Porto to Salamanca in 5 days

About the transportation to Salamanca check the Sub-Express train, that connects Lisbon to the border between Spain and France, that goes through Salamanca. Here is it's timetable and prices . You can take this train either in Lisbon, Coimbra ou Guarda.

Since I suspect you want to explore the most in so little time I would recommend spending an extra day in Lisbon or visiting Coimbra, which is in cultural and sightseeing aspects, one of the most important Portuguese cities.

Thanks for your suggestion. Though the train schedule is not convenient to me as I have to arrive in Salamanca around noontime. Are there buses going? Which companies? Thanks in advance!

You can also check Alsa. In their website you can't travel from Lisbon to Salamanca, but you can from Salamanca to Lisbon, so I assume that there is something wrong with the website.

BMarques is correct. There's a bug on the Alsa website. To get details of the buses from Portugal to Spain, you have first have to input the Spain to Portugal details and click on "Return". That will then show the buses from Portugal to Spain. I'd be more precise but the Alsa website is down at the moment.

I found the timetables last night. So what about the following schedule?

WE 20 Aug 00:55 Arrival Porto
- one day, 2 nights in Porto -

TU 21 Aug Train Coimbra
IC Number520 Porto Campanha 06:52 Coimbra-b 07:59
IC Number620 Porto Campanha 08:52 Coimbra-b 09:56
IC Number522 Porto Campanha 10:52 Coimbra-b 11:57
(10,50 €)
- 1 night in Coimbra –

FR 22 Aug Train to Lisbon
IC Number520 Coimbra-b 08:00 Santa Apolonia 10:00
IC Number510 Coimbra-b 09:19 Santa Apolonia 11:30
IC Number620 Coimbra-b 09:57 Santa Apolonia 12:00
(15 €)
- 1 night in Lisbon –

SA 23 Aug
Lisbon

to Guarda in the evening:
IC Number515 Santa Apolonia 18:28 Guarda 22:39
(17 €)
- 1 night in Guarda -

SU 24 Aug Bus Guarda – Salamanca
12:45 – 16:45 (ALSA)

Is it worthwhile going to Guarda? The reason for why I have picked it is rather a practical one. Going from Coimbra to Salamanca would take 8.5 hours, going from Lisbon takes 11.5 hrs.

Alternatively, I could also go to Lisbon from Porto directly, go up to Coimbra again and take the bus to Salamanca from there. Do you think that would be better? Or do you have any other suggestions where to go during my 5 days from Porto to Salamanca?

Thanks heaps!

The buses from the aiport into the city centre will have finished by the time you arrive so if you miss that train your only option, apart from asking for a lift, is to take a taxi.

As for the rest of your itinerary, you've asked for opinions so I'll give mine. I simply cannot see the point of all that hopping about from one destination to the next and spending such a short amount of time in each place, especially Porto and Lisbon. One night and two half-days in Lisbon seems particularly pointless to me. One day in Porto. Half a day in Coimbra. I'm not sure what it is that you're trying to achieve. It just seems like a series of deadlines to me, but we probably have very different approaches to travelling.

I'd do the following. If you look at a map of Portugal and Spain, you'll see that the direct route from Porto to Salamanca goes through Viseu, Guarda and Ciudad Rodrigo, all three of which are interesting places. So my itinerary would be:

Spend another day and night in Porto and really visit the place. (3 nights/ 2 days)

Morning bus to Viseu (just under 2 hours). One night in Viseu.

Bus to Guarda (approx. 1 hour). One night in Guarda.

Eurolines bus (Eurobus) from Guarda to Ciudad Rodrigo.

Dep. 1230
Arr. 1530
Fare: €15
http://www.eurolines.es/portal/reservas/pdfs_web/Portugal08_1.pdf
One night in Ciudad Rodrigo.

Afternoon bus from Ciudad Rodrigo to Salamanca (approx. 1 hour).

If you really want to include Coimbra, and it's certainly very lovely and not far out of your way, go there from Porto. Then just drop the night in either Viseu or Guarda and take a bus from Coimbra to the other. You can pick up that Eurobus to Ciudad Rodrigo in either Viseu or Guarda.

Save Lisbon for another trip when you can spend a few days there.

I completely agree with #6: if I'd be you, I'd just 'do' Porto and Coimbra and go from there to Salamanca. Or a variation that includes Viseu etc. But at least it's a straight line and you'd actually EXPERIENCE the places you visit and are not hopping from a train to a bus and in between running around to find accomodation....
ENJOY - I'm a regular visitor to Lisbon as my sister lives there, but I went up to Porto last may and spend three lovely days there.