Óbidos Transportation

Monday morning June 1, began veeeery early - like 5:00 a.m. as we were to get our tour bus at the SAS Radisson, near Campo Grande Metro Station in Lisbon for 8:30 z.m. and most of us were staying in Cascais. Our large group that was staying at Albergaria Valbom headed for the train station around 6:00 a.m. Most had to buy tickets (1.70 Euro) for the 6:30 train to Lisbon. When we arrived at Cais do Sodre Train station, we then headed for the Metro ( Green Line ) to take us to Campo Grande. We arrived in good time around 8:00 a.m. - even were there before Antonio. After we all availed ourselved of the washrooms in the SAS Radisson, we all piled into the big blue bus and we were on our way.
Our first stop was Batalha Monastery. Then the glass-blowing factory where we had a wonderful glass-blowing demonstration and then it was on to Nazare' for lunch at Restaurante Sao Miguel. After lunch it was on to Alcobaca Monastery and finally Obidos.
The bus driver got us back to Lisbon at the SAS Radisson. From there we got to the Metro (Green Line) to Cais do Sodre train station and finally headed back to Cascais. A long day but absolutely wonderful. Thanks so much Antonio and Avelino. It was fantastic.

One of the most frequent questions is how to get to the beautiful medieval town of Óbidos from Lisbon.

By car - It takes about 50 minutes (85Kms from Lisbon city centre). You have to take A8 highway, pay 7,60€ of tolls and exit in exit nr 15 that has a sign saying Óbidos. You can also use other routes that avoid tolls but you'll take about 1h30 and probablility of getting lost will be higher. www.viamichelin.com might be a great website to plan your route without highways.

By bus - The best way to get to Óbidos is by taking a bus from Rodotejo from Campo Grande station. Buses take about one hour and departure at weekdays at: 8h, 8h15, 9h30, 11h, 12h, 13h15, 14h15, 15h30, 16h, 17h15, 17h30, 17h45, 18h, 18h15, 18h30, 18h45, 19h30, 20h15, 21h, 22h. At Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays at 9h30, 11h, 14h30, 16h45 and 19h30. However check in www.rodotejo.pt in the separator Rápidas just to be sure. The final destination of the bus is Alcobaça and the first stop is Bombarral. A ticket costs 7€ and Campo Grande is easily accessible by subway (green or yellow line).
You can also get a Rede Expressos bus to Caldas da Rainha (you can get it in Sete Rios station) and there get a taxi to Óbidos (about 8 kms).

Train - There is a train to Óbidos station. However this one is not in the centre and train takes a long, long time (betweeen 2h10-2h50). You can find the schedule here: http://www.cp.pt/StaticFiles/Imagens/PDF/Passageiros/horarios/regionais_2007/lisboa_fig_da_foz.pdf.

Taxi - A trip from Lisbon can cost around 80€ but prices might shift significantly. You can also purchase a taxi Voucher that will assure you of the price to pay (http://www.askmelisboa.com/en/content/taxi-voucher-rest-country-daytime).

Tours - There are many companies offering tours to Óbidos: Mr Friend (www.mrfriend.pt), Inside Lisbon (www.insidelisbon.com), Tours for You (www.toursforyou.pt), Lisboa Sightseeing (www.lisboasightseeing.com), Lisboa Tours (www.lisboatours.com), etc...

The best way to get to Obidos is bus - thanking to VT members advices we had no any problem with it. I don't recommend train if you have a luggage - the way from small railway station is as long as vertical!!!
So just remember exploring district Leria from Obidos - almost all buses are not direct. You must to make a change in the nearest town - Caldas da Rainha. And you can't be sure, that you'll be able you'll catch the bus you need. So, if you plan to see more places in Leiria - may be it's worth to stay in Nazare.
As to me the "The Fortune of Traveller" never left us in our trip, and we always caught the one we need))
And don't miss Tourist offices. During our trip they always gave us very correct information about schedule, transportation, working hours.

How to get in here on Train ?

Óbidos is located in central Portugal close to the coast.

» From Lisbon (90 km -or- 56 miles):

- Take Regional Route Lisbon-to-Leiria) until Óbidos' train station.

Once in Portugal visitors may call the Toll Free number 808-208-208 for train schedules-&-prices or check it at the CP - Comboios de Portugal website - www.cp.pt.

How to get in here by Car ?

Óbidos is located in central Portugal close to the coast.

» Driving from Lisbon (90 km -or- 56 miles):

- Take A8 (IC1) highway until Óbidos. It's a 40-minute ride approximately -best option-

- Take A1 highway direction Norte (north), exit in Aveiras-de-Cima, follow directions to Caldas-da-Rainha.

» Driving from Porto (245 km -or- 152 miles):

- Drive towards south on A1 highway, exit Leiria, go to EN1 (towards Batalha), take A8 (IC1) highway until Óbidos.

Obidos is easily reached by car from Lisbon: about an hour-and-a-half amidst beautiful vistas along Highway A8. You will have to park just outside, since only locals are allowed to drive inside; turismo office is located there as well. Rates are low, about E0.5 per hr.

I recommend renting from Europcar, which has an office in the Lisboa airport and another one near Pombal square. I paid E130 for three days with full insurance for a surprisingly nice Renault, which was a lot more enjoyable to drive than the Pontiacs in the States.

Parking is a pain in the butt; just look at this photo. The roads are narrow, hilly, and bumpy, so unless you are as adept as the locals at navigating these ridiculous roads I would recommend not trying to park within the walls of the town. In fact, I don't think you can drive into the walled village unless you are a resident or merchant there. There are plenty of parking lots just outside the town walls that are easy to access; the walk into town is rather short. By the main entrance near the Porta da Vila and tourism center there is a metered parking lot.

To avoid problems with driving and parking altogether, take a bus. Rede Expressos is the main national bus service, with services to Obidos from main cities such as Lisbon.

The best way to get to Obidos is by bus. The bus stop is close to the town centre. Obidos is situated on a hill. If you take the train you have to walk up. :-(. The train station is down and a couple of kilometers from the town. There are no buses and I didn't see any taxi stand.