If you chose to travel to Portugal directly through the Airport of Oporto please have in mind that although this Airport is closer to Coimbra it may have less connecting flights to most international centres. If you are flying to Lisbon you can pick a connecting flight to Oporto but this will not save you time.
We suggest the following alternatives to travel from Oporto to Coimbra:
By train (recommended)
From Oporto Airport you have to go to the Town Centre, to the “Campanhã” train station. To do this you can take a taxi (about 20 to 25 Euros) or you can take the surface metro (subway). The subway stops just in front of the Airport. You should take the Line E (Violeta or purple Line).
The trip to Campanhã Station takes about 33 minutes and costs 1,50 Euros (Single travel ticket, Zona 4). Subway works from 06h00 till 01h30.
In CAMPANHÃ train station look for the ticket office for the ALFA train (full name is Alfa Pendular) or IC (Intercidades) train. Hourly trains connect Oporto and Lisbon (except at night), and they all stop in Coimbra.
It takes one hour to travel to Coimbra by ALFA (ticket prices: 20.50 Euros in First Class (Comfort Class) and 15.50 Euros in Second Class (Touristic Class)) and up to two hours by IC train (ticket prices: 14.00 Euros in First Class (Comfort Class) and 11.00 Euros in Second Class (Touristic Class)).
You can check the train time schedule here
When you arrive at Coimbra B Station you may take another local train for the centre of the city (ticket price: 1.25 Euros) but the best way to reach your Hotel directly is to pick a taxi at Coimbra B Station. The ride should cost less than 8 Euros and can take four persons. A supplement may be required for the luggage.
Renting a Taxi or a Car
Renting a taxi can be relatively expensive but it may compensate if the number of passengers is three or four. It has the advantage to take you directly to your hotel. A taxi from Oporto to Coimbra could cost around 200 Euros. There is a Tourist Office in the Arrivals Hall where you can buy a “taxi voucher”. We advise that you pay in advance for the taxi and avoid any problems or surprises when paying at the destination.
Renting a car at the Airport is quite easy as there are several companies. Average price for a 5 passenger car is about 50/60 Euros a day.
Car rental companies working at Oporto Airport are:
http://www.avis.com/AvisWeb/home/AvisHome
http://www.budgetportugal.com/ingles/index.php
http://worldwide.sixt.com/main/pt?/extern/carhire/Portugal
If you chose to travel to Portugal directly through the Airport of Lisbon please have in mind that this Airport is 200 km from Coimbra but it has more connecting flights from most international centres. If you are flying to Lisbon you can pick a connecting flight to Oporto but this will not save you time.
We suggest the following alternatives to travel from Lisbon to Coimbra:
By train
From Lisbon Airport you should take a taxi to the train station Gare do Oriente. It’s quite close and it should be around 10 Euros (extra 20% charge on weekends).
In Gare do Oriente train station look for the ticket office, for the ALFA train (full name is Alfa Pendular) or IC (Intercidades) train.
Hourly trains connect Lisbon and Oporto (except at night), and they all stop in Coimbra. It takes less than 2 hours to reach Coimbra by ALFA trains (ticket prices: 31.00 Euros in First Class (Comfort Class) and 21.50 Euros in Second Class (Touristic Class)) and some two and half hours by IC train (ticket prices: 20.00 Euros in First Class (Comfort Class) and 15.50 Euros in Second Class (Touristic Class)).
You can check the train time schedule here.
When you arrive at Coimbra B Station you may take another local train for the centre of the city (ticket price: 1.25 Euros) but the best way to reach your Hotel directly is to pick a taxi at Coimbra B Station. The ride should cost less than 8 Euros and can take four persons. A supplement may be required for the luggage.
Renting a Taxi or a Car
Renting a taxi can be relatively expensive but it may compensate if the number of passengers is three or four. It has the advantage to take you directly to your hotel. A taxi from Lisbon to Coimbra could cost around 250 Euros. There is a Tourist Office in the Arrivals Hall where you can buy a “taxi voucher”. We advise that you pay in advance for the taxi and avoid any problems or surprises when paying at the destination.
Renting a car at the Airport is quite easy as there are several companies. Average price for a 5 passenger car is about 50/60 Euros a day.
Car rental companies working at Lisbon Airport are:
http://www.avis.com/AvisWeb/home/AvisHome
http://www.budgetportugal.com/ingles/index.php
http://worldwide.sixt.com/main/pt?/extern/carhire/Portugal