Page checked and updated 11th June 2018
I have no easy means to check or update so please confirm through sources given below.
GUARDA (pop.42,000, urban area 55,000) is a city of Northeastern Portugal. It is not in the Algarve - I was visiting! The city is about 197 miles / 316 km by road from Lisbon and 126 miles /202km from Porto.
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, all trains to Guarda
start from the city centre SANTA APOLÓNIA station.
Check all details and buy your intercity tickets at www.cp.pt nb tickets can only be bought a
maximum of 60 days in advance.
From Lisbon Santa Apolónia there are three direct Intercity trains
each day. Departures at 0830, 1330 and 1830. One way ticket
without discount €21,10 second class, €29,30 1st class. Return
journeys from Guarda to Lisbon at 0707, 1307 and 1809.
These also stop at Lisbon Oriente (much closer to the airport) 9 minutes after leaving Santa Apolónia. Journey time to Guarda approx 4hrs 20 minutes.
Reservation is required on all InterCity trains. You can buy a
ticket at the last minute but if the train is full you will have
to wait until the next one. There are also up to four connections
daily using regional trains, changing en route at Coimbra - B from
Intercity or ALFA trains to regional trains. These trains take one
or even two hours longer than the Intercity trains and can be more
expensive that the direct trains.
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.
You can also travel to and from Guarda on the International train operated by RENFE (Spanish Railways) but at a much higher price. The train from Lisbon leaves Santa Apolónia at 2125hrs arriving in Guarda at 0144hrs. The train towards Lisbon leaves Guarda at 0150hrs, arriving at Santa Apolónia at 0730hrs. Both trains also stop at Lisbon Oriente for the airport. Tickets are NOT SOLD BY Portugal Railways. Go to www.renfe.com or the accredited site www.loco2.com for ticket purchase. Reservations are essential. This train often sells out as it is the only cross border train between Lisbon and Madrid.
You will 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 underground metro 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 €1,95.
There is also a direct special bus, Aerobus 2, running about every 20 minutes. 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 - Guarda times, remember it's LISBOA on the timetable
search. All journeys are operated by Citi-Express. One-way fare is
currently €17.10 and the journey takes about 4 hrs 30 minutes. There
are five journeys each way on weekdays, three on Saturdays and two
on Sundays. Extra journeys operate in both directions on Friday
and Sunday evenings during University terms. Reservations are
strongly recommended for travel on Friday and Sunday afternoons
and evenings.
There is no direct route by train. Travel by IC train from Porto
Campanhã to Pampilhosa and change there. Shortest journey
time is 2 hours 50 minutes, most other journeys around 4 hours.
The latter option does compare badly with the coach (bus) services
which take a more direct route. There are five or six trains
available each day.
One way full price 2nd class ticket €20,90 using Intercity
trains. Details and ticket purchase at www.cp.pt
There is a direct metro connection between Porto Airport and
Campanhã station.
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.
Rede-Expressos runs from Porto Campo 24 de Agosto Bus Station, journey
is about 3 hours. There are four or five journeys every day, with
additional journeys in both directions on Fridays and Sundays
during University term times.
One way ticket is €13,70. Tickets can
be bought on line up to 30 days in advance at the Rede Expressos
website www.rede-expressos.pt
The Campo 24 de Agosto bus terminal is a short distance outside Porto city centre, about two minutes walk from the Campo 24 de Agosto metro station and is served by numerous city bus routes.
RODONORTE
also has two journeys on weekdays and one on Sundays between Guarda
and Bragança with connections at Vila Real for Porto.
Guarda is a stop for the International Sud Express train from
Írun via San Sebastian, Vallodolid and Salamanca and the Lusitania
Hotel train from Madrid via Salamanca. These trains are combined
as one train between Salamanca and Lisbon via Guarda. It runs
overnight in both directions and is the ONLY train across the
border. It is operated by RENFE (Spanish Railways) and for the
essential reservations and further details visit their website www.renfe.com
or www.loco2.com - in both directions the stop at Guarda is made in the
very early hours of the morning.
There is a once daily coach (long distance bus) passing through
Guarda on its way between Porto and Madrid. See www.alsa.es for
times and tickets. There is also a service three times a week
across north western Spain towards France with connections to all
parts of Europe. Website www.eurolines.com for details and tickets.
The old city is on top of a tall hill. The railway station
is about 2 miles / 3km from the city centre. There is
a bus service between the station and the city centre about every
30 - 60 minutes on weekdays, less often at weekends. See below for
details. The bus station (Centro Coordenador de Transportes) is
just outside the old city, in Rua António Sérgio next to the
Municipal market. Map link http://www.citiexpress.eu/agente/guarda
Once you are up in the old city it is walkable if rather hilly. You cannot easily drive around there anyway! The city and suburbs have a network of five bus routes operated under the name Transportes Urbanos da Guarda. Website is only in Portuguese. These all stop outside the main bus station or the Mercado Municipal, which is adjacent.
Route 1 also stops at the railway station. This runs at irregular times, but about every 30 minutes on weekdays during busy times, every hour at other times with part of the route having buses until around 2300hrs. At weekends it runs only three times each way. Route 2 is the only other route with daily service, with two journeys each way on Saturdays and Sundays. The remaining three run only on weekdays.
Some of the buses used do not display the route number, just the
destination. Ticket is €1,10 for any journey paid cash. A pre pay
block of ten tickets costs €8 and monthly pass €24. The pre pay tickets
and passes are sold at the bus station ticket office.
The Guarda municipal stadium is within walking distance of the
city centre. No buses pass nearby. Guarda however has no team in
the top three levels of Portuguese football.
If you have any comments or updates for this page, I will be
pleased to receive them by email.
For more about Guarda as a city, please see this Wikipedia
article
I take no responsibility for any inconvenience caused as a result of later changes to times etc. This page is for general guidance only and you must check details before making commitments and decisions!