Private Car Tranfer from Lisbon to Porto with stops at Batalha, Fatima and Aveiro

To get most out of your stay in Portugal, as a transfer between Lisbon and Porto I suggest hiring a private car and driver, and taking a trip with stops at Batalha, Fátima and Aveiro. Alternative stops can include medieval towns of Coimbra and Obidos.

After visiting and enjoying Lisbon, our next stop on our trip through Iberian Peninsula was a wonderful city of Porto.

There are three easy ways of getting from Lisbon to Porto.

-Transfer via train

Transfer by train takes about 4 hours. Trains leave almost every 2 hours from Rossio main station in Lisbon and arrive at picturesque Sao Bento main train station in Porto. It is a great and fast transfer option. It is inexpensive and very safe, however it does not allow you to see beautiful Portuguese countryside between main cities of Lisbon and Porto, full of medieval castles, churches and coastal towns.

 

 

–Domestic flight via TAP Airline

Three times a day a domestic flight leaves each of the airports of Lisbon and Porto and takes less than an hour to arrive at its destination. I do not recommend this way of transfer, as getting to the airport requires additional time, you have to pass security screening, allow time to pick up your luggage at the destination and take the taxi back to the city upon arrival. Even though flight is less than an hour, the whole trip easily takes as long as a train ride and is much more exhausting.

 

 

-Hiring a private driver (or renting a car)

This is a very flexible transfer option that allows you to see great cities and towns of central Portugal. I prefer private hire as a transfer between Lisbon and Porto since I can enjoy occasional drink with launch, and don’t have to worry about directions or parking. If you will follow my points and miles section you can learn to pay close to nothing for flights and hotels, which will leave you plenty of spending money for little luxuries that save you time and energy. You can choose one of many companies advertising on internet or arrange transfer through your hotel concierge. I use MyDayTrip.com and highly recommend them for price and service.Needless to say this is the option I chose and I will describe our great experience below.

Our private car transfer from Lisbon to Porto with stops at Batalha, Fatima and Aveiro.

For our transfer we hired Ricardo with Mydaytrip.com. It is an international company specializing in private car transfers and tours around Europe and it’s based in Prague. I used them before in Czech Republic for extensive day trips and was thrilled with service and price. Without hesitation I booked our private car transfer from Lisbon To Porto and added three sightseeing stops on our way. These included medieval cathedral at Batalha, most significant religious site at Fatima and picturesque town of Aveiro. I was torn since I also wanted to see medieval towns of Coimbra and Obidos, but in my experience that would leave me to exhausted to enjoy afternoon in Porto after our arrival.

 

 

Timing

Private car transfer with no stops between Lisbon and Porto takes about 4 hours, same as a train. There is modern highway joining two cities. By adding Batalha, Fatima and Aveiro we extended our trip to 6.5 hours. If I would choose to stop at Coimbra and Obidos instead, our trip would take close to 9-10 hours, as both medieval cities take much longer to enjoy. By then I knew we would come back to Portugal, so I left them for next time, however if you have extra day,and are fun of medieval Europe, I highly recommend them. Couple days before our transfer from Lisbon to Porto mydaytrip.com emailed us picture of our driver and confirmation of our trip. We had an option of prepayment or paying a pan arrival. we might Ricardo in our hotel lobby precisely at 9 a.m. as scheduled. Ricardo spoke and excellent English, was professionally dressed and drove Volkswagen Passat, which provided comfortable space for passengers and luggage. Water and snacks were provided by mydaytrip.com. After introductions we hit the road.

Batalha

About halfway between Lisbon and Porto, in area full of Portuguese finest medieval sites lies Dominican Abbey of Santa Maria Victoria at Batalha. UNESCO world heritage site, it is a masterpiece of Portuguese gothic architecture famous for its Manuelin elements. The pale limestone monastery celebrates King Joao I’s victory over Kingdom of Castile. Today two unknown soldiers from World War I lie in the chapterhouse. This is the site of Portugal’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is because of this fact, at the time of our visit to Batalha as Portugal was celebrating 100 year anniversary of its bloodiest World War I battle, Batalha was a background for massive military parade that included visit by the President of Portugal. Needless to say, some of the site was restricted to visitors and frankly forced us to cut our visit short. Construction on Batalha cathedral and abbey began in 1388 and over successive 2 centuries Kings of Portugal left their mark on the monastery. Main sites include Royal Cloister, with its gothic arches and manuelin tracery. Chapterhouse where guards keep watch by Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and unfinished chapels at the very back of the Abby. The must see is Founders Chapel with the tomb of King Joao I and his English wife Philippa of Lancaster, lying hand-in-hand. Their son Henry the Navigator is also buried here.

 

Take your time walking through Batalha cathedral and abbey, admission is free . Enjoy gothic architecture at its best, stop by the Tomb of the Founders and their son, Henry the Navigator, and think about their contribution to the discoveries of New World. When you walk by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier reflect on sacrifices Portuguese soldiers made during bloody battles of World War I.

 

When you finish, stop by one of the cafes and pastry shops facing the Batalha Abby and enjoy small espresso with local pastry, or a glass of wine. Allow 45 minutes 2 1 hour for a visit.

Fatima

10 minute drive to the east of Batalha is the Sanctuary of Fatima. Devotional shrine on a prodigious scale, a pilgrim destination, Neo-Baroque limestone basilica flanked by statues of saints has a 65 m 213 ft tower and a esplanade twice the size of St. Peter Square in Rome. On 13th of May 1917 three young local girls saw a shining figure in oak tree. She ordered them to return to the tree on the same day for 6 months and by 13th of October 70000 worshipers were with the children by the tree. The figure spoke about secret vision of hell, War worse than World War I and about papal assassination. Today Fatima is a site of the most impressive intense emotion and faith of the penitents who approached the shrine on their knees. It is the most famous religious site in Portugal, and if you are in the area, it is worth visiting. Unless you are planning on spending some time praying, 30 minutes to 1 hour is more than enough to see Fatima.

Aveiro

Less than 20 Miles south of Porto lies a picturesque town of Aveiro. This little city, once a great seaport, has a long history dating back to 959 AD. By 16th century it was a considerable town, rich from salt and fishing for cod of Newfoundland. When storms silted up the harbor in 1575, creating lagoon and series of canals, its wealth vanish rapidly. Only in 19th century did Aveiro regain some of its prosperity. Now it is home to an important University in the area and its canals give Aveiro its individual characters. It is known Venice of Portugal. Park your car near Old Quarter by Canal Central. You can hire a local version of a gondola for a romantic ride, or as we did, walk along the canals, stopping at local wine bar and enjoying wine, espresso and dessert. It is a truly picturesque town and an easy stop during private car transfer between Lisbon and Porto. Allow 45 minutes to an hour to enjoy Aveiro.

After the enjoyable transfer between Lisbon and Porto with stops at Batalha, Fátima and Aveiro, Ricardo dropped us off at main entrance of ultra modern Sheraton Porto Hotel & Spa.

If you have limited time to see Portugal, hiring a private transfer to maximize your exposure to hidden treasures of Portugal, while avoiding exhausting driving, parking and tolls is a great option. And if you follow my blog, you can learn how to pay close to nothing for flights and hotels, leaving you more resources for time saving luxuries and to maximize local experiences. Hope this post will help you have a great trip, enjoy Portugal!