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Eighteen day trips, timed and costed

Every entry lists the station you leave from, the fare, the journey time and — the part most guides omit — how much of your day it will actually consume.

18Routes
€2.45Cheapest return leg
40 minNearest escape
14Doable without a car

From Lisbon

DestinationLeave fromTime each wayReturn fareDay used
SintraRossio40 min train€4.90Full
CascaisCais do Sodré40 min train€4.90Half or full
Estoril & CarcavelosCais do Sodré25–35 min train€3.60Half
Setúbal & ArrábidaRoma-Areeiro1h train€9.00Full
ÉvoraOriente1h35 train€28.00Full
ÓbidosCampo Grande (bus)1h10 bus€16.00Full
NazaréSete Rios (bus)1h50 bus€23.00Full
Mafra & EriceiraCampo Grande (bus)50–70 min bus€12.00Full
TomarSanta Apolónia2h train€22.80Full, long
Cacilhas & AlmadaCais do Sodré (ferry)10 min ferry€3.10Evening

From Porto

DestinationLeave fromTime each wayReturn fareDay used
GuimarãesSão Bento1h15 train€6.50Full
BragaSão Bento / Campanhã1h train€6.90Full
Aveiro & Costa NovaCampanhã45 min train€8.00Full
Pinhão (Douro line)São Bento2h10 train€29.00Full, long
Peso da RéguaSão Bento1h55 train€26.00Full
Viana do CasteloCampanhã1h15 train€17.00Full
AmaranteCampanhã (bus)1h bus€13.00Half or full
Matosinhos & LeçaMetro line A25 min metro€3.20Half
The best six

If you only make one escape

These are the trips we send friends on, with the one thing each is really for.

Pena Palace towers rising above the wooded hills of SintraFrom Lisbon

Sintra — the unavoidable one

  • 40 minEach way
  • €4.90Return
  • 3Sites max

Pena, the Moorish Castle and Quinta da Regaleira, in that order, starting at 07:41. Go backwards against the crowd and the day transforms.

  • UNESCO
  • Palaces
  • Full day
Rossio stationOpen guide
Wide Atlantic beach with breaking waves near CascaisFrom Lisbon

Cascais — the low-effort one

  • 40 minEach way
  • €4.90Return
  • 3Town beaches

The train hugs the river then the ocean the whole way. A walkable old town, three small beaches, the Boca do Inferno cliff and a flat cycle path to wild Guincho.

  • Beach
  • Half day
  • Cycling
Cais do SodréBeach guide
Whitewashed houses and stone walls in a historic Alentejo townFrom Lisbon

Évora — the historic one

Roman temple, Chapel of Bones, cathedral roof and an Alentejo lunch worth the fare on its own. The 08:29 out and the 18:44 back is the perfect window.

  • UNESCO
  • Food
1h35 from OrienteOpen guide
Terraced vineyards above a bend in the Douro riverFrom Porto

Pinhão — the scenic one

Two hours of railway, the last fifty minutes at water level. One quinta, one lunch, one cruise, home by 20:35. Long, and absolutely worth it.

  • Wine
  • Rail
São BentoOpen guide
Colourful waterside houses reflected in calm water in northern PortugalFrom Porto

Aveiro — the easy one

Canals, moliceiro boats, art nouveau façades and the striped beach houses of Costa Nova a short bus ride away. Forty-five minutes each way.

  • Canals
  • Half day
CampanhãDestinations
Medieval granite walls and old houses in Guimarães, northern PortugalFrom Porto

Guimarães — the founding one

Castle, ducal palace, arcaded squares and a cable car to Penha. "Aqui nasceu Portugal", and it still feels like a small town rather than an exhibit.

  • UNESCO
  • Castle
1h15 by trainOpen guide

How to make a day trip work

  1. Leave before 08:30. Every one of these places is a different experience before the coaches arrive at 10:30.
  2. Buy the return leg when you buy the outbound on reserved services. Evening trains from Évora and Pinhão sell out.
  3. Eat lunch where the destination is good at it — Alentejo pork in Évora, fish in Matosinhos, ginjinha and chocolate cups in Óbidos.
  4. One destination per day. Sintra plus Cascais in a single day is the classic over-reach; you will see neither properly.
  5. Check Monday closures before committing — Mafra's palace, Serralves and most museums shut.
A day trip that ends with you sitting in a square doing nothing for an hour is a successful day trip. One that ends with you running for a train is not.