How much is the train from Lisbon to Porto?
CP publishes one-way fares per route in PDF tables. The Lisbon–Porto rows read as follows (prices valid from 1 January 2026, checked 19 October 2026):
| Train and class | One way | 50% fare | Return bought together |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfa Pendular, Conforto | €49.90 | €25.00 | €90.00 |
| Alfa Pendular, Turística | €35.70 | €18.00 | €64.50 |
| Intercidades, 1st class | €41.50 | €21.00 | not checked |
| Intercidades, 2nd class | €28.05 | €14.50 | not checked |
Sources: Alfa Pendular fare table and Intercidades fare table. Both tables give one origin, "Lisboa SA / Lisboa Oriente", so the fare is the same from Santa Apolónia or Oriente. The column headings in the PDFs are hard to read; the half-fare and return columns match CP's rules exactly (half the fare rounded up to the next 50 cents, and 10% off two singles), which is how the columns above were identified.
CP's half fare applies to the discounts below, such as children aged 4 to 12 and travellers over 65.
Alfa Pendular or Intercidades?
The Alfa Pendular is CP's premium train, introduced in 1999, with a top speed of 220 km/h. CP's Alfa Pendular page lists a power socket at every seat in both classes, free Wi-Fi, a bar in carriage 3, a toilet in every carriage including an accessible one, and two wheelchair spaces per train.
The Intercidades is the cheaper long-distance train, with 1st and 2nd class, a bar carriage and free Wi-Fi. CP's Intercidades page is inconsistent about sockets, saying both that every seat has one and that only some 1st-class seats do, so do not count on charging in 2nd class.
The price gap is €7.65 one way in standard class (€35.70 against €28.05). For two adults that is €15.30.
CP's timetable PDFs could not be read reliably for this guide, so it does not quote journey times. The decision rule is simple: open the CP app or journey search for your date, and take the Intercidades whenever it leaves at a time that suits you and arrives close to the Alfa. If the Alfa is clearly faster on your departure, its Turística class is the better buy than Intercidades 1st, which costs more (€41.50) on a slower train.
Conforto on the Alfa is worth it only if first class itself matters to you. At €14.20 more than Turística, it buys a class, not a faster journey.
Promo fares and booking window
CP's Bilhete Promo applies to both Alfa Pendular and Intercidades (checked 19 October 2026):
- Buy at least 5 days before travel. From 5 to 7 days ahead, the discount is up to 56%; from 8 days ahead, up to 65%.
- You can buy up to 60 days before travel.
- Only a quota of promotional seats per train is discounted. Once they are gone, the full fare applies.
- Prices are rounded up to the next 50 cents.
- Since 10 August 2026, Promo tickets are sold only through CP's digital channels and ticket machines, not at ticket windows.
- Promo tickets are not refundable. They can be exchanged, but if no promo seat is left on the new train you pay the difference to the full fare.
- They cannot be combined with other discounts, including the return discount.
The Promo page lists €10.50 as a "reference price" for Intercidades 2nd class from Lisbon to Porto, without saying how it was calculated. Treat it as an example, not a promise for your date.
Who else pays less
- Children: under 4 travel free if they do not take a seat; ages 4 to 12 get up to 50% off with their own seat. Carry official ID (CP children's discount).
- Over 65: up to 50% off on Alfa Pendular and Intercidades, "regardless of country of residence and nationality". Show an original ID or the id.gov.pt app; photos and plain photocopies are refused (CP senior discount).
- Up to 25 years old: up to 25% off (CP youth discount).
- Return: 10% off when you buy both legs together in the same class, for trips of 91 km or more, returning to the station you left from. You may go by Alfa and return by Intercidades (CP return discount).
Worked examples
- Couple, plans fixed, three weeks out: two Turística Promo tickets at up to 65% off. On the full €35.70, a 65% cut would be €12.50 each after rounding, if promo seats remain.
- Family of four (children 7 and 10), Intercidades 2nd class, full fare: €28.05 × 2 + €14.50 × 2 = €85.10. The same family on Alfa Turística pays €107.40.
- Two over-65s, Alfa Conforto: €25.00 each, €50 for both. Cheaper than two full-fare Intercidades 2nd-class tickets (€56.10).
Stations and buying the ticket
CP's Lisbon–Porto fare tables are titled from Lisboa Santa Apolónia and price Santa Apolónia and Lisboa Oriente as a single origin, so pick whichever station is closer and check in the journey search that your train calls there. In Porto, the tables run to Porto Campanhã; Vila Nova de Gaia, just before it, has the same fare.
CP sells long-distance tickets through its app, online up to 60 days ahead (you board with the SMS or app ticket), a 24-hour phone line and station ticket offices, according to CP's day-trip ticket page. Promo fares are online and machine only.
Luggage goes on racks at each carriage entrance or overhead; CP gives the overhead racks as 30 × 45 cm. Bicycles go on the Alfa only dismantled and packed as luggage.
Heading for the train straight off a flight? Our guide to getting from Lisbon airport to the city centre compares the ways into town. For the card you will use on the metro, see Zapping or Navegante.