Portugal's Rail & Tourist Systems
PLANNING FOR THE TRIP:
Traveling to anywhere can be a hassle, but when traveling to a foreign nation one may consider it to be a nightmare, or a challenge at best. There are tons of reservations that have to be made, there are hotel and motels to be selected, dinning places to consider, attractions and events for which to plan, and there are transportation selections that need to be arranged.
GUIDED TOURS:
Many people take guided tours where everything is done for them, which is great except many attractions are overlooked or just not included in the expensive 'boilerplate' or 'prepackaged' tours.
DRIVING IN PORTUGAL:
Some people plan out their tour and then drive or rent a car at the location. This too is great if you want to have to learn the rules of the road of a foreign nation, and you want to pay rental, rental insurance, road fees and tolls, parking fees, gasolines costs; and then have to plot out hundreds of miles inch by inch, on a mapping application.
DIRECTIONS TO ATTRACTIONS:
Cities like Lisbon and Porto in Portugal have tons of very narrow and mostly one-way streets and unless you know exactly where you are going you can easily end up lost or in some alley where you cannot easily extract yourself.
ATTRACTIONS:
The manual has the popular CP.pt train stations and routes along with the attractions you might consider seeing when getting off at the station. 24 of the popular tourists towns are listed with hundreds of attractions.
Example: The Estação CP Tomar rail station is near the Castelo de Tomar and is close to the train station, but the walk from the station is uphill and you should consider a Tuk Tuk or other public transport for getting to it.
BUS & TRAIN TOURING:
Using the bus or train systems for many may be the better way to see the attractions, and do so more relaxed and in relative safety. This manual is designed to provide you the traveler with needed and essential information when traveling to and touring Portugal. It provides the basics of rail travel in Portugal with link addresses to websites where you can obtain very detailed information.
TRAIN TICKETS:
There is a segment on how to use the CP.pt ticketing machines or how to order tickets on-line.
TRAVEL CLASSES & DISCOUNT TICKETS
The manual describes the different tickets that are available and the possible seating and travel classes, with what each offers.
EUROPEAN CONNECTIONS:
There are a few pages that describe the European Rail System and how it interconnects with the Portuguese Rail System.
DAY TRIPS:
The book contains a section of Day Trips that you might consider.
INCLUDED EXTRAS:
The manual contains a listing of Train Museums, and a several tips on Luggage Storage while waiting for the hotel room or just wanting to tour without baggage.
TRANSLATIONS:
Yes, there are a few pages on the Portuguese to English translations of terms you may need to understand while considering using rail transport.
AIRPORT INTERFACE:
There are a few pages about the airports and how each interfaces with the Portugal Metro system.
METRO SYSTEMS:
Lisbon and Porto have subway systems that are termed the 'Metro' and each has its own stops, ticketing systems, and schedules. This manual will aid you in understanding the METRO.
KEEPING INFORMED:
How to register for CP.pt information email is included
RULES:
What you can or can not do when riding the rails in Portugal is included.
HISTORIC TRAINS:
Portugal's has three historic trains that you may consider riding on, and the manual provides you with boarding information.
TOC & INDEX:
Study the Table of Contents and the Index; you will see that the author has covered hundreds of details that many Portugal Car/Bus/Train Travel books do not. Enj
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