ÉVORA - how to get there by train or bus and how to get around

MOST CROSS BORDER BUS / COACH SERVICES ARE CURRENTLY SUSPENDED

I have no easy means to check or update so please confirm through sources given below. PLEASE CHECK AT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITES.

Évora (pop 57,000) is a very historic city of central Portugal. It is not in the Algarve - I was visiting! It stands about 226km /140 miles north of Albufeira in the Algarve and about 136km / 85 miles east of Lisbon.

From Lisbon Airport and City to Évora by train 

If you are not planning to spend time in Lisbon, you will need to get from the Airport to LISBOA ORIENTE station. This is now very simple using the Lisbon metro (subway) from the airport station. Trains run to Oriente station every few minutes from 0630 until 0100 every night. The journey takes about 5 minutes. There is also city bus 744 to Oriente. City bus details at http://www.carris.pt/
 
If you are planning to spend time in Lisbon, trains to Évora start from LISBON ORIENTE station. They also stop at Lisbon Entrecampos and Lisbon Sete Rios before heading over the bridge and towards Évora. Check which station is most convenient. All are on the Lisbon metro and have many bus connections. Check timetables and buy tickets at www.cp.pt - seat reservations are required for all trains.

There are currently only FOUR trains each weekday, leaving Lisbon Oriente at 0702, 0902, 1702 and 1902. At weekends and on public holidays there are only THREE trains, at 0952, 1702 and 1902. These trains also call at Entrecampos and Sete Rios stations in Lisbon, which are nearer the city centre.

Journey time to Évora is about 1 hour 30 minutes. One way ticket (full price) €16,55 first class, €12,45 second class.

Return trains leave Évora on weekdays at 0706, 0906, 1657 and 1906, on weekends and holidays at 0906, 1657 and 1906.

Reservations for train trips in Portugal can only be made up to a MAXIMUM of 60 days in advance. You can reserve on line at www.cp.pt and print your own ticket. A big discount is available on many trains for tickets purchased more than 8 days in advance. DO NOT use RailEurope etc as they cannot issue the required seat reservation for which you will pay extra.

Lisbon - Évora by bus (coach) - operated by Rede Expressos

You will probably need to make your way from the airport to the SETE RIOS bus terminal. This is about 3 miles/5km from the airport and is linked to it by the metro Red line. Take any train to the end of the line at São Sebastião, then change to the Blue line for a two stop ride to Jardim Zoológico station, which is adjacent to Sete Rios. Trains run every few minutes from 0630 daily. The journey will take around 25 minutes and cost €2.

There is also a direct bus, Aerobus 2, from the airport to Sete Rios but running only once each hour from 0800 to 1900hrs. Consult the Aerobus website for details. For your bus options from elsewhere in the city check the city bus website at http://www.carris.pt/

Consult the long distance bus website www.rede-expressos.pt for Lisbon - Évora times, remember it's LISBOA on the timetable search. One-way fare is currently €12,50 and the journey takes about 1hr 45 minutes. There are about 15 journeys every day - click here for more detail.

In addition to the main service from Sete Rios, there are two direct journeys every day from Lisbon Oriente bus station, which is much closer to the airport. Currently (April 2021) these leave at 1500 and 1600hrs. Same website for tickets.

Rede Expressos also covers journeys to Évora from many towns and cities through Portugal. There are a few direct services from some Algarve towns eg Faro and Albufeira. Tickets can be bought on line up to 30 days in advance at the Rede Expressos website www.rede-expressos.pt. Reservation is strongly advised if planning to travel in either direction on Friday afternoons and Sunday evenings during the University and college terms, also around major holidays.

Arriving in Évora

Évora railway station is 10 - 15 minutes walk to the city centre and hotels. Taxis are available. There are local buses on weekdays, but there is no timetable information at the bus stop.

The bus station (terminal) is a closer to the city centre, in Avenida Túlio Espanca almost opposite the Vila Galé hotel. Taxis are available, as well as a number of local bus connections for which see below. The tourist office is right in the city centre, at Praça do Giraldo, number 73.

Getting around in Évora

Évora is a walkable city, but some parts are a little hilly! If you need local buses around the city and immediate suburbs, consult the local bus company website at http://www.trevo.com.pt/pt/default.html which is only in Portuguese, or consult my additional information here.

Further afield from Évora - trains, local and regional buses

Évora is at the end of the railway line, so the train does not give any options apart from getting back to Lisbon. You can, with a change of train at Pinhal Novo, travel from and back to various towns in the Algarve, but the number of trains is obviously very limited.

City buses in Évora

For the duration of the 'crisis' the city buses are running a reduced service. In particular the two Linha Azul routes are operating only between 0900 and 1700 and on weekdays only. Check the official website for full details.

The city bus website is www.trevo.com.pt - it is only in Portuguese. The two routes likely to be of most value to visitors are the two Linha Azul routes, numbers 51 and 52. These are currently (April 2021) running every 30 minutes to and from the bus station through and around the old city. Service on these runs from 0900 to 1700 on weekdays. There is no service outside these hours. Details here. [the 'normal' service on the routes was a bus every 15 minutes on weekdays between 0800 and 2000, from 0800 to 1400 on Saturdays).Other routes run out to more distant suburbs at irregular intervals, especially at weekends when only a skeleton service is provided, with some routes not operating at all.

A single trip ticket is €1,30 except on Linha Azul (both) where the fare is €1 all day! If staying a while or using the buses more than five times, a ten trip pre pay ticket is  €5,20 and a 20 trip ticket  €10,40. These are available at the bus station, but not on board.

Comments and updates

If you have any comments or updates for this page, I will be pleased to receive them by email. For more about Évora as a city, please see this Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Évora

Additional information about buses in the area

DURING THE CURRENT 'CRISIS' THESE BUS TIMES MAY ALTERED AT VERY SHORT NOTICE.
PLEASE CHECK AT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE FOR THE TIMES ON THE DATE YOU PLAN TO TRAVEL.

Évora - buses useful to visitors for day trips out. There are no buses I know of that go to anywhere near the megaliths.

Many routes around Évora operate only once a day, into the city in the morning and returning in the afternoon. I have not included these as they are of no value to a visitor based in the city.

All regional buses are operated by Rodoviária do Alentejo - website www.rodalentejo.pt only in  Portuguese. There is neither a map nor list of routes. You can search for point to point services between any two places but if there are none direct, nothing is shown.

For timetables click the link. Buses DO NOT RUN at weekends and public holidays unless specifically stated. Some routes have extra buses or run at different times on SCHOOLDAYS (Periodo Escolar). Check for times around local holidays as some routes do not operate on Carnaval day (Shrove Tuesday, which is an unofficial holiday but widely observed) also some do not run on the Monday after Easter Sunday.

Route numbers are not shown on the buses, only the destination as below. Timetables are on display at the bus station.

For a simple map showing these routes, click here.

Azaruja for the cork factory (Azaruja is about 10 miles / 16km from Évora) take the bus going to Estremoz at 1025 returning at 1435 (except in August) and 1805. Journey is 27 minutes to Azaruja.

8007 to Estremoz via Arraiolos - SERVICE SUSPENDED - see also 8076 and 8205 below

8076 to Arraiolos - one bus each way http://www.rodalentejo.pt/XlsHtml/h076.pdf see also 8007 above and 8205 below

8102 to Reguengos Monsarraz via Montoito - Three buses each way plus a very early journey on schooldays from Évora http://www.rodalentejo.pt/XlsHtml/H102.pdf (see also 8902 below)

8104 to Estremoz via Vale Pereiro - three buses each way http://www.rodalentejo.pt/XlsHtml/H104.pdf

8558 to Badajoz- discontinued. See below for limited alternatives.

8902A to Reguengos Monsarraz via Vendinha - four or five buses each way, but from Évora there are none before 1300hrs!  http://www.rodalentejo.pt/XlsHtml/H902A.pdf

8902C fast bus to Montemor o Novo - Vendas Novas - Setubal from Évora at 1015 weekdays only, returning from Setubal at 1300 and1615 http://www.rodalentejo.pt/XlsHtml/H902C.pdf  -see also 8551 above and 8902E below

8902E slow bus to Montemor o Novo - Vendas Novas - Landeira - Setubal from Évora at 0630, 0900 and 1015. Return from Setubal at 1200, 1615 and 1835. http://www.rodalentejo.pt/XlsHtml/H902E.pdf - complete service is six buses each way on weekdays. All weekend and holiday service on this route has ceased.

8976 to Elvas via Redondo, Borba and Terrugem about 2 hours journey. One bus from Évora at 0815 during school holidays only returning at 1330.  There is one other bus from Évora to Elvas, at 1700.  From Elvas to Évora on weekdays at 1330 (school holidays) but 1345 on schooldays. Full times at http://www.rodalentejo.pt/XlsHtml/H976.pdf Rede-Expressos also operates four or five daily journeys to Elvas but there are no outbound journeys between 0015 and 1345.

OTHER BUSES TO BEJA

Operated by Rede-Expressos http://www.rede-expressos.pt tickets must be obtained before boarding. Journey time is 1 hour 15 minutes. One way standard fare is €8.00. Discounted tickets may be available.

Please check timetables! Currently (April 2021) there is no journey from Évora before 1100. There are five journeys each way.

Rede Expressos also has services to other towns, some not served by Rodoalentejo. Check their website for times and do so carefully as some require a change en route and some are very infrequent.

LOCAL TRAINS AROUND ÉVORA

Local train service was discontinued some years ago. The only trains at Évora are the four weekday (three at weekends) trains to and from Lisbon. These stop at Casa Branca, Vendas Novas, Pinhal Novo (for connections to Setubal and the Algarve) then on to the stations in Lisbon. Reservation is essential - see above.

It is possible to travel by train between Évora and Beja by changing at Casa Branca, but the trip will take an hour longer than the buses above, which take a direct route.

CONNECTIONS FROM ÉVORA TO BADAJOZ (SPAIN) VIA ELVAS

DURING THE CURRENT 'CRISIS' THESE BUS TIMES MAY ALTERED AT VERY SHORT NOTICE.
MOST CROSS BORDER BUS SERVICE IS CANCELLED. THERE ARE NO TRAINS FROM ÉVORA INTO SPAIN
PLEASE CHECK AT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITES FOR THE TIMES ON THE EXACT DATE YOU PLAN TO TRAVEL.

FLIXBUS - www.flixbus.com - have a direct journey Évora to Badajoz at 1210hrs but this does not run every day. Arrival at Badajoz is at 1435hrs Spanish time. Also, they do not use Évora bus station as their stop. Times in detail and ticket purchase at their website. The return journey from Badajoz to Évora is at 1455 with arrival in Évora at 1520 Portuguese time.

REDE EXPRESSOS ( www.rede-expressos.pt ) has a direct daytime journey at 1030hrs, every day and a very late journey at 2330hrs with arrival in Badajoz at 0130 Spanish time. Tickets are available at their website or at Évora bus station. NB tickets for the night journey must be purchased in advance. The ticket office is not open. From Badajoz to Évora at 0400 daily, arrival in Évora 0415 Portuguese time and at 1545 daily.

In addition, one train each day and two local buses on weekdays cross the border between Elvas, Portugal and the Spanish town of Badajoz. Problem is that Elvas is a long way from Évora, there are no trains and there are very few local buses. Connections I have found are as below. Tickets cannot be bought on websites for other than Rede Expressos journeys.

THESE LOCAL CROSS BORDER SERVICES ARE SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

The 1300 (Fridays) and the 1830 journeys from Elvas and the 1345 from Évora are operated by Rede-Expressos.