Estoril lies at the heart of the Portuguese Riviera, a region of beautiful sandy beaches, grand 19th-century villas and a focus on high-end tourism.

The town is both a popular holiday base and day trip destination from Lisbon, with visitors drawn by the town’s coastline, chic vibe, and the largest casino in Portugal.

Estoril is located just 25km west of Lisbon and is connected by a reliable and inexpensive train service that departs from the Cais do Sodré train station.

If you are based in Estoril for a holiday, this train service makes it easy to visit Lisbon as a day trip. An additional benefit is that the train also stops in the pretty Belem district of the city.

 

 

If you’re arriving into Lisbon and need to travel from the airport to Estoril, there is an additional stage of crossing the city to the Cais do Sodré train station. The metro is the best option for this journey, but it may be more convenient to simply take an Uber from the airport to Estoril, which will cost around €25.

This article will detail these three journeys, Lisbon to Estoril for a day trip, Estoril to Lisbon’s tourist areas (for a day trip to Lisbon) and Lisbon Airport to Estoril.
Related articles: Introduction to Estoril - Lisbon guide

Estoril has long been Portugal's premier beach resort, with its glittering Atlantic beaches and elegant seaside promenades.

Estoril is connected to Lisbon by the Cascais to Lisbon regional railway. This railway serves all of the towns and beaches on the northern side of the Tejo estuary between Algés in the east and Cascais in the west.

Estoril is the third from last station along the railway, and this is where to exit for the casino, the coastline promenade and the Praia do Tamariz beach. There is a second, smaller station in Estoril, Monte Estoril, which serves the area between the town and Cascais.

In Lisbon, the train departs from the Cais do Sodré train station, which is to the west of the historic centre, GPS: 38.705, -9.145 (link to Google Maps) and is connected to the green metro line.

The Cascais to Lisbon railway is operated by Comboios de Portugal (CP), the national train operator of Portugal.

 

 

A single fare from Lisbon to Estoril costs €2.40/€1.20 (adult/child) and is a four-zone fare. The ticket is charged to the reusable Navegante card, which is used for all public transport in the Lisbon region. The card costs €0.50 for the initial purchase, and each traveller must have their own card.

The train to Estoril

For a return ticket to Estoril, two single tickets (costing €4.80/€2.40 in total) are charged onto the Navegante card. The overly complicated CP webpage that details the fares can be found at the following link:
www.cp.pt/StaticFiles/Passageiros/1_horarios/precos/lx/lisbon-urban-trains-price-zones.pdf
(The link opens a new tab and is a PDF, so it may download on phones).

The train to Estoril is one of the busiest train routes in Portugal, with a departure every 20 minutes, and more during rush hour. The Lisbon to Estoril railway is an urban train service, and tickets and seats cannot be pre-booked.

The frequency drops in the evening, with the last trains departing either end of the line (Lisbon and Cascais) at 12.30am, 1am and 1.30am (correct at Feb 2024). The latest timetable can be seen on the CP website:
www.cp.pt/StaticFiles/timetables/lisbon-cascais-urban-trains.pdf
(The link opens a new tab and is a PDF, so it may download on phones).

Cais do Sodré train station can get very busy, especially mid-morning during the summer months as everyone heads to the beach. If travelling at this time, expect long queues at the ticket office and ticket machines.

 

 

Insight: The Lisbon to Estoril train fare can be paid using the zapping public transport ticket. For this ticket, you load credit onto the Navegante card at any metro station and then simply use the card at the station barriers to pay for the fare. This ticket can be a great way to avoid the long queues at the train station, and also reduces the train fare to just €2. Further details can be seen on the CP website:
https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/train-times/Prices/lisbon-tickets

The train journey from Lisbon to Estoril takes between 30 and 40 minutes, depending on the number of stops. The route is very scenic as it passes through the Belem district and along the coastline, with views over the Tejo Estuary and beaches. To get the best view, sit on the left side of the carriage, with a view to the south.

The Estoril to Lisbon railway is a busy train line serving both commuters and beachgoers. The trains and Cais do Sodré train station are no more dangerous than in any other big city, but be careful not to overly display money or other expensive items. When travelling late at night, it is advisable to sit close to other passengers, as there have been reports of late-night robberies on lone travellers (these never occur during the day).

The interactive map below shows the route of the Estoril railway along with the major train stations -Estoril is marker 12 (Note: Zoom in or out to see all of the points)

Legend: 1) Cais do Sodré 2) Santos 3) Alcantara-Mar 4) Belem 5) Caxias 6) Paço de Arcos 7) Santo Amaro 8) Oeiras 9) Carcavelos 10) Parede 11) Sao Pedro do Estoril 12) Estoril 13) Monte Estoril 14) Cascais

The train to Estoril passing through the Belem district

The railway to Estoril terminates in the pretty fishing town of Cascais, which is about a 20-minute walk from Estoril. A pleasant activity for a day trip to Estoril is walking along the beachside promenade to Cascais, then catching the train from Cascais back to Lisbon. Cascais train station is in the same fare zone as Estoril, so the return ticket is valid.

The railway also connects Estoril with the Praia de Carcavelos, the best beach of the region, which is a great destination for a beach day trip.

If you are on holiday in Estoril, you will probably want to have a day trip to Lisbon, and the Cascais to Lisbon railway makes this very easy.

Estoril train station is situated next to Tamariz beach at the bottom of the Jardim do Estoril, GPS 38.703-9.399. The station is small, with just two platforms - one heading to Cascais and the other to Lisbon. The best place to purchase tickets is from the station’s ticket office, which is open from 7.15am to 7.30pm.

When heading to Lisbon, there are two options for your day trip: the historic centre or the Belem district. For your first day trip to the city, you should travel to Cais do Sodré train station and, from here, visit the historic areas of Lisbon in the Baixa and Alfama districts.

For a second day trip, you should visit the Belem district, exiting the train at Belem station. The Belem district is located to the west of Lisbon and is the location of the Torre de Belém and Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.
Related articles: The Belem district - The Alfama district

The Torre de Belém

Lisbon Airport is located 8km north of the historic centre of Lisbon and 28km (by road) from Estoril.

You could take public transport for this journey, but it is often easier and more convenient to go by Uber. The journey will cost from €25 for up to four people, but the exact fare will depend on demand. In Lisbon Airport, there is a special area for the ride-hailing apps to pick up passengers, which is located in the short-stay car park attached to the arrivals hall.

Insight: If you plan to use Uber in Portugal, it is advisable to have the app set up on your phone before arriving.

An alternative ride-hailing app to Uber is Bolt. Bolt tends to have slightly cheaper fares, but the standard of their cars and drivers is lower. A taxi could be an alternative to Uber or Bolt but will cost significantly more, at €60 to €80.

If you choose to take public transport from Lisbon Airport to Estoril, there are three stages:
• Lisbon Airport to Cais do Sodré train station (metro, Uber or taxi)
• Cais do Sodré to Estoril (train detailed above)
• Estoril to your accommodation (walk or taxi)

The entire journey to Estoril will take between 60 and 90 minutes, and the total cost is €4.70 per adult (€1.80 metro, €2.40 train, €0.50 Navegante card).

Insight: This is not a difficult journey during the day, but later in the evening (past 7pm) we would suggest taking an Uber or taxi for the entire route.

The Cais do Sodré railway station in Lisbon

Lisbon Airport is connected to the red metro line, while Cais do Sodré station is the final stop on the green metro line. The connection is made in the Alameda metro station. A single metro ticket costs €1.80 and is charged to the Navegante card, which is also used for the train to Estoril.

An Uber from Lisbon Airport to Cais do Sodré is a good balance between cost, time and convenience. The fare will cost €8 to €10 for up to 4 people, and this is a good option if you’re travelling with heavy luggage. The taxi fare for the same journey will cost €15 to €20, and will be 20 per cent higher at night.

Discover more of Estoril and the Lisbon region