Lisbon's delightful main station
Santa Apolonia is the main terminus in Lisbon city centre, a 25 minute walk from the old centre and where the blue line metro starts. It's a beautiful well-kept station, a pleasure to use. It's the best place to board trains to Porto, which usually start from Santa Apolonia before calling at Lisbon Oriente.
Santa Apolonia:Which station in Lisbon? See map
Santa Apolonia is the main terminus in the city centre, trains to Porto usually start here before calling at Lisbon Oriente.
Oriente is some 8 km northeast of the city centre, an 8-minute suburban train ride from Santa Apolonia. Trains to Faro & the Algarve start from here.
Rossio is the terminus for local trains to the pretty town of Sintra, it's a classic station in the heart of Lisbon's old city.
Cais do Sodre is the terminus for local trains to Belém (for the Monument to the Discoveries & Belém Tower) and Cascais.
Entrance
Main hall, tickets & reservations
The ticket office is in the main hall, inside the entrance. You'll also find luggage lockers and the main departure boards here.
Platforms
Lisbon Santa Apolonia is a fairly small station with just 6 platforms. The departures board in the main hall tells you the platform for your train.
Platforms 3 & 5 are in the main trainshed, in the photo below platform 3 is on the left, platform 5 on the right. There's no platform 4.
Platforms 1 & 2 are on the left just outside the trainshed, to reach them, walk along platform 3.
Platforms 6 & 7 are on the right just outside the trainshed, to reach them, walk along platform 5.
Luggage lockers
There are two blocks of luggage lockers, one in the main hall opposite the ticket office (pictured below), and another in behind platform 3 near the cafe. Payment is with coins, you pay up front for the first hour and pay the remainder when retrieving your bags. Make sure you set aside enough coins for this and don't assume every coin will work the mechanism, one euro coin was repeatedly rejected so I had to break a note at the nearby shop to get my bag out! See the left luggage page for prices. How to use the lockers.
Somewhere to eat & drink
There's a cafe in the building alongside platform 3, next to a waiting room. If you find anywhere good to eat in the area, let me know!
Supermarket
There's a minimarket on platform 5, the ideal place to stock up for a journey.
Local transport
Walking
It's a 27 minute 1.9 km walk from Santa Apolonia to the heart of the old town, see walking map.
Suburban trains to Lisbon Oriente
The simplest way to reach Oriente station (for trains to Faro & the Algarve) is to hop on a suburban train. These run every 30-60 minutes, taking 8 minutes. Check times at www.cp.pt or using the CP app on your phone. It's just 1 stop by InterRegional train (IR), 2 stops by suburban train (U for Urbano).
If you have a ticket for an Alfa Pendular or Intercity starting from Oriente, you can take an Urbano from Santa Apolonia free of charge in the hour before your train leaves.
If you have a ticket for an Alfa Pendular or Intercity arriving at Oriente, you can take an Urbano to Santa Apolonia free of charge in the hour after your train arrives.
Metro
The escalators down to the metro are on platform 5. The metro is an easy way to get around, you can now simply touch in at the ticket gates with any contactless bank card and your account will be debited with the fare. Alternatively, metro ticket machines accept cash or cards and sell one-way tickets and a good-value all-day ticket. They have a touch screen with English language button. For a metro map & information see www.metrolisboa.pt.
To Rossio station for trains to Sintra: Take the blue line metro 3 stops to Restauradores station, which is adjacent to Rossio mainline station.
To Martim Moniz for the 28 tram: Take the blue line metro 2 stops from Santa Apolonia to Baixa-Chiado, then the green line metro 2 stops to Martim Moniz.
To Cais do Sodre station for suburban trains to Belém (for the Belém Tower) and Caiscais. Take the blue line from Santa Apolonia to Baixa-Chiado and change onto the green line to Cais do Sodre. How to reach the Belem tower & Monument to the Discoveries.
To Lisbon Oriente station by metro: Take the metro blue line 7 stops to S. Sebastião, then the red line 8 stops to Oriente.
Above, entrance to the metro on platform 5. Below, a metro train at Santa Apolonia metro station.
Rossio station & trains to Sintra
Rossio is one of Europe's most beautiful stations, terminus for the frequent local trains to Sintra, a popular town to visit near the coast. The station is located in the heart of Lisbon's old city, the nearest metro station is Restauradores on the blue line direct from Santa Apolonia (and not Rossio metro station). Trains to Sintra leave every 20 minutes, journey time 40 minutes, check times at www.cp.pt or using the CP app on your phone.
The beautiful facade of Lisbon Rossio. Inside, an escalator takes up to the booking hall and trains, which are on a much higher level.
Above, Rossio station's simple but elegant booking hall and ticket office.
Rossio trainshed, with trains to Sintra visible. Note the ticket gates.
Train to Sintra leave every 20 minutes, journey time 40 minutes, check times at www.cp.pt.
Cais do Sodre station
Cais do Sodre handles frequent suburban trains to Belém and Cascais. Belém is the closest station to Lisbon's famous Belém tower and iconic Monument of the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos).
Cais do Sodre station's classic exterior.
Beyond the elegant classic entrance hall is a modern concrete concourse with ticket office.
Monument to the Discoveries & Belém tower
The Monument to the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos) is Lisbon's most iconic monument, and the nearby Belém tower is another symbol of Lisbon. They're 7 km west of Lisbon city centre, 8 km west of Santa Apolonia station, here's how to reach them by public transport:
1. Take the metro to Cais do Sodre, it's the terminus of the green line. For a metro map & information see www.metrolisboa.pt.
2. At Cais do Sodre station, buy a ticket from the machines or staffed counter and go through the ticket gates onto the platforms. The ticket machines have a touch screen and can be used in English.
3. Trains leave Cais do Sodre every 20 minutes for Belém, journey time 7 minutes. Look up train times at www.cp.pt or using the CP app on your phone.
4. Get off at Belém station, just 3 stops from Cais do Sodre. Head over the footbridge to the seaward side. Trains arrive on the nearside platform, trains back to Lisbon leave from the far side platform.
5. From Belém station it's 12 minutes walk to the Monument to the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos) and another 13 minutes to the Belém tower, see walking map.
Lisbon's 28 tram
Lisbon's old trams have become a tourist attraction, especially tram route 28. Trams leave from the terminus shown below, near Martim Moniz metro station on the green line. A queue of tourists packs tram after tram as they arrive and depart, it's doubtful that any locals can use it as a transport service! For more about the 28 tram see lisbonlisboaportugal.com/lisbon-transport/lisbon-tram-28.html or www.lisbonportugaltourism.com/transportation/tram-28-route-and-stops.html.
