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ROAD: The only land border is
shared with Spain, and there are seven frontier
posts in the north and six on the western and
southern border. Major border posts are now open
around the clock, but smaller ones may close earlier
in winter. From the UK, the quickest routes are
via the ferry links from Plymouth to Santander
and from Portsmouth to Bilbao in northern Spain
(which obviates the need to drive through France).
Cars can be imported for up to six months. Travelling
from the UK, Eurotunnel operates trains 24 hours
per day through the Channel Tunnel between Folkestone
in Kent (with direct access from the M20) and
Calais in France. All vehicles, from motorcycles
to campers, can be accommodated.
For further information,
contact Eurotunnel Reservations (tel: (08705)
353 535;
website: http://www.eurotunnel.com).
For further details, see also Travel – International
in the France section. For information on required
documentation and traffic regulations, see Travel
– Internal section.
Coach: Eurolines operates
an extensive network of coach services to many
destinations throughout Europe, including Coimbra,
Faro, Lagos, Lisbon and Oporto.
For information
on timetables and fares, call Eurolines in the
UK, 4 Cardiff Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, L41 1PP;
tel: (08705) 143 219; fax: (01582) 400 694; website: http://www.eurolines.com.
RAIL: Travelling from the UK,
the quickest way is to travel by Eurostar through
the Channel Tunnel to Paris (travel time –
3 hours) and, from there, to Portugal. The ‘Sud-Express’
runs between Paris and Lisbon, offering first-
and second-class seats, sleepers and a restaurant
car. For further information and reservations,
contact Eurostar (tel: (0870) 6000 792 (travel
agents) or (08705) 186 186 (public; within the
UK) or (+44 1233) 617 575 (public; outside the
UK only);
Eurostar website: http://www.eurostar.com
or Rail
Europe (tel: (08705) 848 848). Travel agents can
obtain refunds for unused tickets from Eurostar
Trade Refunds, Second Floor, Kent House, 81 Station
Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 1PD, UK.
Complaints and
comments may be sent to Eurostar Customer Relations,
Eurostar House, Waterloo Station, London SE1 8SE,
UK (tel: (020) 7928 5163; e-mail: new.comments@eurostar.com).
Rail travellers from the UK not using the Channel
Tunnel link need to cross the channel via some
form of sea crossing, usually by ferry or catamaran;
for details on sea crossings, see also the Sea
section above. The cost of the crossing is usually
included in the price of the rail ticket. There
is a daily service between London, Paris and Lisbon,
taking approximately 26 hours.
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