The train journey from Lisbon to Madrid is a slow-travel showstopper

14.06.2024 - 16:09 / lonelyplanet.com

Jun 14, 2024 • 5 min read

Sometimes the journey is almost as good as the vacation itself, and traveling by train from Lisbon to Madrid certainly ticks that box. 

Some years ago, the overnight train service meant you fell asleep in Portugal and woke up the next day in the Spanish capital. While it was certainly quicker than the current route, it also meant you saw none of the incredible views and charming towns that rolled past the carriage window.

Take the time to explore parts of Portugal and Spain you've never seen before on a delightful journey full of new discoveries – you'll never regret it.

Although it’s not immediately apparent on the ticket, the Portuguese leg of the trip isn't direct and requires a transfer in the town of Entroncamento. I board a train that departs from Lisbon’s Santa Apolónia station at 7:45am – a commuter train, which means no assigned seating nor cafe car. We depart, and the train hugs the left bank of the Tagus River, which narrows as we head north, the landscape shifting from industrial-feeling suburbs outside Lisbon to marshy fields after an hour or so. Around Vale de Figueira, the view changes to rolling hills, oak trees and the occasional vineyard estate. We pull into Entroncamento around two hours later and I only have a few minutes to quickly transfer to my next train.

Upon arrival in Entroncamento at 9:28am, I board my ride to the Spanish border town of Badajoz: a two-carriage commuter train that’s such a bright shade of green it’s like a cartoon. On this humble train, I enjoy the most beautiful leg of the trip as we rattle through a landscape that is typically Alentejo (the region considered Portugal’s rural heartland): rolling hills populated by cattle and oak trees, whitewashed villages, former farmhouses, the occasional bullfighting ring and even an abandoned castle. The train is nearly empty, and I’m able to stretch my legs and walk around the caboose to take photos at will. After nearly three hours, we cross a tiny, unremarkable stream – and, without ceremony, we’re in Spain. Badajoz’s train station, the location of my next and final transfer, is only a few minutes away.

If your train from Entroncamento is on time, it’s possible to make an almost direct transfer to a Madrid-bound train. But I wanted the chance to have lunch and explore Badajoz, so I opted for a later departure, giving me nearly four hours to burn in this historic city.

The train station is in the new part of town, just west of the Guadiana River, a 15-minute walk to the more interesting old town. I exit the station, head south on Avenida Carolina Coronado, cross the 15th-century Puente de Palmas footbridge and enter town via the Puerta de Palmas, a 16th-century fortification.

I arrive at around 2pm –