How to Get Around Portugal

Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport and Porto's Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport are Portugal's two main international gateways, with Faro's airport in the Algarve handling a large share of seasonal charter and package-holiday traffic.

High-speed and regional trains connect Lisbon, Porto, and Coimbra along Portugal's main north-south rail corridor, making a car unnecessary for a city-focused trip.

A car becomes genuinely useful for the Douro Valley, the Algarve's smaller coastal towns, and rural Alentejo, none of which are well served by public transit.

The Azores and Madeira are reached by domestic flights from the mainland, and getting around either island group typically requires a rental car or organized tour, since public transit is limited.