In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Sintra (about 40 minutes from Rossio) and Cascais (38 to 40 minutes from Cais do Sodré) are CP trains at €5.10 return each, so do them on your own. Évora is about 1½ hours by Intercidades, €13.90 each way. Porto is 2 hours 39 minutes each way by Alfa Pendular from €35.70, so a day trip is about five and a half hours on trains. Óbidos and Nazaré are a bus each, Fátima a bus of 1 hour 20 minutes, and all four with Batalha are one coach tour, 9 to 10 hours. The Algarve is an 11 to 12 hour tour day. The Pena Palace time slot is the booking to make for Sintra. Or book a tour: the Sintra small-group tour with ticketsad (from £58.08) and the four-stop Fátima, Nazaré, Batalha and Óbidos tourad (from £43.05) are the two to compare (GetYourGuide, 1 October 2026).
The day trips compared
Train fares are CP’s, from its fare sheets for 2026; tour prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price on 1 October 2026 for one adult.
| Trip | Getting there | Fare | Tour from | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sintra | CP from Rossio, about 40 minutes | €5.10 return | £20.67 coach; £58.08 with tickets | Pena Palace is a timed slot: book it |
| Cascais | CP from Cais do Sodré, 38 to 40 minutes | €5.10 return | £55.52 (dolphin watching) | The museums close on Mondays |
| Évora | Intercidades from Lisboa Oriente, 1 hour 36 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes | €13.90 each way, €25.50 return, second class | £60.73 with Monsaraz | The Chapel of Bones is €7 |
| Porto | Alfa Pendular from Lisboa Oriente, 2 hours 39 minutes | From €35.70 each way, €64.50 return | £57.90 (13 hours) | About five and a half hours on trains in a day |
| Óbidos, Nazaré and Batalha | FlixBus to Nazaré, 1 hour 25 minutes; Rodoviária do Oeste bus to Óbidos | From £2.99 (Nazaré coach) | £43.05 small group, four stops | Batalha Monastery is €15 |
| Fátima | FlixBus from Lisbon Oriente, 1 hour 20 minutes | From £3.99 | £33.31 guided | The last coach back leaves at 21:15, before the 21:30 candle procession |
| The Algarve and Benagil | Coach or van tour | None | £76.02; £133.25 with the cave boat | 10 to 12 hours; a night in Lagos is the alternative |
When a tour is worth it
A tour earns its price where the stops are far apart:
- Óbidos, Nazaré, Batalha and Fátima: the small-group tour of all fourad (from £43.05, 4.9 stars from 2,032 reviews, 9 hours) links four towns that are separate journeys on your own. The cheaper coach versionad (from £33.48, 4.6 stars from 4,692 reviews) is 10 hours.
- The Algarve: the Algarve and Benagil Cave tourad (from £133.25, 4.8 stars from 1,135 reviews) is 11 to 12 hours, private or small group, with a boat ride to the cave included.
- Two in one: Sintra with Cabo da Roca and Cascais, which are awkward by train in a single day. The Sintra day trip guide compares the tours with the €5.10 train.
For Sintra, Cascais and Évora the train is simple, and a tour sells convenience rather than access. The €5.10 returns load on a Navegante card, which Lisbon public transport explains, and the Lisboa Card covers the Sintra and Cascais trains.
The trips
Sintra
CP from Rossio, about 40 minutes, €5.10 return · Pena Palace €20 · coach tour from £20.67
Palaces, a Moorish castle and parkland in the Sintra hills, with Pena Palace on a rocky peak. Pena is entered at a booked time with no tolerance for lateness, and since 8 July 2026 tour coaches stop outside the town centre (cm-sintra.pt). The Sintra day trip guide has the train, the buses, the Viver Sintra combined ticket (€42) and every tour, and Pena Palace tickets compares the Essential (€20) and Complete (€45) tickets.
Pena Palace, Sintra. Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Cascais
CP from Cais do Sodré, 38 to 40 minutes, €5.10 return · museums closed Mondays
A seaside town with museums, a coastal walkway to the Boca do Inferno and beaches. CP’s €9 Museum Quarter ticket covers the return train and four sites. Engineering works can put a replacement bus on the line in the evening: from 19:50 on Sundays, 20:50 on Saturdays and 21:50 on weekdays. The Cascais day trip guide has the museums’ hours and the tours.
Évora
Intercidades 1 hour 36 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, €13.90 each way in second class · Chapel of Bones €7 · tour with Monsaraz from £60.73
A walled town in the Alentejo. The Intercidades from Lisboa Oriente (also Entrecampos and Sete Rios) takes 1 hour 36 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, a second-class return is €25.50, and the station is about 20 minutes’ walk from the centre. The Rede Expressos bus is €11.90 single and €21.20 return, and its terminal is about 10 minutes’ walk away (cm-evora.pt, CP fare sheet 2026). The Igreja de São Francisco and its Chapel of Bones are €7, open daily from 9:00 and closed on 1 January, Easter Sunday, the afternoon of 24 December and 25 December. The Évora day trip guide has the train times, the cathedral and the Roman temple. A tour such as the Évora, Chapel of Bones, Monsaraz and Alentejo wines dayad (from £60.73, 4.8 stars from 283 reviews, 9 hours) earns its price only for Monsaraz, which the train does not reach.
Roman temple, Évora. Photo: Ingo Mehling, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Porto
Alfa Pendular 2 hours 39 minutes, from €35.70 each way, €64.50 return · about five and a half hours on trains
CP’s Alfa Pendular from Lisboa Oriente to Porto Campanhã costs €35.70 in second class (Turística) and €49.90 in Comfort each way, with a 2 hours 39 minute journey on CP’s timetable from 20 September 2026; a second-class return is €64.50. CP lists a notice for Alfa Pendular and Intercidades services on the northern line from 3 October to 1 November 2026, with a road transfer between Porto Campanhã and Aveiro. Staying a night in Porto avoids the hours of train. The Porto day trip guide has the times, the bus and what to do with a day. The Porto, Óbidos and Nazaré tourad (from £57.90, 4.5 stars from 1,608 reviews) is 13 hours and gives Porto only a few hours.
The Ribeira, Porto. Photo: Krzysztof Golik, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Óbidos, Nazaré and Batalha
FlixBus to Nazaré from 1 hour 25 minutes, from £2.99 · Batalha Monastery €15 · coach tour from £33.48
A medieval walled town, a fishing town on the Atlantic and a monastery. On your own, pick one: Nazaré is a FlixBus from Lisbon Oriente and Óbidos a Rodoviária do Oeste bus. The standard tour visits all four places, with Fátima, in one day. The Óbidos and Nazaré day trip guide has the buses, Batalha’s hours and the tours, including the Óbidos and Nazaré tourad (from £59.19, 4.8 stars from 551 reviews, 8 hours), which leaves out Fátima.
Fátima
FlixBus 1 hour 20 minutes, from £3.99 · free entry · tour from £33.31
A Catholic sanctuary with the Chapel of the Apparitions and two basilicas. The last FlixBus back to Lisbon leaves at 21:15, before the 21:30 rosary and candle procession; the pilgrimages include 12 to 13 May and 12 to 13 October. The Fátima day trip guide has the programme and the tours, such as the Fátima Sanctuary and Little Shepherds’ Town tourad (from £33.31, 4.8 stars from 588 reviews, 6 hours).
The Algarve and Benagil
Tour 10 to 12 hours · from £76.02
A long day south: tours from Lisbon run 10 to 12 hours, and the Algarve Adventures tourad (from £133.25) includes a boat ride to the Benagil Cave. A night in Lagos would leave more time at the coast than a day from Lisbon, most of it on the road. The Algarve day trip guide has the cave rules, the tours and the train and coach times.
Praia da Marinha, Lagoa. Photo: erikccooper, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Before you choose a day
The Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower and the museums in Cascais close on Mondays. A Monday suits Sintra, where the parks and palaces are open every day except 24 and 25 December and 31 December and 1 January. What to book before you go to Lisbon has the booking list and every closed day, and best time to visit Lisbon says which months suit a day out.
A hotel in Baixa is a short walk from Rossio for the Sintra train, and one in Cais do Sodré is on the Cascais line: where to stay in Lisbon compares the areas. If a day trip falls on an arrival or departure day, Lisbon airport to the city centre has the Metro and the taxi fare, and 3 days in Lisbon shows where a day in Sintra sits in a longer stay.
Common questions
What is the easiest day trip from Lisbon?
Cascais or Sintra. Both are CP trains with a €5.10 return: Cascais is 38 to 40 minutes from Cais do Sodré, Sintra about 40 minutes from Rossio. Pena Palace in Sintra needs a booked time slot.
Can you do Porto as a day trip from Lisbon?
Yes, but it is about five and a half hours on trains. The Alfa Pendular takes 2 hours 39 minutes to Porto on CP's timetable, from €35.70 each way or €64.50 return in second class. CP has a notice of a road transfer between Porto Campanhã and Aveiro for some Alfa Pendular and Intercidades services from 3 October to 1 November 2026. The Porto day trip guide has the times.
Can you visit Évora from Lisbon in a day by train?
Yes. The Intercidades from Lisboa Oriente takes 1 hour 36 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes and costs €13.90 each way or €25.50 return in second class (CP, 2026 prices). The Chapel of Bones ticket is €7.
Which day trips from Lisbon need a tour?
The Óbidos, Nazaré, Batalha and Fátima circuit, which is four stops in 9 to 10 hours on one coach, and the Algarve and Benagil, an 11 to 12 hour day. Sintra and Cascais are better on your own by train, and Nazaré, Óbidos and Fátima each have a bus if you pick one.
