Lisbon Oriente to Faro	€35.10 (child €18.00)	€26.30 (child €13.50)	€32.15 (child €16.50)	€24.55 (child €12.50)
Porto Campanhã to Faro	€83.00	€60.40	not on this tariff	not on this tariff

• Return discount: buy the return at the same time and save 10% on trips of 91 km or more, same class; you can mix Alfa out and Intercidades back [9]. It does not combine with child, youth or other discounts [9].
• Promo tickets: CP’s own reference prices from Lisbon are €9.00 to Faro (Alfa Pendular Turística) and €10.50 to Porto, €8.50 to Coimbra, €11.00 to Braga (Intercidades 2nd class) [8]. Promo tickets can be changed but not refunded [8].
• Short-term campaigns: in October 2026 CP was selling “Promo +” Alfa Pendular tickets at up to 80% off, bought 29 September to 19 October, at least 10 days before travel, for travel 8 to 28 October, on a limited number of promotional seats per train [28]. Campaigns like this come and go; check the Promo page.
• Changes and refunds: standard tickets can be changed free up to 15 minutes before departure (within 120 days of purchase) [14], and return-discount tickets are refundable free up to 15 minutes before departure [9].

Discounts for children, young people and groups

Discount	Who	How much	Where it works
Children [10]	Up to and including 3, sharing a seat	Free	All CP trains
	Ages 4 to 12 inclusive, own seat	50% (AP and IC rounded up to the next 50 cents)	All CP trains; Celta to Vigo 40%
Youth [11]	Aged 25 and under	Up to 25%	AP, IC, Regional, InterRegional, Celta
Family & Friends [12]	3 to 9 people together, one aged 13 or over	Up to 50%	AP and IC from October to April: any train on Saturdays, listed trains on Sundays; Porto and Coimbra urban trains: one-day ticket on weekends and holidays
TrainSharing [13]	3 or 4 people, same train and class	Up to 40% (3) or 50% (4), rounded up to the next 50 cents	AP and IC on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday only; not on a Tuesday after a Monday public holiday or a Thursday before a Friday public holiday

Children travelling free or at a discount must show an official ID at the ticket office and on the train; certified copies and documents in Portugal’s id.gov.pt app are accepted [10]. Foreign families should carry the children’s passports or ID cards. Discounts never stack, so pick the one that gives the lowest total [9][12][13].

Not for visitors: the Passe Ferroviário Verde (Green Rail Pass: 30, 60 or 90 days on IC 2nd class, Regional, InterRegional and urban trains) is only for Portuguese citizens and foreigners resident in Portugal, loaded on a CP card [23]. If you have moved to Portugal on a residence permit, it is worth a look.

Lisbon and Porto urban trains (and where Navegante and Andante come in)

Both cities have CP suburban networks with zone fares. A few CP prices worth knowing, in force since 1 January 2026 [18][19]:

• Lisbon: single from €1.50 (1 zone) to €3.90 (8 zones), half for ages 4 to 12. A return Lisbon to Sintra or Lisbon to Cascais is €5.10. The CP Tourist Travel Card costs €6.70 for 24 hours or €14.40 for 72 hours on Lisbon’s urban trains, and a Train & Bus day ticket (Sintra line plus Scotturb buses 434 and 435) is €14.00 [18].
• Porto: single €1.65 for 1 to 2 zones, half price €0.85; a tourist ticket on Porto’s urban trains is €7.70 for 1 day or €16.50 for 3 days [19].

Tickets on urban trains go on a reusable card and must be validated before you board; travelling without a valid ticket carries a fine of €120 to €350 [18][25].

The metro, buses and ferries in each city run on their own integrated systems: Navegante in the Lisbon metropolitan area and Andante around Porto [26][27]. Which card to buy, monthly passes and the metro all depend on where you stay, so we cover them on the Lisbon and Porto pages, not here.

The Algarve line

The coastal Linha do Algarve runs Lagos to Vila Real de Santo António on Regional and InterRegional trains. Lagos to Faro costs €8.30 (Regional) or €9.15 (InterRegional), children €4.15 / €4.60, on CP’s tariff valid from 19 July 2026 [22]. Alfa Pendular and Intercidades from Lisbon run to Faro via Tunes and Albufeira [6][7]; for Lagos and Portimão you change to the Algarve line at Tunes [22].

Timetables, stations, monthly passes and how the train fits with buses are in the Algarve without a car, and the airport leg in Faro airport to Lagos and Sagres.

Luggage, bikes and working on board

• Luggage: CP allows one free hand item per passenger that fits the rack or under the seat; laptops and handbags do not count. Extra pieces on Alfa Pendular and Intercidades are treated as excess baggage and charged on board [24]. CP’s page does not state the excess fee, so pack light or ask at the ticket office. Alfa Pendular has 30 x 45 cm overhead racks along each carriage and luggage racks at each carriage entrance [1].
• Bikes: free on Intercidades with a bike ticket; on Alfa Pendular only folded and packed as luggage [1][2].
• Working: Alfa Pendular has sockets at every seat and free Wi-Fi [1]; on Intercidades sockets are only in some carriages, shown when you buy [2]. CP is piloting Starlink satellite internet in 2026 because mobile coverage is weak in places [17], so do not count on a video call between stations.

Interrail and Eurail passes

Passes cover CP trains. Regional, InterRegional and urban trains need no reservation; Alfa Pendular, Intercidades and the Celta (Porto to Vigo) do [15]. Interrail lists the Alfa Pendular reservation at €5 in either class, made at a station [16]; reservations open up to 60 days ahead at CP ticket offices [15]. We did not find the Intercidades fee on Interrail’s pages. If you only make two or three long trips, compare with Promo fares first: Lisbon to Faro by Promo can cost less than a pass day plus reservation [8].

How to buy

1. Online at cp.pt or in the CP app. Since 10 August 2026 Promo tickets are sold only through digital channels and ticket machines [8].
2. At the station: ticket offices and machines; on urban lines, load a reusable card and validate [18].
3. Add children and discounts at purchase, and have their ID ready [10].
4. Return trip? Buy it with the outward journey for the 10% discount, unless a Promo fare is cheaper [8][9].

Sources

1. CP: Alfa Pendular, accessed 10 October 2026.
2. CP: Intercidades, accessed 10 October 2026.
3. CP: Regional and InterRegional, accessed 10 October 2026.
4. CP: Alfa Pendular prices Lisboa - Porto - Braga, TP 2026 (PDF), accessed 10 October 2026.
5. CP: Intercidades prices Lisboa - Porto - Braga / Guimarães / Valença, TP 2026 (PDF), accessed 10 October 2026.
6. CP: Alfa Pendular prices Porto - Lisboa Oriente - Faro, TP 2026 (PDF), accessed 10 October 2026.
7. CP: Intercidades prices Lisboa Oriente - Faro, TP 2026 (PDF), accessed 10 October 2026.
8. CP: Bilhete Promo, accessed 10 October 2026.
9. CP: 10% return discount, accessed 10 October 2026.
10. CP: Half-price children’s tickets, accessed 10 October 2026.
11. CP: 25% youth discount, accessed 10 October 2026.
12. CP: Half-price Family and Friends, accessed 10 October 2026.
13. CP: TrainSharing, accessed 10 October 2026.
14. CP: Exchanges and cancellations, accessed 10 October 2026.
15. Interrail: Trains in Portugal, accessed 10 October 2026.
16. Interrail: Alfa Pendular, accessed 10 October 2026.
17. CP: Onboard connectivity (Starlink pilot), accessed 10 October 2026.
18. CP: Lisbon urban trains prices 2026 (PDF), accessed 10 October 2026.
19. CP: Porto urban trains prices 2026 (PDF), accessed 10 October 2026.
20. CP: Lisbon urban trains, accessed 10 October 2026.
21. CP: Porto urban trains, accessed 10 October 2026.
22. CP: Regional / InterRegional prices Lagos - Vila Real de Santo António (PDF), accessed 10 October 2026.
23. CP: Passe Ferroviário Verde, accessed 10 October 2026.
24. CP: Luggage, accessed 10 October 2026.
25. CP: Lisbon urban trains surcharges and fines, accessed 10 October 2026.
26. Navegante, accessed 10 October 2026.
27. Andante, accessed 10 October 2026.
28. CP: Bilhete Promo +, accessed 10 October 2026.
29. CP: GTFS feed (timetables counted by day), accessed 11 October 2026.