How to Book Train Travel From Lisbon to Madrid
Train travel between Lisbon, Portugal, and Madrid, Spain, is fast and hassle-free. Follow these steps to book your tickets.
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Instructions
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Book Your Train Tickets From Lisbon to Madrid
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Visit the Eurail or CP Passengers Web sites to book your tickets (see the Resources section below). CP Passengers and Eurail do not offer booking telephone numbers. However, you can call CP Passengers at 011 (+351) 213 185 990 to ask questions.
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Select your travel times carefully, since daytime seats almost always cost more. Choose a direct overnight sleeper train from Lisbon's Oriente station to Madrid, or book a less-expensive trip with connections. For the least expensive route, take a train to a western Spanish city, like Irun, then ride a night train into Madrid.
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Enter your dates, destinations and criteria. View fare options and note the different train speeds. Your trip will take at least 8 hours, so set aside a day for travel. Spain's fastest train is on the AVE system, but tickets cost substantially more.
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Choose your favorite route and book your tickets. Select general seating or pay more for reserved seats.
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Buy a sleeper car or couchette for an additional fee. Train travel tends to be reasonably priced.
Travel to Madrid
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Make your way to the Lisbon railway station where your train departs. Find the platform on posted monitors.
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Visit a teller to change any part of your ticket, or go directly to the platform.
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Keep your luggage with you until you board the train, and then store your larger pieces on racks at the front of the car.
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Tips & Warnings
011 is the dialing prefix used for telephoning abroad from the United States. If you're calling from another country, check which international dialing prefix to use. All country codes are within parentheses and begin with a "+" sign.
Book travel online to find Internet-only discounts.
Is this your only train trip within Europe? If the answer is no, consider a Eurail pass instead of single tickets.
Trains within Spain are more expensive than those in Portugal, so budget accordingly.
Call the station before departing; weather delays are common.
Be mindful of restrictions for the various Eurail passes; most carry time and location limitations. In addition, you can use some Eurail passes only during off-hours.
