Travel

Travel Note

UPDATE: Summer Railway Strikes in Lisbon

There is an active train strike going on in Portugal this summer. This means that you can expect delays and disruptions to train services. You can use the above URL in the days closer to your planned rail travel to see which trains (day and time) have been canceled due to strike. Customers who have tickets for intercity and regional trains will get a full refund, or they can exchange their ticket free of charge for another train of the same category and class. More information on how to handle refunds is also available on this site. Note that there are 4 different types of trains in Portugal: 1. Alpha Pendular (high-speed longer-distance rail, e.g. Lisbon to Porto), 2. Intercidades (slower-speed longer-distance rail), 3. Regional (R) and Interregional (IR) (local, short-distance rail connecting places like Lisbon and Cascais or Lisbon and Sintra), and 4. Urban trains (e.g. the metro in Lisbon and the metro in Porto). For alternative transportation between cities like Lisbon and Porto, consider using a coach bus. These have room for luggage! https://www.flixbus.pt/ and https://rede-expressos.pt/pt are good options. Although it's not common here, this site provides some options for hiring a driver for long-distance travel between cities (e.g. Lisbon and Porto) and some of these services include guided tours: https://www.portugalist.com/portugal-driver-hire/ Lastly, there are relatively low-price options for flights between cities, which you can find listed on Google Flights. It is totally possible that your planned train will be unaffected by the strikes, but we're providing these alternatives for you to consider just in case.

Travel Note

Flying to Lisbon

If you're flying from the East Coast (U.S.), you will likely find the best prices out of New York (JFK International Airport), Newark (Newark Liberty International Airport) , and Boston (Boston Logan International Airpot) and occasionally you'll find good rates out of Philadelphia (Philadelphia International Airport) and D.C. (Dulles International Airport). If you're flying out of the West Coast (U.S.), you'll typically find the best prices out of San Francisco (SFO), but you should also check flights out of all Bay Area airports (SJC, OAK and SMF). Ticket prices are higher than normal this year, so buying early is probably best. In addition to Google Flights, keep an eye on Kayak.com and consider using Student Universe (www.studentuniverse.com) to find some very good flight deals (Student Universe discounts are available to anyone with access to a ".edu" email address and folks with a student email can buy tickets for other non-students). You may save some money booking a layover compared to a direct flight---PDL (Ponta Delgada) is the principal airport for the Açores Islands and there are typically lots of flights to Lisbon with 6-8 hour layovers there. It's a great opportunity for some good sightseeing.

Travel Note

Getting to Sintra (and the wedding venue)

We recommend that folks stay in Sintra the night before and the night of the wedding. If you're coming to Sintra from Humberto Delgado Airport (Lisbon), the easiest way to get to Sintra is by train. You will take the Red (Vermelha) Line towards São Sebastião and transfer at Oriente station. Then you will take the Oriente-Sintra line to Sintra (Portela de Sintra or Sintra stations). If you're coming from central Lisbon, the easiest way to get to Sintra is also by train. You will take the Sintra line to Sintra (Portela de Sintra or Sintra stations). If you are traveling to the wedding venue independently from Lisbon you can take an uber the whole way (30 to 40 euros one way). You can also travel from Lisbon to Sintra by train and then take an uber from the train to the venue. If you choose this option, we recommend that you get off the train at the Algueirão-Mem Martins station and then call a car from there to the Quinta (about 11 euros one way). Please keep in mind, the ongoing train strikes may make the train a somewhat risky option on the day of the wedding, as trains can be cancelled at a moment's notice. If you are traveling to the wedding venue from Sintra, you can call an uber car directly (about 15 euros one way).

Travel Note

Staying in Sintra

There are a variety of accommodations in Sintra. We recommend staying closer to the Sintra National Palace or the Portela de Sintra train station. There are lots of Airbnb and VRBO listings in this area, as well as hotels, bed and breakfasts, and hostels.

Hotel

Eighteen 21 Charm Houses - Quinta Velha

From 100 EUR/ 105.73 USD

Hotel

Tivoli Sintra Hotel

From 145.5 EUR/153.30 per night.

Hotel

Sintra Boutique Hotel

From 210 EUR/222 USD

Travel Note

Airbnb in Sintra

From 70 EUR/74 USD

Travel Note

VRBO Sintra

From 70 EUR/ 75 USD a night.

Travel Note

Hostels in Sintra

Dorms starting at 23.50 EUR/ 25 USD. Private rooms starting at 62 EUR/ 66 USD.