Guimarães is a fascinating and historic Portuguese city, which is fondly regarded by the Portuguese as the birthplace of their country.

This charming town makes for a fantastic day trip from Porto, where you'll discover an ancient castle, a medieval palace, and a delightful historic centre. Just outside of Guimarães lies Penha Hill, offering stunning viewpoints, shaded walks, and a scenic cable car ride.

Traveling from Porto to Guimarães is easy, as they are both connected by a direct and inexpensive train service. This article will provide a detailed guide about travelling to Guimarães, and includes fares, station guides, and links to current timetables. The final section of the article explains how to travel from Porto Airport to Guimarães.
Related articles: Guimarães guide

Guimarães is located 47 km northeast of Porto, and the fastest method of travel is by car.

If you are reliant on public transport, the train is the recommended means of travel, as it provides a direct and inexpensive service. In Porto, the train departs from São Bento train station, which is conveniently located in the heart of the city and close to the main tourist areas.

The Porto to Guimarães train is a comparatively slow service, as it is part of the Porto urban train network and makes many stops along the route.

Travel tip: When planning your day trip to Guimarães, it is advisable to consider train timetables, as there can be a wait of up to two hours between departures from Guimarães in the afternoon. Most visitors aim to catch either the daily 15:53 departure or the 17:07 (Monday-Friday) or 17:58 (weekends and public holidays) train.

The train to Guimarães, waiting in the São Bento train station

The train service is operated by Comboios de Portugal (CP), the national train company of Portugal.

A single ticket from Porto to Guimarães costs €3.45 for adults and €1.75 for children. There are no return tickets, so a return fare is the price of two singles: €6.90 for adults and €3.50 for children.

The fare to Guimarães falls within the "Zone 8" pricing bracket of Porto's urban train lines. For a full guide to the fares, please see this link to the CP website:
www.cp.pt/StaticFiles/Passageiros/1_horarios/precos/pt/oporto-urban-trains-prices.pdf

(link opens a PDF, which may download on certain mobile phones)

Guimarães is the final station on the railway line. Depending on the service, the train journey takes a tedious 1 hour 10 minutes or 1 hour 20 minutes.

There are ten daily departures, with six extra services Monday to Friday. The first daily departure from Porto is at 7:25 (or 6:20 Monday to Friday), and the last departures from Guimarães are at 20:20, 21:48, and 22:47 (correct as of April 2024). For the latest timetable, please refer to the CP website:
www.cp.pt/StaticFiles/timetables/oporto-guimaraes-urban-trains.pdf

(The link opens a PDF, which may download on certain mobile phones.)

The key aspect with the Guimarães train journey is planning which train to take back to Porto. At the weekends there is a gap of two hours between the late afternoon/evening services.

The trains that operate between Porto and Guimarães are modern, clean, and well-maintained. The route is also safe to travel late at night. These trains are suitable for passengers with reduced mobility, as the platforms are at the same height as the carriage doors.

The interactive map below shows the route of the train from Porto to Guimarães and marks all of the stations along the route. (Note: zoom in or out to see all of the points)

Key: 1) São Bento station 2) Campanhã station 3) Guimarães station

Small group tours are an enjoyable and informative way to discover Guimarães, along with providing a chance to meet fellow travellers.
We have worked with GetYourGuide.com for the previous seven years and some of their best tours they offer for Guimarães include:

As the train from Porto to Guimarães is an urban service, tickets cannot be purchased online from the Comboios de Portugal website, nor can seats be reserved. Passengers must buy their tickets from the ticket office or ticket machines at São Bento train station.

Insight: Some third-party apps may offer to sell these tickets, but they will charge additional booking fees.

The ticket machines at the station provide instructions in all common European languages and accept both cash and card payments. Be aware that the main ticket office in São Bento train station can become very busy, particularly during rush hour.

It is essential to purchase and validate tickets before boarding the train. Passengers should expect ticket inspections during the journey, and those with invalid or non-validated tickets may face fines.

Trains to Guimarães depart from the São Bento train station (GPS: 41.145, -8.610) (link to Google Maps). This station is conveniently located close to the main tourist areas of Porto and is a short walk away from the Ribeira District. São Bento is served by the D metro line (yellow line), which is the main north-south metro line.

The station is well equipped with standard facilities, including; an ATM, coffee shop, luggage lockers, ticket offices and a small waiting room.

All trains to Guimarães also stop at Campanhã train station (GPS: 41.150, -8.584). This is the main intercity train station of Porto, with direct services to Coimbra and Lisbon. The São Bento Station is closer to central Porto than Campanhã, so it is recommended to join the service at São Bento.

Guimarães train station is located to the south of the town, GPS 41.435, -8.294. From the station it is a 10-minute walk along the Avenida Dom João IV to the historic centre.

On exiting the station, you should turn right and walk to the roundabout where you turn left, onto the Avenida Dom João IV. After 700m this road leads to the pretty Nossa Senhora da Consolação church.

While at São Bento train station, don't miss the stunning azulejo tile paintings adorning the waiting room walls. Dating from 1907-1913, the tiles reflect the eras before and after the 1910 Portuguese revolution. The classic blue and white tiles predate the revolution, while the coloured tiles, introduced after the revolution, were considered modern and progressive, symbolising the newly formed republic in 1911.

Ride-hailing apps like Uber and Bolt offer a convenient alternative to public transport and are surprisingly affordable for the journey between Porto and Guimarães. These services are particularly useful when travelling with children or in a group of four, as they provide a comfortable and direct mode of transportation.

The base fare for a ride from central Porto to Guimarães is approximately €30. However, the exact fare may vary depending on factors such as demand, traffic conditions, and time of day.

It is often easier to hail an Uber or Bolt during mid-morning when demand is low. In contrast, booking a ride can be more challenging later in the day, especially during rush hour. At these peak times, fares can increase by up to 30%, and there may be longer wait times to connect with available drivers.

Insight: While Uber tends to be slightly more expensive than Bolt, the company generally offers a higher standard of vehicles and drivers. Based on our experience, we recommend opting for Uber when travelling between Porto and Guimarães.

For the journey from Porto to Guimarães, we recommend booking a 'Comfort' level car through Uber or Bolt. This option will cost approximately 15% more than a standard fare but ensures a more spacious and comfortable vehicle. The higher fare also attracts more drivers, which can be beneficial during peak hours. Drivers classified as 'Comfort' have the option to accept both comfort and regular fares but will typically prioritize comfort rides due to the higher earnings potential.

Insight: If you plan to use Uber or Bolt during your stay in Portugal, we highly recommend downloading the app, completing the registration process, and familiarizing yourself with its features before your trip.

If you're travelling to Guimarães from Porto Airport, there is no need to go into central Porto and catch a train. Instead, you can take a direct bus to Guimarães that is operated by "Get Bus". The fare from Porto Airport to Guimarães is €9, and the journey takes approximately 50 minutes. The bus departs from outside the terminal building at "Stop D", and you can purchase cash tickets directly from the driver.

There are seven daily departures, with nine on weekdays (Monday to Friday). Although the number of departures is limited, taking the bus is significantly cheaper than a taxi (which costs around €90) and more convenient than catching the metro to Porto and then a train to Guimarães. To view the latest timetable and purchase tickets, please visit the GetBus website:
www.getbus.eu

In Guimarães, the GetBus terminates at the bus station (GPS: 41.441, -8.302), which is connected to the Guimarães Shopping centre, and is located to the west of the historic city centre.