Travelling by rail in Portugal just got cheaper with the introduction of a new pass that allows a month’s worth of unlimited travel on all regional trains – with the scheme open to all overseas tourists.
The Passe Ferroviário Nacional, or National Rail Card, costs €49, can only be requested from the 21st day of each month and is then valid from the first to the last day of the following month.
Issued by the Comboios de Portugal national rail company, the pass is valid on almost all networks with no restrictions on the number of trips or the time the trip is taken. It’s not valid on intercity trains, such as the Alfa Pendular, Intercidades, InterRegional and Internacional services, and it can’t be used on the urban networks in Porto, Lisbon and Coimbra.
According to the organisation’s website, to request a CP Card, applicants must provide a completed application form (available online), a “citizen card”, and an original colour passport photo. The cost of the CP Card is €6.
A spokesperson for Comboios de Portugal confirmed to The Independent that the railcard is open to any foreign citizen visiting the city, and that foreign passports or national identity cards are accepted as a form of identification for the requested “citizen card” during registration.
With this new initiative, Portugal joins Germany in slashing the cost of rail fares this summer. In June, Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s national rail operator, launched €9.90 tickets on some short-distance routes, in addition to the introduction of the Deutschlandticket in April, which provides unlimited travel by rail, tram and bus anywhere in the nation for €49 per month.
Deutschlandticket – or D-Ticket – subscriptions are open to foreign tourists.
To use Portugal’s National Rail Card, people must have a CP Card, which can be requested from any Comboios de Portugal ticket office.
