Find out how public transportation in Porto works and see how you can move to different parts of the city.
When you travel somewhere, after finding a place to stay, the way you move around that city is one of the most important details to pay attention to. As such, today we will show you how public transportations in Porto functions, namely ticket prices, main stations, how to get around and some curiosities.
Keep this article thoroughly, because when you decide to discover Invicta, it will be especially useful.
Andante: the ticket for everything
Talking about public transport in Porto necessarily means talking about the Andante card, which allows you to travel on the city’s metro, bus and urban trains.
It is a convenient and practical way to travel in the city because it is rechargeable and you can use it as many times as you want, for a year, according to your needs.
It is a paper card, non-personalized, for occasional use and available for sale in the entire Andante sales network, for 0,60 €. In turn, the price to be paid for each trip depends on the route you will take, regardless of the means of transport you choose.
After deciding the route, you must charge the Andante according to the number of zones you will need: Z2 – 2 zones, Z3 – 3 zones, Z4 – 4 zones and so on.
The minimum time that a travel ticket allows you to use it is one hour, in case of charging with Z2. The allowed travel time will increase as the number of areas you load it with grows.
You can also buy an Andante 24 ticket, which allows you to attend the transports in certain areas for 24 hours straight.
Pay attention to travel prices:
| Area | Travel price | Andante 24 |
| Z2 | 1,20 € | 4,15 € |
| Z3 | 1,60 € | 5,50 € |
| Z4 | 2,00 € | 6,90 € |
| Z5 | 2,40 € | 8,30 € |
| Z6 | 2,80 € | 9,65 € |
| Z7 | 3,20 € | 11,05 € |
| Z8 | 3,60 € | 12,40 € |
| Z9 | 4,00 € | 13,80 € |
| Z10 | 4,40 € | 15,20 € |
| Z11 | 4,80 € | 16,60 € |
| Z12 | 5,20 € | 18,00 € |
Both cards use contactless technology. You need to approach it to the validation machines – something you should always do before entering the metro or train and inside the buses. If a green light shows up, then the validation is correct, and you will see the card balance on display. On the other hand, if a red light appears, the validation is not correct, and you can see the reason on the screen.
There is also another customizable Andante card, but it benefits those who need to use Porto’s public transport repeatedly, as it allows for monthly subscriptions.
Metro do Porto: getting everywhere quickly
Porto’s metro (underground/tube) consists of 6 lines, 82 stations (14 of which are underground), 102 vehicles travelling through seven cities in Porto Area (Porto, Maia, Matosinhos, Póvoa de Varzim, Vila do Conde, Vila Nova de Gaia and Gondomar) and can transport 9000 people per hour on each line, from 6 am to 1 am.
The first line of Porto’s metro connected the Senhor de Matosinhos station to the Trindade station (line A) was inaugurated on December 7 of 2002, by then Prime Minister Durão Barroso, circulating on an experimental basis at the end of that year.
These are the lines that currently exist:
Line A (blue): Estádio do Dragão ↔ Senhor de Matosinhos
Line B (red): Estádio do Dragão ↔ Póvoa de Varzim
Line C (green): Campanhã ↔ ISMAI
Line D (yellow): Hospital São João ↔ Santo Ovídio
Line E (purple): Trindade ↔ Aeroporto (Airport)
Line F (orange): Fânzeres ↔ Senhora da Hora
Trindade Station is currently the central station in the Metro do Porto network, as it connects the existing lines. It has a surface station for lines A, B, C, E and F and an underground station for line D.
Another factor of interest is the fact that stations Trindade, Bolhão, Aliados and 24 de Agosto have lockers to store your luggage while you go for a walk.
Buses: another way to get to know the city
The Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos do Porto, better known as STCP, is in charge of city buses and surrounding cities, allowing you to travel through different points and in a comfortable way – they even have a Wi-Fi network inside.
It works in perfect articulation with the other transport operators, contributing to the complete mobility of people, and thus establishing itself as a competitive alternative to individual private transport.
The network includes standard buses, articulated buses, double-decker buses, minis and electric buses, which run a total of 73 lines with connections throughout the city and with neighbouring cities.
Trains of Portugal: the Porto stations
CP – Comboios de Portugal celebrated on October 28 of 2016, 160 years of the first train travel in Portugal. Even today, this revolutionary form of transport remains one of the most sought after, especially regarding the connection between different cities.
CP has urban trains in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra to get to where you need it daily, quickly and frequently; Alfa Pendular and Intercidades trains allow you to reach cities from north to south with all comfort; Regional and InterRegional connections serve other parts of the country. It also allows you to make international trips, as it connects to Madrid, Hendaye and Vigo.
In the city of Porto, there are two stations: Porto – Campanhã and São Bento. Get to know each one better.
Porto Station – Campanhã
The Porto – Campanhã Station was opened in 1875 and, since then, has been the busiest station in Porto.
It allows to interface with the Norte and Minho lines, continuing to be central in the movement of goods and passengers, as well as in railway management and the maintenance of rolling stock.
The creation of São Bento Station, a few years later, came with a complement to Campanhã, which is located on the outskirts of the city.
São Bento Station
The first stone of the São Bento Station was laid in 1900 by King D. Carlos I, in a place that housed the former convent of São Bento de Avé Maria, following the initial project of the architect Marques da Silva that was a French architecture inspiration.
There, it stands out the beautiful and wide atrium lined with twenty thousand tiles by Jorge Colaço, representing actions of the Portuguese people and moments in the history of Portugal, including the history of means of transport in chronological order.
These are the means of public transport in Porto that will allow you to reach any point in the city quickly. Still, they can be complemented with private and other more tourist alternatives, namely, taxis, private transport applications, tuc tuc tours and tourist buses.
To book train journeys in Portugal you can also use the website or app Trainline.
