PART 1: Vila Real de S.A.-Faro-Lisbon. Algarve and Portuguese railways. Portugal by scenic rail

PART 1: Vila Real de Santo Antonio-Faro-Lisbon
Apart from Metro trains, the train from Vila Real to Faro was the only train which didn't need a ticket bought in advance. In fact, the whole journey today was stress-free. Unfortunately not all trains would be this easy.

The idea of this journey started in 1988 and the release of Paul Theroux's 'Riding the Iron Rooster'. He wrote "With the whole day to kill we tried to devise the itinerary for the longest railway journey in the world. It began in Portugal: Braganca-Lisbon-Barcelona-Paris-Moscow-Irkutsk-Peking-Shanghai-Hong Kong." This journey was devised while on a train to Canton (Guangzhou). I was surprised he hadn't realised trains went further than Hong Kong, but to Nanning, close to the Vietnamese border.

The problem with Theroux's itinerary is that it doesn't head in the same geographical direction, but starts by heading south from Braganca to Lisbon and then east to Barcelona and then northeast to Paris.

To have a truly accurate itinerary, with no cheating or zig-zagging, I decided I would use the most logical, direct services. I could have routed via Barcelona as well, but that would be 'against the rules'.

I begin this epic journey by starting at Vila real de S.A., changing in Faro and continue to Lisbon. I start my adventure across Europe by rail.

*** MY BOOK:
End-To-End, the world's longest train journey from Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Portugal, to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/End-End-Worl...


Follow me at:
Web: http://www.planestrainseverything.com
Twitter: http://www.planestrainseverything.com
Facebook:   / planestrainseverything  
Instagram:   / planestrainseverything  

MUSIC:
https://freemusicforvlogs.com/roman-m...