Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Specialist Tours
Locally run adventure tours are noted in individual town listings; activity-based tours are listed in Portugal Outdoors
(
Click here
)
. Try the following for special-interest tours:
Destination Portugal
(
www.destination-portugal.co.uk
)
Will tell you all you need to know and can help with flights,
car hire and accommodation, separately or together.
Martin Randall Travel
(
www.martinrandall.com
) UK cultural specialist that arranges first-rate escorted tours, includ-
ing a historical and architectural tour of central Portugal.
Naturetrek
(
www.naturetrek.co.uk
)
Specialist in birdwatching and botanical tours; runs an eight-day excursion around
southern Portugal.
Train
Portugal has an extensive railroad network, making for a scenic way of travelling between destinations; see
www.cp.pt
.
Three of the most appealing old railway lines on narrow-gauge tracks climb out of the Douro valley:
Linha da Corgo
From Peso da Régua to Vila Real.
Linha da Tâmega
From Livração to Amarante.
Linha da Tua
From Tua to Mirandela.
Discounts
Children aged under five travel free; those aged five to 12 travel for half price. A youth card issued by Euro26 member
countries gets you a 20% discount on
regional
and
interregional
services on any day. For distances above 100km, you
can also get a 20% discount on
intercidade
(express) services and a 10% discount on Alfa Pendular (AP) trains - though
the latter applies only from Tuesday to Thursday. Travellers aged 65 and over can get 50% off any service by showing
some ID.
Information & Reservations
You can get hold of timetable and fare information at all stations and from
www.cp.pt
. You can book
intercidade
and
Alfa Pendular tickets up to 30 days ahead, though you'll have little trouble booking for the next or even the same day.
Other services can only be booked 24 hours in advance. A seat reservation is mandatory on most
intercidade
and Alfa
trains; the booking fee is included in the price.
Types & Classes of Service
There are four main types of long-distance service. Note that international services are marked IN on timetables.
Regional (R)
Slow, stop everywhere.
Interregional (IR)
Reasonably fast.
Intercidade (IC)
Rápido
or express trains.
Alfa Pendular Deluxe
This service is marginally faster than express and much pricier.
