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From Spain to Portugal: bus links

By Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries |

We ensure that each annual edition of Europe by Rail is bang up-to-date and correct at the moment it is sent off to the printers. But train schedules change and sometimes we are caught out. And that is what has just happened with Route 9 in the book. This route is a fabulous transect across the Iberian peninsula from Barcelona to Lisbon. It takes in some of Spain's finest cities along the way: Madrid, Toledo, Cáceres, Trujillo, Mérida and more.

The route as published in the 2011 edition of the book was facilitated by the reopening in December 2009 of the cross-border rail link from Badajoz in Spain to Elvas in Portugal. And we thought that link was secure and so Route 9 also features, in much the same form, in the 2012 edition of Europe by Rail, which is now at the printers.

We have just heard that the rail service from Badajoz across the border to Elvas and beyond was withdrawn last week. A pity, but this is not a catastrophe for travellers following Route 9 in Europe by Rail. True, you will now need to take a bus to complete the journey. A local bus company in Badajoz operates about six buses a day from Badajoz to Elvas on Mondays to Fridays only. That company is called Empresa Ruiz SA. From Elvas, Portuguese bus operator Rede Expressos has a good onward bus service to Lisbon (several times daily).

And two other companies, Avanta and ALSA, both operate limited stop express services across the border at Badajoz. These services are best pre-booked. What we really like about these Avanta and ALSA bus links is that they nicely tie together several cities in the Madrid to Lisbon section of Route 9, in some cases giving better journey options than were ever possible by train. Trujillo in our route always required a bus anyway (for it is not on any rail route). And now the bus comes to the rescue to bridge the gap left in route 9 by the closure of the cross-border rail link at Badajoz.

Actually, using the bus creates some new opportunities that were never available by train. We would have loved to include Évora in Route 9. It is a wonderful Portuguese city half way between Badajoz and Lisbon, though not on or near the rail route described in the book. But there is a regular bus from Badajoz to Lisbon via Évora, as shown in the timetable below. If you are tempted to stop off at Évora, there are plentiful local buses from Évora on to Lisbon. There are about hourly, and the journey takes 90 minutes. You will find schedules for the Évora to Lisbon route (and indeed many other journeys between Portuguese cities) at www.rede-expressos.pt.

We have checked the timetable details below with the relevant operators. They are correct at 12 January 2012. But of course bus schedules change (just as rail timetables do). We cannot guarantee that this timetable of cross-border bus links will be valid throughout 2012. If you do find it has changed, please let us know and we shall gladly update the information provided here.

Susanne Kries and Nicky Gardner
Editors: Europe by Rail

From Spain to Portugal via Badajoz
    D C B A A B
Madrid Estación Sur SP     1000 1200 2100 2300
Trujillo SP       1455 2350  
Cáceres SP 0930 1130 1345      
Mérida SP     1445 1555 0055 0245
Badajoz SP 1045 1245 1615 1700 0200 0400
Elvas PT       1630 0130  
Estremoz PT       1700 0200 0345
Évora PT     1600     0415
Montemor o Novo PT       1800 0300 0445
Setubal PT       1840 0340 0530
Lisboa Oriente PT     1745 1930 0430 0615
Lisboa Sete Rios PT     1800     0630

Correct at 12 January 2012

From Portugal to Spain via Badajoz
    B E A F A B
Lisboa Sete Rios PT 0900         2130
Lisboa Oriente PT 0915   1030   2015 2145
Setubal PT     1120   2050 2230
Montemor o Novo PT     1200   2140 2300
Évora PT 1045         2330
Estremoz PT     1300   2225 2359
Elvas PT     1345   2255  
Badajoz SP 1315 1430 1530 1600 0015 0130
Mérida SP 1445   1615   0115* 0245
Cáceres SP 1545 1545   1715    
Trujillo SP     1730   0225  
Madrid Estación Sur SP 1930   2010   0515 0630

Correct at 12 January 2012

* The Avanza overnight bus from Lisboa to Madrid does not stop at Merida on Sunday mornings. SP = Spain PT = Portugal. All times shown are local. Spanish time is one hour later than Portuguese time

Avanza Services: See www.avanzabus.com for more information, including details of fares and the pick-up and drop-off points in each town.
ALSA services: see www.alsa.es for more information, including details of fares and the pick-up and drop-off points in each town.

A Runs daily. Operated by Avanza.
B Runs daily. Operated by ALSA.
C Runs Mondays to Fridays only. Operated by Avanza.
D Runs Mondays to Fridays only. In the months of July and August runs one hour earlier and operates Mondays to Saturdays. Operated by Avanza.
E Runs Mondays to Fridays. Also runs Sundays except in the months of July and August. Operated by Avanza.
F Runs Mondays to Saturdays except in the months of July and August when operates only on Saturdays. Operated by Avanza.

OTHER OPTIONS

The bus operator Empresa Ruiz SA operates up to six journeys on Mondays to Fridays only from Badajoz to Elvas and vice versa. The journey time is 30 minutes and the one-way fare €1.50. Telephone (in Badajoz): 924 23 73 03.

The bus operator Rede Expressos operates seven journeys daily from Elvas to Lisbon and vice versa. The journey time varies between 2h 45m and 3h 20m. Times and fares are on www.rede-expressos.pt.

Copyright © Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries. All rights reserved.
hidden europe
About The Authors

Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries

Nicky and Susanne manage hidden europe, a Berlin-based editorial bureau that supplies text and images to media across Europe. Together they edit hidden europe magazine. Nicky and Susanne are dedicated slow travellers and the authors of the book Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide. The 17th edition of that book was published in 2022 and reprinted in July 2023. You'll find a list of outlets that sell the book on this website.

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