Porto (Campanha) (Porto)

All of the trains to and from Portugal's second city arrive at depart from Porto-Campanhã, because the city centre station, Porto-São Bento, is too small for use by long-distance trains.
Though São Bento is linked to Campanhã by a branch line, hence all of the Regional and Urban services which use that station also call at Porto-Campanhã - but additional trains on all of the routes to/from Sao Bento are turned around at Porto (Camphana).

Porto-Campanhã is a station of two parts:

1. The long-distance AP And IC trains and the trains to and from São Bento use the linhas (platforms / tracks) 1 - 9, as these can be used by trains which pass through the station -Though they are also used by the AP, Celta and IC trains which terminate and begin in Porto.
2. The linhas (platforms / tracks) 11-16 are a terminus station at the northern end of linha 1 and they are used by those additional Regional and Urban services which are turned around at Porto-Campanhã.

The train services to/from Porto (Camphana) include:

• Alfa Pendular trains to/from Albufeira - Ferreiras, Aveiro, Braga, Coimbra, Faro and Lisboa / Lisbon
• Intercidades trains to/from Albufeira - Ferreiras, Aveiro, Braga, Coimbra, Entroncamento, Evora, Faro, Guimaraes, Lisboa / Lisbon, Pombal, Valenca and Vana do Castelo
• Celta trains to/from Vigo via Valenca and Vana do Castelo
• Regional trains to/from Pochino, Regua, Valenca via Vana do Castelo
• Urban / Suburb local trains to/from Aveiro, Braga and Guimaraes

Most of of the Regional and Urban services begin and end their journeys at Sao-Bento station.

Linhas (platforms / tracks) 2 - 9 are linked to the main station building, which is located on linha 1, by a passage way beneath the railway, which can be accessed by escalators, lifts /elevators and stairs.
The AP and IC express trains typically use Linhas (platforms / tracks) 5 - 9.
The access to and from this subway on linha 1 is by the main station building - as you ascend on the escalator, the main hall is through the first set of doors over to the right,

The main station building houses the ticket booking office and a waiting room - the station does not have a First Class Lounge.

On exiting through the main hall, the taxi rank is immediately to the left and the bus station is over to the right.

The Camphana Metro station is in a separate building, which is a few minutes walk from the main station building.
Is it at the northern end of the mainline station, closer to the terminal platforms / tracks 11 - 16.

The signage on linha (platform / track) 1 will lead you towards this area pictured above, which looks like it could be the Metro station, but it isn't.
From here the Metro station is on the other side of the metro tracks, so a short passage way leads under them.
It can be accessed by escalators and lifts / elevators, but coming this way is inevitably a tad awkward when travelling with luggage etc.

However, what's less obvious is that a step-free, easier and not much longer alternative route is available between the rail station and the Metro station at Camphana.
When arriving on a mainline train, if you exit through the main hall on to the front of the station, you can simply walk over to the right.
That's because on the other side of the bus stands, you'll come to the same area on the other side of the metro tracks, which then leads into the Metro station.

from the Metro

When arriving by Metro, simply go straight ahead and walk by the bus stands, almost immediately you will see the main station building over to the left.

On the blue Departure / Partidas TV style screens, the trains are listed in order of departure, with the next to leave at the top.
They show the next nine departures.
If you will be taking an Alfa Pendular train or an Intercidades train, you can confirm the departure you will be taking by matching departure time on your ticket, to the time (hora) on the board.

What's unusual is that the linha (platform / track) that the train will be leaving from, is visible as soon as the train is listed
So you can make your way to the corresponding linha as soon as the departure appears on the screen - which is useful, as the main station building at Porto-Camphana is arguably too small for the numbers of travellers which use it.

Boarding

Some of the AP and IC trains which will be heading to Lisboa-Santa Apolinia and the AP / IC trains heading to Faro, commence their journeys at Porto-Camphana.
If they're already waiting at the linha (platform / track) when the departure details appear on the screen, you can typically board them straightaway.

Though most trains only call at Porto-Camphana for a few minutes during their journeys.

Though those TV screens which show the next nine trains to be leaving can't (yet) be found on the linhas (platforms / tracks).
So if you will be making a connection at Porto-Camphana, you may have to head into the main station building to find out the details of where your subsequent train will be departing from.
Or you can look up the number of the linha (platform / track) your onward train will be departing from while on route to Porto.

As can be seen above, the departure monitors on the linhas (platforms / tracks), show the:

• Partida = Departure time
• beneath that is the final destination
• to the right is the type of train service, Suburb = urban/local, though you may also see R, IC or AP
• Paragem = the stations which the train will call at during the journey, note that this text scrolls.

ShowMeTheJourney has anticipated what questions are most often asked about taking trains to and from Porto (Camphana) and answered them below.

If you can't find the information you are seeking, you can ask a question by using the Travel Planning Service.

Yes, there are both escalators lifts / elevators on each of the pairs of the linhas (platforms 2-9 which connect them to the station facilities, the main building and the exits, which are are all on linha 1.
The long-distance AP and IC express trains typically use linhas (platforms / tracks) 5 - 9, which are on the other side of the station to the main building.

Though the lift which links this passage way to linha 1 can inevitably be busy.
When stepping off a train, the staircases down to the passage way may the first exit you see, but if the escalators or lifts are in working order, you can use those instead.

If your train arrives on linhas (platforms / tracks)11 - 16, you can simply walk ahead to the exits on, which will be ahead on linha 1.

Due to the local geography of a steep sided river valley and hills, Porto (Camphana) had to be located on the eastern most edge of Porto's central area.
The tourist heart of the city is around a kilometer away.

To from Sao Bento rail station

In contrast Sao Bento station is very conveniently located on the edge of the most popular tourist area of the city.
So if your train is heading to Porto-Sao Bento, don't leave the train at Porto-Camphana.
But if you won't be arriving or departing in Porto on a train that calls at Sao Bento station, the most convenient access to/from the city center, is to make the connection at Porto-Camphana.
There are typically 4 to 6 x trains per hour between the two stations and the journey only takes four minutes - though the the trains to Sao Bento depart from linhas (platforms / tracks) 2 or 5.

Details of the next departure from Porto Camphana to Porto Sao Bento, can be looked up, when on route to the city.

by metro

Sao Bento also has a metro station, but the journey between it and Camphana requires a change of Metro train at Trindade station; where the making the transfer requires a change of levels by escalator or lift.

So if a train is departing from Porto (Camphana)for Sao Bento, within 15 mins, the train and not the metro can be the way to go.
Though the Metro trains which head to Sao Bento from Trindade also call at Aliados and Jardim do Morro - this station is on the south side of the Douro river

When entering Camphana Metro station from the rail station, the entrance is on the platform that the trains heading towards Trindade depart from.

However, when heading to Campahana from the city centre, the exit from the Metro station requires a subway under the tracks to be used.
Therefore taking a mainline train direct from Sao Bento station to Porto (Camphana) is very much the way to go - all trains from Sao Bento call at Camphana, so you can board whichever train will be the next to leave.

You will need an Andante Card to travel on the bus and metro in Porto and they can be purchased in Camphana metro station.
This is a pay-as-you-go card which costs 50 cents which you then load with funds, which will be deducted when you tap in when boarding a bus, tram or funicular. and out at the end of the Metro trip on the card readers - you also need to tap in when using the metro.
You load 'money' on to these 'blue' cards at ticket machines

A single Metro ride costs €1.20, but if you add sufficient funds for 10 journeys = €12 in one transaction, you will receive an additional journey for free.

Or you can purchase an Andante Tour Card from multiple sales points, including Camphana Metro station, which can be used for unlimited travel on Porto's public transport network for 24 hour and 72 hour (3 day) periods.
The periods of time aren't whole days, so a 24hr card be used from 12pm to 11:59am etc
The 'clock' counts down from the time when you first validate the card, by tapping it on a card reader at a metro station or bus - so you don't have to constantly tap in an out with a Tour Card.
A 72 hour card costs €15, so it becomes value for money if you take a minimum of 13 rides during your stay in Porto

Yes there is a cafe on linha (platform) 1 where you can sit down and have food and drink.

Luggage lockers are available in a cute separate building on linha (platform 1) - when ascending on the esclaator on linha 1 walk straight ahead past the exit.

Yes there are multiple car hire companies with desks within the station and just outside on either side of the exit on to the forecourt.

Many of Portugal's most-popular tourist destinations are an easy journey from Porto (Camphana) by train:

• Aveiro = 1 or 2 x Regional trains per hour to Aveiro station in a journey time of around 1hr 10mins + in most hours there are also express AP or IC trains which have a journey time of around 45 mins
• Braga = there are 1 or 2 x Regional trains per hour to Braga station in a journey time of around 1hr 5 mins + in some hours there are also express AP or IC trains which have a journey time of under 40mins.
• Guimares = typically 1 x Regional train per hour to Guimares station in a journey time of around 1hr 10mins + there is a daily IC train, but it isn't scheduled to depart from Porto-Camphana until 14:55.

All of the destinations above have slightly more frequent trains from Camphana station than from Sao Bento station, also the AP and IC express trains are only available from Porto-Camphana station.

Or have a day by the beach, Espinho is under a 25 min ride by the Regional trains heading to Aveiro

Taking in this incredible journey as a day trip from Porto by train is easily done.
The timetable allows for a return trip to the end of the line at Pochino, or to have a lunch in the charming village of Pinhao, as it has multiple restaurants by its lovely station.

The Douro Historical Train

On certain days of the week from mid June until the end of October, a steam train operates on a lovely part of the route between Régua and Tua.
The train doesn't depart from Régua until 15:30 - and the timetable is arranged so that it's possible to leave Porto around 13:30 and return to the city at around 20:30.

Porto Airport is served by Line E of the Porto Metro, though this line does not serve Porto (Camphana).
A connection is available at Trindade station with the multiple lines which do serve Camphana.

When heading to the airport from Porto-Camphana, the transfer to the line E at Trindade requires taking a short passage under the metro tracks.

In the opposite direction from the airport, the connection at Trindade is a simple cross platform transfer - but on arrival at Camphana, a short passage under the tracks has to be used to exit it Metro station.