Transport and accommodation in Portugal

Getting to Portugal couldn’t be easier, with regular direct flights to all three major cities from most UK regional airports. In fact, Portugal’s westerly position makes Lisbon a key hub for many trans-continental airlines, attracting many extra flights each day. Flight time is around 3 hours from Manchester to Lisbon and a little longer to Faro in the Algarve, with no frills flights from around £30 each way plus taxes.

For the more adventurous, regular ferries operate from Portsmouth to Bilbao and Plymouth to Santander, both in northern Spain, leaving you a drive of just over 600 miles to Lisbon or 800 miles to Faro. Prices vary according to the season, with a car and two passengers costing around £170 for the return trip, including an inside cabin. While this might not be the quickest, or even the cheapest way to get to Portugal, it is by far the most interesting. It will also give you the added benefit of having your own car to tour around once you arrive.

Driving in Portugal is simple, with a network of roads and modern motorways, many of which are less than twenty years old. But be warned, drivers are expected to carry all their relevant papers with them, with on the spot fines for those who don’t.

Public transport in Portugal is both efficient and excellent value, with a single fare on the swift and sophisticated Alfa Pendular trains from Faro to Lisbon just €24 first class or €18 standard. Both Lisbon and Porto have extensive underground metro systems, with a single journey on the Lisbon Metro costing just €0.85 and an unlimited monthly pass just €18.70. Lisbon also has a traditional tram network that has ferried residents and tourists around the streets of the city for over a hundred years.

Accommodation in Portugal is exactly what you would expect from a leading tourist destination, with a huge selection of hotels across the star grades in the main resorts. Away from the tourist centres, unusual accommodation can be found in historic manor houses and baronial strongholds, giving you a real taste of the history and heritage that Portugal is so rightly proud of.

For a real experience, you can book to stay in one of the vineyard hotels in the Douro Valley, seeing the winemaking process first hand and enjoying the fruits of their labours fresh from the barrel.

Treatment providers in Portugal