there and getting away
Lisbon
Arco da Rua Augusta, Praça do Comércio in Lisbon
By air
Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado airport is 7km from the city centre. Its website (www.aeroportolisboa.pt) gives details of flight operators from destinations across the world. Transport from the airport includes:
metro – a journey of about 20 minutes, at €1.90 (including 50 cents for the ‘Viva Viagem’ rechargeable card). Take the red line to Alameda then change onto the green line for Rossio (depending on where you’re staying). See www.metrolisboa.pt
bus – Aerobus runs every 20–25 minutes, at €3.50. You can purchase a ticket from the driver. See www.aerobus.pt
taxi – expect to pay €12–15 to the city centre
By rail
Santa Apolónia or Parque das Nações are the two stations you’re likely to arrive at if coming from Porto or abroad. Santa Apolónia is closest to the centre but both have metro connections: see www.cp.pt.
By bus
Sete Rios in the north west of Lisbon is the arrival point for long-distance bus travel with Eurolines (www.eurolines.com), Rede Expressos (www.rede-expressos.pt) and InterNorte (www.internorte.pt). The closest metro is a few minutes’ walk at Jardim Zoologico on the blue line.
Gare do Oriente bus station in the Parque das Nações area is the arrival point for northern Portugal and Spanish travel; see Renex (www.renex.pt), Internorte (www.internorte.pt), and Avanza (www.avanzabus.com). Gare do Oriente metro station is on the red line; change at Alameda onto the green line to Rossio for the centre.
Porto
Porto and Ponte D Luís I
By air
Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro airport (www.aeroportoporto.pt) is 20km from the city centre. Transport from the airport includes:
metro – about 30 minutes, at €2.45 (including 60 cents for the ‘Andante’ rechargeable card). Take the purple line ‘E’ and get off at Trindade (depending on where you’re staying). See www.metrodoporto.pt
bus – Terravision runs an hourly bus to Aliados on Praça da Liberdade. It costs €5 and takes 30 minutes; see www.terravision.eu. The local 601 bus runs every 30 minutes and takes 30 minutes, at €1.85 (buy a ticket onboard). Get off at the last stop ‘Cordoaria’ next to Clérigos Tower.
taxi – expect to pay €20–30 to the city centre
By rail
Campanhã station is the arrival point for long-distance and international trains, and there are four metro lines connecting this station to the centre. See www.cp.pt
By bus
Bus stations vary by company. For domestic travel, see Rede Expressos (www.rede-expressos.pt); for international travel, see InterNorte (www.internorte.pt), Eurolines (www.eurolines.com) and Alsa (www.alsa.es).
Tui
By air
Vigo-Peinador airport (www.aena.es) is the closest airport to Tui, 24km away. From the airport, take a taxi to Vigo or Redondela (about €23), then take a train (www.renfe.es) to Tui. There is also a local bus between the airport and Vigo centre (line L9A, www.vitrasa.es) requiring you to either walk or take a taxi to Vigo Urzaiz train station for onward trains to Tui.
By rail
Tui’s train station is 1.3km from the cathedral; see www.renfe.es for information.
By bus
Alsa (www.alsa.es) connects Tui with Porto and Spanish destinations. Monbus (www.monbus.es) connects Tui with Pontevedra.
Leaving Santiago
By air
Santiago’s Lavacolla airport (www.aena.es) is 10km from the city. To reach it, there are the following options:
bus – the airport bus (€3, 45 minutes) departs from Praza de Galicia twice hourly. See www.empresafreire.com
taxi – taxis take approximately 15 minutes and cost around €21
Airports in A Coruña (70km north) and Vigo (90km south) are accessible by train then bus/taxi.
By rail
The train station is 1.2km south of the cathedral. There is a Renfe ticket counter inside the pilgrim’s office. See www.renfe.com
By bus
The bus station is at Praza de Camilo Díaz Baliño, 1.6km north-east of the cathedral; see www.tussa.org. There’s an Alsa ticket counter inside the pilgrim’s office (www.alsa.es).
See Appendix C for a list of all transport contacts.
When to go
April to October is the most popular time, with peak numbers in July and August which are also the hottest months. Spring brings wildflowers and comfortable walking temperatures but you may also experience days of rain. In summer (with temperatures reaching over 30˚C), coastal accommodation is extremely busy and requires advanced booking. In winter many albergues and some coastal hotels
