What you should know about commuting in Portugal

Getting around in a new country can honestly be a bit of a nightmare, especially if you don’t know the language very well. Whether you’re a digital nomad crisscrossing the country on trains and busses or you’re a remote worker trying to get to your favorite café by metro, you need to know how to commute and travel in Portugal.

Large cities in Portugal can be difficult to navigate at any time of day but during the rush hour, they can be virtually impassable using busses. This isn’t such a big problem in cities such as Lisbon or Porto, where you can use the clean and air-conditioned metro.

But in other cities, it’s worth considering whether it’s not easier to simply walk where you need to be. Walking may sound terrible, but just like in most European cities, you might be surprised at how pleasant and quick it is, especially if you get a furnished rental near the city center.

Alternatively, you might want to try biking or renting a car – both of which can reduce your commuting time considerably. Bikers have been on the rise recently and Lisbon even built bike lanes to accommodate them.

Traveling across Portugal can be done in many ways. One of the most comfortable ones is using the train system. Companies such as The Alfa-Pendular provide a wide variety of services from an economy to 1st class.

And while trains will get you to all the larger cities and even some of the more remote destinations, if you really need to get somewhere off the beaten path, you’ll need to catch a bus. Alternatively, you might want to consider buying or renting a car (side note: renting a car is fairly inexpensive but the various insurance is where the price can rise). Driving in Portugal is, depending on where you’re from, either normal or somewhat scary.

The country is known for a slightly higher rate of reckless drivers than most countries. The government’s reaction to this has been a recent tightening of rules and an increase in fines. So overall, some experience with driving is recommended before you drive in Portugal.

With that said, if you drive across the country and don’t use the motorways you might think we’re exaggerating. But many have horror stories when it comes to the A1 and A2 motorways between Lisbon and Porto and once you reach the cities themselves, you might not find yourself in any less a difficult driving environment.

If you do need to use the toll highways, lookout for a “Via Verde” card which grants you access to the unified electronic toll booth system in Portugal. You can also travel without a card, but you will find yourself paying for the many toll booths between major cities.