CP Train Services

Rail · Comboios de Portugal

Portugal's national railway operator, Comboios de Portugal, commonly known as CP, runs train services connecting Lisbon to the Algarve on the Linha do Sul, the Southern Line, which threads through the Alentejo plains before descending to the coast at Faro. The journey is one of the most scenic and affordable ways to reach the Algarve, though the service frequency and journey times mean that the train remains a secondary option to flying or driving for most visitors.

The main service is the Intercidades, an intercity express that departs from Lisbon Oriente and Entrecampos stations several times daily. The journey to Faro takes approximately three hours, with stops at Setúbal, Grandezóla, Ermidas-Sado and Tunes en route. Tunes is the junction station where passengers change for Lagos, and it is worth noting that Tunes itself is a small, unremarkable town whose station exists primarily as a connection point. The Intercidades trains are air-conditioned, comfortable and equipped with a buffet car on most services, and tickets are remarkably affordable by western European standards, with a second-class single from Lisbon to Faro costing around twenty-two euros at the time of writing.

First class, known as Conforto, offers wider seats, more legroom and a quieter carriage for a modest supplement. Booking in advance online through the CP website or app can yield small discounts, and there are further reductions for holders of the CP discount card, for seniors and for young travellers. Seat reservations are included in the ticket price on Intercidades services.

Within the Algarve itself, CP operates a regional railway line that follows the coast from Lagos in the west to Vila Real de Santo António on the Spanish border. This single-track, largely unelectrified line stops at most significant towns, including Portimão, Silves, Albufeira-Ferreíras, Loulé, Faro, Olhão and Tavira. Journey times are modest: Faro to Lagos takes approximately one and a half hours, while Faro to Vila Real is around an hour. The trains are older diesel units, clean but basic, and they run at intervals of roughly one to two hours during the day. There is no evening service to speak of on most sections, and the last train tends to depart disconcertingly early.

The regional train is a useful and inexpensive way to travel between Algarve towns without a car, though stations are not always conveniently located for the tourist centres. Albufeira-Ferreíras station, for instance, is six kilometres inland from Albufeira's old town and strip, necessitating a bus or taxi connection. Similarly, Silves station sits across the river from the town centre, a pleasant walk but not ideal with luggage. Faro station, by contrast, is centrally located beside the marina and within walking distance of the old town.

The railway network does not extend to the western coast beyond Lagos. There is no service to Sagres, the Vicentine Coast or Monchique, and the interior Algarve is entirely without rail connections. Bus services fill some of these gaps, but visitors planning to explore the western Algarve or the mountains will find a car essential.

CP periodically discusses improvements to the Algarve line, including electrification and more frequent services, but progress has been slow. The line remains a charming, unhurried way to travel, with views of the coast, the Ria Formosa and the orange groves of the interior from the carriage window. For travellers with time and flexibility, the train offers something that the motorway and the airport cannot: a genuine sense of arrival, approaching the Algarve gradually through a landscape that shifts from the dry Alentejo steppe to the subtropical greenery of the south.