Train stations in Lisbon

There are four train stations in Lisbon with trains departing for different destinations in Portugal. The Portuguese railroad company is called Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses (CP). The trains they operate are clean, safe and often run on time. If you want to make a day trip in the Lisbon area, the train is highly recommended. Even if you want to get further away, the train is a good means of transportation in Portugal.

Rossio (Estação de Caminhos de Ferro do Rossio) »
Cais do Sodré »
Santa Apolónia »
Estação do Oriente »

Estação de Caminhos de Ferro do Rossio

Or in short: Rossio Station. Estação de Caminhos de Ferro do Rossio is located in the city center between Rossio square and Praça dos Restauradores. This is the place where trains to Sintra depart from. There are a number of interesting things to see in this station.

The train platforms are about 30 meters higher than ground level when you enter the station. And as soon as the train leaves the platform, you go straight through a tunnel through the hills surrounding the city center of Lisbon. The trains go 3 times per hour (more often during rush hour) and the journey takes about 40 minutes. For a return ticket you pay no more than €5,- (£4.5) you need a Viva Viagem card to load your trip on. If you have a Lisboa Card, you can travel to Sintra (and back) on this card for free. If you want to know more about the departure times to Sintra, look here.

If you’re thinking about a train journey around lunchtime, don’t forget to pick up some pastries at restaurant Beira Gare, just across the street from Rossio station. In the ‘window’ you can already see the delicious pastries. If you can’t choose, read more about this Beira Gare to make your choice easy.

Linha Azul (the blue metro line) stops at Rossio (stop = restauradores). Or you can take Linha Verde (the green line) and exit at Rossio.

Cais do Sodré

Trainstation Cais do Sodré is the starting point for a nice train journey along the Atlantic Ocean. From downtown Lisbon via Belém – Oeiras – Carcavelos – Estoril to Cascais. The train is scheduled four times an hour and the whole journey takes about 45 minutes. For a day trip to Cascais, this is the ideal way to see something of the surrounding area in a relaxed way. Leaving Lisbon, be sure to sit the left side of the carriage, that way you have a marvellous view over the Atlantic Ocean.

A return ticket Lisbon-Cascais will set you back no more than € 6,- (£5) you will need a Viva Viagem card to load your trip though. If you got yourself a Lisboa Card, you can travel to Cascais (and back) for free on this card. If you want to know more about the departure times to Cascais, look here.

To get to this station take the metro: Linha Verde(the green metro line) stop at Cais do Sodré.

Santa Apolónia

Besides being the oldest railway station in Lisbon, Santa Apolónia is also the most important train station for travelling long distances. The train station is located on the banks of the river Tagus river, on the outskirts of Alfama. This is the departure point for most (inter-)national trains, for example to Madrid or Paris. But there are also trains departing to the inlands of Portugal, except for the destinations mentioned at Cais do Sodré (Cascais) and Rossio (Sintra).

If you’re heading for the Algarve in the south of Portugal, or the cities of Porto, Coimbra, Evora and many more destinations, then this is your train station. For more information see the CP website.

Linha Azul (the blue metro line: stop: Santa Apolónia.

Estação do Oriente

This train station, also called Gare do Oriente, was opened in 1998 on the occasion of Expo ’98. This station is a bit further away from the city center, so you typically won’t find many tourists getting on trains here. The train station is located in the Parque das Nações district (the old Expo site), in the northeast of Lisbon.

From here a lot of national and international trains depart to their various destinations. Because Gare do Oriente is also an local and international bus station, metro station, shopping center and police station, which makes this one of the busiest stations in the world. They handle around 75 million travelers each year..

Linha Vermelha (the red metro line) stop at Gare do Oriente.