Where can we go for a weekend away?

Portugal is compact, and trains and buses reach many of its best short breaks. From the Algarve, Seville is a morning’s drive. As a resident you can cross into Spain freely, but carry the right documents.

Ideas from each place

For trains and the €20 Passe Ferroviário Verde, which covers Regional and Intercidades trains (with a seat booking), see Can I live in Portugal without a car? For hiring or driving a car, see Can I drive on my UK licence?

The Douro by train

The Douro line follows the river through the Douro wine region, a World Heritage landscape since 2001, from Porto to Pocinho. InterRegional trains from Porto São Bento take about 1 hour 55 minutes to Régua and 2 hours 20 minutes to Pinhão; slower Regional trains take longer. In season, a 1925 steam locomotive pulls the historic train along the 36 km between Régua and Tua. Times and services change, so check CP before you go.

Évora, Óbidos and Sintra

Évora, the Alentejo’s historic capital, is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Lisbon by train, with four direct trains a day, or 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 45 minutes by coach (€11.90 single). Óbidos is about an hour by coach from Lisbon. Sintra is about 40 minutes by CP urban train from Rossio, so it works as a day trip.

National park, levadas and pousadas

Peneda-Gerês, created in 1971 and about 70,000 hectares, is Portugal’s only national park. It lies in the far north-west, along the border with Galicia, and forms a cross-border biosphere reserve with Spain’s Baixa Limia-Serra do Xurés park. In summer, check fire risk and rules before you go (see summer).

In Madeira, the classified walking trails (percursos pedestres classificados), including many levadas, have used booking and time slots since 1 January 2026. Visitors pay €4.50 (€3 with a partner tour operator) and book online on the SIMplifica portal. Residents of Madeira walk free and, since 25 January 2026, can simply show ID and the SIMplifica resident card at the start of the trail. Trails can be narrow and slippery after rain, so pick one that suits you and check closures first.

Pousadas de Portugal are hotels in historic buildings, including castles, convents and monasteries, from Sagres to the north. They make a good base for a weekend in a historic town; look for offers outside school holidays. Prices and offers change

Into Spain: your documents

As a resident, the rules are different from when you visited as a tourist.

• Always carry your passport and your residence card (or long-stay visa) when you enter, leave or travel within the Schengen area, and show both at any border check. If you show only your passport, it may be stamped
• Time in Portugal on your residence card doesn’t count towards the 90-day limit. Stays in Spain and other Schengen countries are short visits: you’d need that country’s permission to live or work there
• If you have a biometric Portuguese residence card, you don’t register with the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES). Without one, you could be wrongly flagged as an overstayer
• You must carry your residence document in Portugal anyway: the police can ask for it, and you can be fined if you can’t show it
• Children under 18 travelling out of Portugal without a parent or legal guardian need a letter of authority

Seville is about 2 hours 25 to 35 minutes from Faro by coach, roughly 197 km by road, with frequent departures. If you drive, see driving for licence and insurance rules.

Busy weekends

Long weekends around Corpus Christi, 10 June and the Santos Populares, Easter and August are busy for trains, roads and hotels. Book early. See public holidays and school holidays.