Situated pretty much halfway between Madrid and Lisbon, Cáceres is one of Extremadura’s main tourist destinations and a great for a weekend city break or as an overnight stay on a Spanish-Portuguese road trip.
This article, aimed at travellers looking to get to Cáceres from Lisbon, includes all the transport options available, the advantages of each means of transport, a detailed car journey description, practical information and links to buy your tickets.
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Getting to Cáceres from Lisbon by car
Cáceres is 314 kilometres away from Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport. A typical car journey takes about 3h 20min, making it the fastest way (road traffic permitting) to get to Cáceres from Lisbon, both from Oriente station and from the airport.
Reasons for driving to Cáceres from Lisbon:
You can hire a car at the airport. If you fly into Lisbon, hiring a car at the airport is very convenient.
You can leave when you want. You don’t need to kill time while waiting for a coach. As soon as you land, you can go get your car and leave straight away.
It can be the cheapest option, if you’re travelling with others, since sharing a hired car is normally cheaper than coach tickets.
It’s the fastest option.
It gives you the most flexibility. Driving allows you to stop whenever and wherever you want. You might need regular quick rest stops, or you may want to take it slowly and visit a place or two on the way, such as Évora, Elvas, or Badajoz.
Picking up your car at Lisbon Airport
Hiring a car is the most convenient way to travel to Cáceres from Lisbon Airport. Enterprise is my go-to car hire company when I travel and the one I’ve used in the past to drive across to Extremadura. To find the car hire counter simply follow the signs for ‘Guerin/Enterprise’ in the arrivals hall. The car hire process is mostly automated and easy to follow. Make sure you mention your cross-border travel plans. The car park is located on the second floor.
The car journey to Cáceres from Lisbon Airport
The airport is located to the north of the city, in Alameda das Comunidades Portuguesas.
Leave the car hire pick-up point and join the Alameda das Comunidades Portuguesas. At the roundabout, take the fifth exit (A1 Norte) on to the E1 road. Get off at exit 14 towards the A12 (Sul P.te V. Gama) motorway and continue on the A12 road (later called IP1) and look out for the A2 signs (Algarve, Évora). The road then merges onto the A2/E90 road. Get off at exit 7 (Espanha) onto the A6 – IP7/E90 Spain-bound motorway. The A6/E90 motorway will take you across to Spain, where it becomes the A-5/E-90 road. Get off at exit 407 onto the BA-20 road that will take you across Badajoz through numerous roundabouts. Follow the signs for Badajoz city centre (centro ciudad), then the signs for Cáceres (EX-100/N-523). When approaching Cáceres, look out for the N-630 sign and follow the signs for the city centre.
Parking in Cáceres
Finding a good place to leave your car in a new city is not always easy. Whether you’re driving to Cáceres for a day trip or you’re staying overnight, knowing where you’ll park in advance can remove some of the road trip-related stress.
My go-to car park in Cáceres is Párking Obispo Galarza and here’s why:
Location. The car park is centrally located in Plaza de Obispo Galarza, right by the historic centre of Cáceres and only four minutes away on foot from the main square.
Opening hours. It’s open 24/7.
Reasonably priced. Parking a car here costs €0.0138/min up to a maximum of €12.45 per 24 hours of parking.
Getting to Cáceres from Lisbon by coach
There are no direct coach services from Lisbon to Cáceres, so you need to make a connection, either in Badajoz or Mérida.
Option 1: from Lisbon to Cáceres via Badajoz
Getting from Lisbon to Badajoz. Company Alsa runs coach services to Badajoz from Oriente station, Lisbon Airport station and Sete Rios station. Flixbus serves Badajoz with four daily coaches departing from Oriente station. The journey duration varies between 2h 29min (no stops) and 3h 29min.
Getting from Badajoz to Cáceres. Company Anesa runs six direct coach services a day from Monday to Friday, two services on Saturdays and four services on Sundays. The journey duration is 1h 15min. Tickets can be purchased on Anesa’s website. Alternatively, a slower (2h) daily 9am service is run by Alsa.
Option 2: Lisbon to Cáceres via Mérida
Getting from Lisbon to Mérida. Alsa runs one daily coach service to Mérida. The journey duration from Oriente station is 3h 45min and from Sete Rios station is 4h 15min. Flixbus also runs one daily coach service from Oriente station. The journey duration is 4h.
Getting from Mérida to Cáceres. Alsa runs regular coach services every day of the week. The journey duration varies, depending on the service, and it ranges from 55min (direct) to 1h 35min. Alternatively, you can travel onwards from Mérida to Cáceres by train. The journey duration varies between 37min (Alvia and Media Distancia services) to 39min (Regional Exprés service).
Getting to Cáceres from Lisbon by train
Unfortunately, travelling by train from Lisbon to Cáceres is not possible. So far, the only city in Extremadura connected by train (not even directly) to Portugal is Badajoz – it’s a slow journey with a connection that can take between 3h 47min and 5h 1min. And, once in Badajoz, you would not be able to get on an onward direct train to Cáceres (only via Mérida), because Badajoz and Cáceres are not connected by train.
Remember that Portugal and Spain are in different time zones. When planning your trip to Cáceres from Lisbon, don’t forget that Spain is one hour ahead.
Read the Cáceres travel guide to know what to see and do in the city.
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Irene Corchado Resmella
Hi! I’m Irene (/ee-REH-neh/). Long since settled in the UK, I explore my Spanish home region of Extremadura with an inquisitive mind, a sharp eye, and the duality that comes with being both a local and a visitor. Then I write about it here to help you discover this beautiful yet overlooked part of Spain. If you have any questions after reading this article, submit a comment below! Read more about me.
