Lisbon, being the capital of Portugal, is a fantastic base from which to start any Portuguese adventure!
Albufeira is a lovely little city in the Southern Algarve with beautiful beaches and stunning coastline that is also well worth a visit!
Below we’ll demonstrate how easy it is to get a train from Lisbon to Albufeira, how long the journey takes and how much the journey would cost.
Things to note
There are a few things to think of when planning your journey.
There are two train types that service routes going from Lisbon to Albufeira. These are the Intercidades express and the Alfa Pendular.
The Intercidades express are older trains and therefore slower, the route these trains take also tend to involve more stops than the Alfa Pendular, meaning that an Intercidades train will be slower to get to Albufeira than an Alfa Pendular. It will, however, also be cheaper!
It is also worth noting that some trains do not go directly from Lisbon to Albufeira at certain times and you would instead have to change trains at the town of Tunes. If this would be an issue for you, you may want to double-check this beforehand!
It is a journey of 256 kilometres between Lisbon and Albufeira with it taking between 2 – 4 hours by train, depending on which train you decide to take.
It is also important to note that Albufeira train station is actually in Ferreiras, which is 3.5 miles from central Albufeira. There are regular buses or you could opt for a taxi to take you into Albufeira.
Starting your journey
Lisbon has many train stations that all have trains that will take you to Albufeira, meaning that regardless of where you are in Lisbon, you’ll easily be able to get to Albufeira.
Santa Apolonia is located right in the centre of Lisbon and as such is a fabulous, convenient option for many.
The Oriente station is a newer station to the east of the city. It takes 20 minutes to reach via the red line of the metro, from Lisbon’s city centre.
Both Sete Rios and Entrecampos stations are to the North of the city.
All stations are serviced by both the Intercidades and Alfa Pendular options.
Times, Tickets and booking
The Alfa Pendular high-speed option only runs twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.
The Intercidades option runs 5 times a day from just after 7 am in the morning for the first train, to 18:44 from Sete Rios for the last train.
Tickets can not be purchased on the trains and must be booked in advance! You can purchase tickets from ticket offices at the stations but if you choose this option, please allow yourself plenty of time in case the ticket offices are busy!
The Alfa Pendular option also tends to get booked up very quickly, particularly during the summer, so you may wish to book up well in advance.
The best idea is to book in advance via https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/pt
That way you know for certain your place on your chosen train is secure!
Tickets average between £19 to £21 for a single ticket. However, factors can affect your ticket prices, such as whether you’re travelling during the week or weekend, whether you wish to travel first class and whether you wish to travel via Alfa Pendular or Intercidades.
Either way, both options offer you a fantastic option to travel from Portugal’s capital to the Algarve, taking in some fantastic scenery on the route.
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