Travel by rail from UK to the Algarve

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

There's only one-way really - by train.  There is no direct service, so you'll have to use Eurostar to Paris, then change and then take the TGV - takes 26 hours, so there is a night train service in there - very expensive in comparison to air travel.

Have a look at this site Seat61

It should help you.

SimCityAT
Expat Team

Many thanks. Looks very helpful.

What's wrong with the boat  to Santander and then entrain to wherever in Portugal ?
If properly planned in advance could incorporate stops at various locations in the whole length of Portugal.

almirantereis wrote:

What's wrong with the boat  to Santander and then entrain to wherever in Portugal ?
If properly planned in advance could incorporate stops at various locations in the whole length of Portugal.

The reason I didn't recommend the ferry route into Santander is that he was asking about reducing his carbon footprint; trains are a better environmental option than a diesel engine powered ferry.

Perhaps so...........

But practicalities come into all this, unless one is  G Thunberg.

Personally, I like trains  ( and would like them more on long journeys if I could afford a proper, and private, sleeper cabin for overnights ).

However, the thing that would put me off most about the idea of  entraining all the way from England to Portugal would be the change at Paris : it is a full change of stations, not of  train only.
It requires a journey on the Underground, which these days I imagine to be fraught with the usual complications of no or few staff in attendance to help, and maybe security questions about your grandmother's maiden name before you are allowed to buy a ticket.
But even if you can still just buy a one off ticket, as per the olden days, you are still traipsing up and down escalators with baggage,  and risking robbery from street gangs which operate with impunity.  [ Perhaps there is that at Santander as well ? ]

Yeah, but he asked specifically about the carbon-footprint aspects, not the practicality.

As for crossing London, I'd have got a taxi between the 2 mainline terminals, saves all the hassle and the black cabs run virtually from the edge of the platforms.  We actually have (had?) a connecting train that runs from Leeds, but it was really expensive and poorly used, I'm not sure if it still runs.

I've done the transit across Paris a few times, it was no big deal, but that was a few years ago now; you may be right, especially with all the political shenanigans going on in France at the moment.

Personally, I think I would have opted for the car/ferry option, mainly because I find those 2 more to my taste (I frequently travel to the continent, my family is split between 2 countries); train may one day be an option, but only when they sort out the terminal aspects of getting to London from a village in the North of England where public transport, especially with suitcases, is virtually non-existent.

Anyway, thanks for your input.

Cynic
Expat Team

As  a matter of historical fact, there USED to be a car ferry direct from Portsmouth to Lisbon -  The Eagle.

I  traveled on it in 1972 and 1973.   It was a nice way to travel ( two overnights, from memory, arriving in Lisbon early morning ).

I wonder whether it would not be viable again if someone were to start it up.

Thanks. The carbon emissions of a ferry could be an issue. Complex stuff but lots of information on the interweb, thankfully.

Bob Mark wrote:

Thanks. The carbon emissions of a ferry could be an issue. Complex stuff but lots of information on the interweb, thankfully.

There used to be an on-line comparison tool sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, but it no longer appears to work.

Thanks once again for the background information.

Cynic (I'm sure you're not, really).

Where in t'North are you? I'm in Saltaire. Can you see me waving?

Bob