Obidos is one of the most picturesque towns in Portugal, offering a delightful mix of cobbled streets and traditional whitewashed houses, all encircled by ancient stone walls.

This abundance of Portuguese charm and character makes Obidos one of the most popular tourist destinations in central Portugal. The town is often visited as a day trip from Lisbon and is also a recommended stop while travelling between Lisbon and Coimbra.

Obidos is situated 80km to the north of Lisbon and lies close to the A8 expressway, which makes it a convenient place to visit when travelling north from the capital.

There are bus and train services between Lisbon and Obidos, with the bus being the better option for most visitors. The express service to Obidos is operated by Rodotejo and departs from the Campo Grande bus station in Lisbon. The journey takes just 60 minutes, with a single fare costing €9.05.

 

 

This article will detail how to travel from Lisbon to Obidos, including timetables and useful travel advice, as well as a section about driving to Obidos.
Related articles: Obidos guide – Lisbon guide

There are many options for travelling from Lisbon to Obidos, and a high-level summary is:

Driving
If you have a car, driving is the simplest way to reach Óbidos. The journey follows the A8 expressway and takes approximately 50 minutes, plus any additional time due to Lisbon’s traffic.
In Óbidos, there is a large free car park to the south of the town (GPS: 39.358, -9.156 ; link to Google Maps). The only downside is that the A8 has tolls, which will cost €5.40.

Warning: If travelling by car, please be aware of the tolls and how to pay them; details are provided at the end of this guide. The company that manages the roads has recently discovered that foreign tourists are a great source of funds and can be quick to issue fines.

Bus
The Rodotejo bus company provides an express service between Lisbon and Caldas da Rainha, which makes a stop at Obidos. The service is called the ‘Rapida Verde’ and takes 1 hour to travel from Campo Grande bus station to Obidos.

The fare costs €9.05 for an adult single, and a return for a day trip would cost €18.10. The issue with the bus is the lack of services at the weekend, and there are gaps of two hours between daytime departures. If you plan to take the bus at the weekend, always know the exact departure time for the return service. Full details are provided later in the article.

Train
Obidos lies on the minor western railway line that meanders up to Coimbra, and is served by a very slow regional train that departs from Santa Apolónia train station in Lisbon. The journey takes an agonisingly slow 2 hours 20 minutes, and there is almost no reason to choose the train over the bus.

 

 

Uber/bolt
If you wish to take a private transfer from Lisbon to Obidos, choosing either of the ride-hailing apps (Uber or Bolt) could be a sensible option.

Fares for both Uber and Bolt are highly variable and based on demand, but the average cost is around €68 for up to four people. The price will be higher at peak times and at night, but it will always be much cheaper than a taxi (+€120) or private transfer organised from your hotel.

The downside with the ride-hailing apps is that it can be difficult to book an Uber or Bolt for the return journey from Obidos to Lisbon. This is due to the Obidos/Caldas da Rainha region having fewer drivers and higher demand later in the afternoon. Also, drivers may not want to accept such a long drive that takes them away from their usual working area. This may result in drivers rejecting your ride once they see where it's going on the app.

Insight: Uber is slightly more expensive than Bolt, but the quality of their cars and drivers is better. For this long ride we would choose Uber and one of their comfort cars (10 per cent more expensive).

A tour
Joining an organised tour could be a good way to visit Obidos, especially if you don't want the hassle of public transport.

The other advantage of a tour is that you can combine a visit to Obidos with other towns, such as Nazaré, Batalha and Fátima. Óbidos is pretty, but it doesn't take long to fully explore and can then be difficult to travel anywhere else due to the limited public transport.

The general standard of organised tours in Portugal has vastly improved over the last few years, with tour guides being enthusiastic and knowledgeable. We have worked with GetYourGuide.com over the last seven years, and some of their best tours to Obidos include:

The express bus service between Lisbon and Obidos is operated by the Rodotejo bus company. The route is called the ‘Rápida Verde’ (Green Express), which continues on to the town of Caldas da Rainha. The buses along this route are clean, modern and comfortable, and even have free WiFi.

The bus journey from Lisbon to Óbidos takes 60 minutes, with 26 daily departures from Monday to Friday. However this reduces to 12 departures at weekends and on bank holidays.

Insight: At weekends, there is only one departure every two hours between 10am and 5pm, so always plan your day around the departure times, especially when returning to Lisbon. Due to the limited number of departures, we would always suggest visiting Óbidos from Monday to Friday. Additionally, weekdays typically have fewer tourists than at weekends.

The last bus from Óbidos departs at 9.45pm, but always check the latest timetable on the Rodotejo website: http://www.rodotejo.pt/

The current timetable can be seen here:
www.rodotejo.pt/wp-content/uploads/rapida_linha_verde.pdf
(The above link is a PDF, and it may download on mobile phones).

A single bus ticket from Lisbon to Obidos costs €9.05, and the ticket is purchased from the bus driver. There are no return tickets; for a day trip, a single ticket must be purchased each time you board the bus.

There are cheaper fares for children aged 4 to 12 (€4.55), seniors aged 65+ (€7.25), and those under 25 (€7.70). If using any age-based discounts, always travel with a valid ID to prove your age.

Bus tickets cannot be pre-booked or seats reserved in advance. It is therefore advisable to arrive early for popular summertime services, especially at the weekends.

If you are travelling with heavy or bulky luggage, it can be loaded into the compartments beneath the bus.

Insight: Obidos is not served by Rede Expressos (the main intercity bus company of Portugal) or the low-cost bus company FlixBus. This means there are few options for onward travel from Obidos, and you will need to travel to Caldas da Rainha for most onward bus travel.

The bus route from Lisbon to Obidos follows the A8 expressway and there is a single stop, in the town of Bombarral. The bus route is quite scenic, as it passes through the hills north of Lisbon.

The Rodotejo bus to Obidos departs from the Campo Grande bus station in Lisbon. This bus station is located on the green and yellow metro lines and is served by the Campo Grande metro station.

Campo Grande is a confusing bus station, best described as a series of bus stops that surround the metro station. There is no central building, and there are two main sets of bus stops to the east and west of the metro station. Carris Metropolitana buses to Mafra and Ericeira depart from the western side, and the Rodotejo buses from the eastern side.

The bus stand for the ‘Rápida Verde’ bus to Óbidos is to the east of the metro station, on ‘Rua Actor António Silva’, and is below the bridge that carries the metro, 38.7607, -9.156.

The exact bus stand is marked by the Rápida Verde timetable, and when the bus arrives it may display ‘Caldas da Rainha’, which is the final stop on the route.

Insight: Always allow yourself enough time to find the exact location of the bus stop.

The Rodotejo bus area is shown in the Google Street View image seen below:

Obidos has just a single bus stop on the Rua da Praça, GPS: 39.359, -9.15. This is to the south of the historic centre and close to the Porta da Vila (the gateway into the town). From the bus stop it is less than a 5-minute walk from the bus stop to the centre of Obidos.

The bus stop in Obidos is just outside the city walls.

The easiest way to travel from Lisbon to Obidos is by car. Óbidos is just 1km from the main A8 expressway, which connects Lisbon to Leiria, Coimbra and the north of Portugal.

The junction for Obidos is number 15, and this leads to the southern side of the town where there is a large car park (GPS: 39.358, -9.156). Cars are not allowed within the historic centre.

Warning: When leaving your car, never have any valuables (including luggage) on display. In previous years, there have been thefts from parked cars.

The A8 is a toll expressway and tolls are paid through the Via Verde transponder. Full details are provided on their website:
visitors.viaverde.pt

If you are planning on driving a foreign registered car, please see this website:
www.portugaltolls.com/

There is an infrequent train service to Obidos, which is part of the Lisbon to Caldas da Rainha railway. The drawback when using the train is that it is a slow regional service, which takes a tedious 2 hours 20 minutes (as opposed to 60 minutes by bus). A single ticket costs €9.75, and the latest timetable can be seen on the Comboios de Portugal (CP) website:
www.cp.pt/StaticFiles/timetables/lisbon-figueira-foz-oeste-regional-trains.pdf
The above link is a PDF and may download on certain mobile phones.

The Comboios de Portugal website is https://www.cp.pt

Obidos train station is to the northwest of the town (GPS: 39.364, -9.159) and it is a 10-minute uphill walk to the historic centre.
Advice: Given the infrequent departures and long journey, we always recommend bus travel over the train.

Discover more of Óbidos and central Portugal with our guides