One way car hire Portugal-Spain

Question to me on AllExperts.com

"We are travelling to Lisbon in March, hoping to rent a car to go up to oporto, then on into Spain to our daughter in Madrid and fly back to the UK from there. The problem is no-one except Avis will do an international one way rental at an extortionate price. We can get a car that will get us as far as Braganca in the north east of Portugal but how do we get from there into somewhere in Spain, eg Zamora or Salamanca, where we might be able to pick up a spanish car? grateful for any ideas."

My Reply:

In brief, with great difficulty!

There are no easy public transport links between towns in the interior of Portugal near the Spanish Border and Spain.

One Possible option however might be to head North from Porto to Viana da Castelo and then get the twice daily train from there to Vigo where you could pick up another hire car.

You can download a copy of the timetable from my blog:

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/

Scroll down on the left to the section:

>>Algarve & Portugal - Travel Transport Links

and then click on:

Porto - Vigo Train Timetable (PDF)

www.alsa.es also operate a daily bus service between Guarda and Salamanca as follows:

Dept: Guarda 12:30
Arr: Salamnca: 16:30

This might also be an option.

Hope this helps

Lisbon to Vigo

The long distance coach company Internorte -

http://www.internorte.pt

- operates a daily departure from Lisbon Gare Oriente to Vigo.

LISBOA-GARE ORIENTE 09.15H
VIGO 17.30H

Note there are two departures on Fridays and Sundays.

By Rail there is only one connecting train departure daily from Lisbon Gare Oriente via Porto Campanha station to Vigo in Spain:

Depart Lisbon Oriente: 14:09
Arrive Porto Campanha: 16:44
Deaprt Porto Campanha: 17:55
Arrive Vigo : 22:37

Please note that these times are based on the summer 2007 timetable. New timetables may enter force at the end of September.

For more sources see:

http://www.cp.pt
http://www.renfe.es
http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com

Porto to La Coruna (Spain)

There are three options:

1) Rail:

Two through train departures daily from Porto Campanha station to Vigo in Spain at

07:55 arriving 12:15

and

17:55 arriving 22:37

Connecting Through trains to A Coruna are:

12:45 arriving 15:50

05:50 arriving 08:50 (next day)

For sources see:

www.cp.pt
www.renfe.es

2) Hire a car but there will be a hefty drop of charge for one way.

3) Coach

There is a direct service operated by Internorte - see:

www.internorte.pt

On week days there is a service leaving Porto Sá Carneiro Airport at

08:15 arriving 12:45
14:45 arriving 19:45

On Saturday and Sunday there is only one service at

14:45 arriving 19:45