Travel · By rail and river
Lisbon by rail and river: Sintra, the coast, Porto and the ferries
Lisbon’s trains and ferries take you to palaces, beaches and across the river. Here is how to use them, checked against the operators’ own websites on 28 October 2026.
Updated October 2026
The Rossio, the Cais do Sodré, Santa Apolónia and Oriente
The Rossio station, behind its Manueline façade, serves the Sintra line; the Cais do Sodré, by the river, the Cascais line; Santa Apolónia and Santiago Calatrava’s Gare do Oriente the long-distance trains.
To Sintra and the coast
CP’s suburban trains run to Sintra from the Rossio, and to Belém, Estoril and Cascais from the Cais do Sodré. Check timetables on cp.pt.
The Alfa Pendular and the Intercidades
Alfa Pendular and Intercidades trains run north to Coimbra and Porto, and Intercidades trains south to the Algarve and east to Évora. Book on cp.pt.
Across the Tagus
Transtejo Soflusa’s ferries cross from the Cais do Sodré and the Terreiro do Paço to Cacilhas, Seixal, Montijo and Barreiro (ttsl.pt). Fertagus trains cross the 25 de Abril Bridge to the south bank and Setúbal.
The great train journeys
See ULTIMATE Rail Journeys for the great railway journeys of Europe and the world.
ULTIMATE Rail Journeys The ULTIMATE Madrid guide
Questions and answers
Which station do Sintra trains leave from?
The Rossio station, in the centre of Lisbon.
How do I get to Cascais by train?
CP trains run from the Cais do Sodré along the river.
Sources: cp.pt, ttsl.pt, fertagus.pt and navegante.pt (checked 28 October 2026). Timetables change: always check before you travel.