Portugal’s privileged geographic positioning makes it a stopover point for many foreign airlines at airports throughout the country, which are in:

 

ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal, SA regulates the operation of airports in Portugal, and provides information on departures and arrivals at www.ana.pt as well as the transport available to reach the centre of the nearest towns.

If you want to travel with a bicycle it is advisable to contact the airline before travelling. In doing so, you will be informed of the costs, limitations, procedures and documents required for travelling without any hitches.

 

Portugal has a good road network comprising Motorways (AE), Main Itineraries (IP), Complementary Itineraries (IC), National Roads (EN) and Municipal Roads.

 

There are two types of Motorways:

- the traditional motorways with toll booths, where payment is made in cash or by bank card. These motorways also have Via Verde, an electronic toll system that allows payment by bank debit, and is intended only for holders of a Via Verde transponder, previously purchased at respective sale points (www.viaverde.pt);

- and tolls exclusively for electronic use, where the payment system is exclusively electronic, the passage of vehicles is detected through portals at the start of the roads, identified by the reference "Electronic toll only". For more information on toll-roads and forms of payment see www.portugaltolls.com.

 

Car rental services can be found at airports, at international railway stations, and in main towns and cities.

 

It is possible to hire vehicles with automatic or adapted gears, for drivers with mobility problems, or who simply prefer it.

 

To rent a car you must:

- be over 21 or 25 years old, depending on the rental conditions of each company;

- have identification (identity card for citizens of the EU, or a valid passport for other nationalities);

- hold a valid driving license for more than one year.

It is also possible to get to Portugal by bus. International routes to Portugal are operated by the companies Eurolines (www.eurolines.eu) and Intercentro (www.internorte.pt).

Regular bus services connect all cities, towns and main locations in Portugal. For detailed information on routes, schedules and prices, see Rede Nacional de Expressos at www.rede-expressos.pt.

 

CP - Trains of Portugal (www.cp.pt), provides a vast network of trains covering the entire Portuguese mainland, also ensuring international connections to Vigo, Madrid and Paris.

Several options are available to meet the needs of each traveller:

- the top-of-the-range "Alfa Pendular" trains are the fastest and most comfortable rail link between Lisbon and the Algarve, and to the north of the country, to Porto or Braga, stopping in Coimbra.

- The "Intercidades" intercity service provides links between Lisbon-Porto-Guimarães, Lisbon-Guarda, Lisbon-Covilhã, Lisbon-Évora-Beja and Lisbon-Faro.

- the Sud-Express and the Lusitania sleeper train carry out international rail links to Lisbon.

- a vast network of regional, interregional and suburban trains ensure a wide coverage of the entire national territory.

 

Read the conditions for transporting bicycles on trains at: www.cp.pt.

Citizens of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland only require an ID card to enter Portugal.

 

For stays of 90 days or less, a passport valid for a period longer than three months after the end of the stay is required for visitors from Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Israel, Republic of Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Nicaragua, New Zealand, New Zealand, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Kiribati, Samoa, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, East Timor, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China in Hong Kong and Macao and the Territorial Authority of Taiwan.

Citizens from states not mentioned above, need a visa to enter Portugal, which can be requested from the Consulate or Embassy of Portugal in their country, for stays of up to a maximum of 90 days.

Under the terms of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreements, passengers travelling to and from another Schengen State, understood as an internal flight, do not require a new visa.

 

More information at:

Request for visas- www.secomunidades.pt

Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (SEF)- Immigration and Borders Service - www.sef.pt