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How to travel by train from London to Lisbon, Portugal

Travel from London to Lisbon with just one overnight stop en route by taking the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris and then travel down to Barcelona where you stay overnight before taking the morning train across to Madrid and on to Lisbon.

Portugal's beautiful, historic coastal capital is a wonderful place to visit. Packed with historic ruins, architectural splendours, homely places so stay, superb restaurants, a characteful old town, trams, and even a few beaches.


Lisbon's trams are an iconic part of the city's identity. Wix Media
Lisbon's trams are an iconic part of the city's identity. Wix Media

Flight-free travel by train from London to Lisbon

Journey Time: approximately 36 hours

Sample timetable: Depart London 09.31am, arrive Lisbon 10.25pm the following evening

Changes: 3

Transfers: Paris, Barcelona (overnight), Madrid

Carbon emissions: 10.95kg (flight would be 251.59kg)*

Tickets provided by Trainline, which allows you to buy tickets for multiple train operators in multiple European countries. It does charge a small booking fee, but offers several useful facilities, such as a free email alert service to let you know as soon as bookings open for your chosen route so you can snap up the cheapest tickets when they become available.

How to book train tickets as part of a package with accommodation

If you want someone to book the whole journey for you or combine it with staying in hotels en route, get in touch with the travel agent Byway through its page for booking enquiries.

On Board Eurostar

For ticket types (Standard, Plus and Premier) and information on what it's like on board, see our Guide to Eurostar

What's the journey like?

Take the Eurostar from London St Pancras International Railway Station to Paris Gare du Nord and then transfer across the city to Gare de Lyon, which can take about half an hour on the Paris metro (though we recommend you leave at least 50 minutes for the entire transfer - see our guide to How to transfer between train stations across Paris); at Gare de Lyon take the train south to Barcelona where you stay overnight and then catch the morning train to Madrid, where you change trains to catch the high speed across the Spanish/Portuguese border all the way to Lisbon Santa Apolonia.

Miss your connection?

Don’t panic. Railteam’s ‘Hop on the Next Available Train’ service means that if you have missed your connection because of a delay on the preceding leg of your journey, you’ll automatically be put on the next available high-speed train. NB Remember to get your ticket stamped by your Train Manager.

Stopover in Paris 🏠

If you want to break the journey and stay overnight to see a bit more of Paris while you're travelling through, there are lots of lovely places to stay conveniently near the two railway stations (ie the station you arrive at on the Eurostar in Paris – Gare du Nord, and the station that you depart from Paris – Gare de Lyon).


Hotels close to Gare du Nord 🚉

Grand Hotel de Paris and Hôtel Kabanel are just a few minutes walk from Gare du Nord (and Gare de L'Est so also great if you're heading out east). Rooms from about €100 per night. For more hotels near the station, see Hotels near Gare du Nord


Hotels close to Gare de Lyon 🚉

citizenM Paris Gare de Lyon is one of 5 citizenM hotels in Paris that aim to provide 'affordable luxury' in central city locations. Billed as 'hybrid hotels', they're as much about places to work as they are to sleep, with the idea that you can meet local people in a smart, cozy environment. For more hotels near the station, see Hotels near Gare de Lyon


Green Traveller's Top Pick 💚

Mob Hotel is a particularly environmentally friendly and socially conscious hotel that's in the heart of St Ouen, just a few miles north of Gare du Nord and close to the Garibaldi metro station (line 13). The hotel is all about being socially engaged within its neighbourhood (the artistic creations of local craftspeople are everywhere), but it also has strong eco credentials, such as water jugs rather than plastic bottles, refillable toiletries and organic cosmetics in the rooms. The restaurant is fully organic with a seasonal menu that draws on produce from farming cooperatives or direct from local producers (they also make their own honey and beer).


Eco-certified hotels in Paris ✔️

If you're looking for other green hotels in the French Capital, then these have all been certified by an accredited ecolabel: Hotel Gavarnie (near the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides Museum) | Hotel Le Pavillion (a former convent in the Saint-Dominique area) | Amélie Hotel (2-star) | Hôtel Malar (10 minutes from the Champs Elysees) | Hôtel Du Printemps, about a mile from Gare de Lyon.

Stopover in Barcelona 🏠

Barcelona is a wonderful city to stop over while you're travelling through, with lots of lovely places to stay conveniently near Barcelona Sants Railway Station.


Hotels close to Barcelona Sants Railway Station 🚉

Barceló Sants hotel is actually above the station so is super convienient as a stopover hotel. It's an unfussy minimalist place to stay with a restaurant and bar, and 24-hour check-in. From about £150 for a double room.

Abba Sants is a 5-minute walk from the station, with a restaurant, bar, and packed lunches can be ordered. Rooms from about £140.


For more hotels near the station, see Hotels near Barcelona Sants Railway Station


Green Traveller's Top Pick 💚

NH Sants Barcelona is a 10-minute walk (400m) from the station. It's a modern hotel with a Mediterranean restaurant, cafe-bar and breakfast, and has two third-party sustainability certifications, from Bioscore and Biosphere Certification. Rooms from about £150.


Eco-certified hotels in Barcelona ✔️

If you're looking for other sustainable green hotels in Brussels, then these have all been certified by an accredited ecolabel:

Abba Sants (see above)

H10 Itaca is 10 minutes' walk from the station and has a terrace and plunge pool

Catalonia Roma is about 15 minutes' walk from the station and has a buffet breakfast and bar.

Stopover in Madrid 🏠

If you want to break the journey and stay overnight to see a bit more of Madrid while you're travelling through, there are lots of lovely places to stay conveniently near Madrid Atocha train station.


Hotels close to Madrid Atocha train station 🚉

Only YOU Hotel Atocha is just 150m from the station with views over the Paseo Infanta Isabel and Calle Alfonso XII. It has a cafe, bakery and several lounge areas, rooms from £188 per night.

Artrip Hotel is an art hotel that's a bit further away but cheaper – it's 10-minute walk from the station, with rooms from £118 per night.


For more places to stay that are close to the station, see Hotels near Madrid Atocha train station


Eco-certified hotels in Madrid ✔️

If you're looking for other sustainable green hotels in Brussels, then these have all been certified by an accredited ecolabel:


On Arrival in Lisbon

Bem-vindo a Lisboa! Lisbon offers a complete, comfortable transportation network. Probably the most common way to get around the city is the Lisbon metro. The outstanding work by the artist Maris Keil represented on the walls of the underground stations revived the Portuguese of the "azulejo" (glazed painted tile) and is considered a touristic attraction itself. Lisbon's underground train network is constantly evolving towards a fully accessible service, currently providing full accessibility in 36 stations out of 56, excellent attention to customers that need it and technologies and carriages adapted to visual disabilities. The metro runs from 6.30 am and 1 am daily.


Don't miss the Trams, a Lisbon's iconic transport that is part of the city's identity and a must activity for everyone that visits the Portuguese capital. Tram 28 consists of a network of fifty wooden, vintage cars with capacity for 20 seating and 38 standing people. Their route is a 40 min journey through some of the main monuments, sights, and the old, narrow streets in Lisbon. Check the route and plan the places you'd like to stop at during the journey, you can get off the car and get in the next one (every 15 mins). If you are visiting Lisbon during peak season, consider the alternative option for sightseeing by Tram as Tram 28 carriages are likely to be full: Lisbon Tram Tour.


There is also a local bus service provided by Carris company, which can be a great alternative way to get to different places around the city. Check bus timetables, fares, and accessibility.

Map of hotels in Lisbon



More about Lisbon

For destinations outside Lisbon, one of the best options is Express buses, which offer cheap journeys from and to many destinations around Portugal.


Another comfortable, relatively cheap way is to take the train. There are ten railway stations in Lisbon: Gare do Oriente (modernist station at the east of the city with connections to the other stations and a metro line), Santa Apolonia (the oldest station, ideal for a number of attractions in Lisbon and long distance trains to Madrid and Paris), Sete Rios (north location, good for long distance buses and trains to Faro, Setubal and other destinations, and with a metro line), Rossio Station (centric and connected to city bus, metro and tram), Cais do Sodré station, Sintra station (connects to Rossio Station, Oriente, Entrecampos, Sate Rios and Campolide), Campolide, Cascais and Roma-Areeiro stations.


You can get a Lisboa Card which provides free use of the metro, trams, buses, and Elevadores, plus discounts and free entry to many sights, museums, and tours (includes a free guide to Lisbon).


Tenha uma boa jornada!

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* Data for carbon emissions

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