Europe for Visitors logo


Home Main Index Site Search About Us

Lisbon-Madrid Night Train

Page 3
Continued from page 2

Dining car photo

ABOVE: Dinner in the dining car, which also serves late-night drinks and breakfast.

Dining Car

The Lusitánia Comboio Trenhotel has a dining car between the first-class and tourist sections of the train. It's open for dinner, for breakfast, and for drinks until bedtime.

Prices are moderate: You'll pay about the same as in a neighborhood restaurant with table service in Lisbon or Madrid. If you're traveling in a first-class sleeping compartment, breakfast is included in the fare; if you're in "Gran Clase" or luxuy class, you'll also get dinner with wine at no extra cost. (It's a good idea to reserve a table for dinner; if you're in a first-class or luxury-class sleeping compartment, the car attendant will wake you up in time for breakfast.)

Dinner menu: When I traveled from Lisbon to Madrid on the Trenhotel, the a la carte dinner menu offered soup or salad; a main course of pork, lamb, beef entrecôte, or pasta; and several desserts. The cooking struck me as being decent but unexceptional; a few American passengers complained about their beefsteaks being tough, but that's not uncommon in Spain and Portugal.

Breakfast menu: Breakfast consists of rolls and coffee or tea plus your choice of bacon and fried eggs or fruit and yogurt.

Drinks: The dining car has a good selection of mineral waters, soft drinks, wines, and spirits at typical restaurant prices.

Next page: Tickets and reservations




"Best of the Web"
- Forbes and The Washington Post


Our most popular topics:

  • Europe (Index)
  • Paris
  • Venice
  • Rome
  • Germany
  • Cruises in Europe



(c) iStockphoto.com/Robin Ahle

Need a car in Europe?

Auto Europe guarantees the lowest rental rates for standard cars, sports cars, SUVs, luxury cars, chauffered sedans, and RVs. Its Web site also has driving information for 38 countries.

If you live outside the EU, a tax-free Renault or Peugeot tourist lease can be cheaper than renting. Minimum driver age is 18, there' s no upper age limit, and rates include insurance. See: Short-term car leasing.


European train

Traveling by train?
Rail Europe has schedules, maps, and guides for 50+ European railroads. (Residents of North and Central America can buy tickets and rail passes online.)


From Europe for Cruisers:


Travel and cruise news:


Quantcast