As you are planning your bicycle trip and beyond, you will certainly wonder how to best get around. We’re here to help and have put together some general information and tips for you. You will find tour-specific travel information in the online itinerary specific to your tour. Note that any fares and timing mentioned are estimates.
We also recommend Rome2Rio, which is an excellent route and travel planning resource.
International airports are located in Lisbon, Porto, and Faro. Both Lisbon and Porto are interesting cities to spend time in before or after your tour, as is Faro although it is smaller in size. For price and logistical convenience, we recommend flying into Lisbon, or if you are interested in visiting northern Portugal, flying into Porto and then making your way south to the tour is an option. If you are interested in spending time on the south coast after the tour ends, leaving from Faro is an option.
The general airport website www.ana.pt has sections detailing how to access any Portugal airport by taxi, train or metro.
Air Travel within Europe and Portugal
European carriers such as Alitalia, British Airways, Sabena, TAP and Lufthansa service some cities in Portugal. It is also possible to fly into smaller airports from other European cities as well as a domestic flight from Lisbon, Porto and Faro.
Try the following national airlines:
There are also many low cost airlines that fly in and out of Portugal, see the list below. Remember these airlines have restrictions on luggage and may also have other “quirky” policies, but are at times great options for one way flights to and from smaller cities in Portugal.
Lisbon
Lisbon Airport, Portela International Airport (LIS)
Located 7km from the Lisbon city center. Most international flights arrive at Portela International Airport in Lisbon. If you have a connection on a domestic flight, you may have to go through customs in Lisbon, pick up your luggage and re-check your luggage. The Lisbon airport is well connected to downtown Lisbon by taxi, metro, and bus. Your choice of transportation will most likely be determined by the amount of luggage you have. See www.golisbon.com.
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Porto
Porto Airport, El Aeropuerto Francisco Sá Carneiro de Oporto (OPO)
Located 10 km from the Porto city center. While few trans-Atlantic flights fly into Porto, if you are connecting from another European country and you want to spend some days in this famous area, it is an arrival option.
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Train Transportation Information
You do not have to purchase train tickets in advance, especially if they are for post-tour travel plans (your Tour Leaders can help you with those). However, if you do decide to make your arrangements ahead of time, we suggest using the following companies:
