Getting Around Setúbal
Setúbal sits on the northern bank of the Sado River estuary, within the Lisbon metropolitan area and roughly 50 km south of Lisbon by road. The city is compact enough that its historic core is best explored on foot, and its transport network — trains, buses, ferries, taxis and shared scooters — makes it easy to reach both the surrounding region and the beaches and hills of the Arrábida coast.
On Foot
The historic centre and the adjacent Avenida Luísa Todi are flat and pleasant to walk around, and this is where you will find several of the city's main attractions, including the Livramento Market, the Convento de Jesus and the Setúbal Museum. It is worth stopping for a meal at one of the many restaurants along the way.
Rail
Setúbal's central station is the Estação Ferroviária de Setúbal, where both Fertagus and CP (Comboios de Portugal) operate. Fertagus runs suburban services to Lisbon Roma-Areeiro, while CP operates suburban trains toward Barreiro and Praias Sado-A.
Besides the main station, there are two smaller halts served by CP: Praça do Quebedo and Praias do Sado-A. These halts are exceptionally not served by the last trains of the night, so keep that in mind if you are returning late. Two further stations in the area, Setúbal-Mar and Praias do Sado, are used for goods transport only; passenger service at Praias do Sado was suspended in 2009.
There is no metro or tram network in Setúbal — rail here means the suburban train services described above.
Buses and Public Transport
Bus services in Setúbal have been operated since June 2022 by Alsa Todi under the Carris Metropolitana brand. The city forms part of the fourth area and fourth sub-area of that network, which is reflected in its urban bus route numbering. Buses serve the whole town and are generally fine in terms of schedules and quality.
The main bus terminal is the ITS (Interface de Transportes de Setúbal), located next to the Setúbal railway station. It replaced the old terminal at Av. Dr. Manuel de Arriaga. Long-distance operators FlixBus, Rede Nacional de Expressos and BlaBlaCar Bus also serve the city; BlaBlaCar Bus still stops at the old terminal.
Taxis, Ride-Hailing and Shared Scooters
For short trips or excursions, tuk-tuk tours are available in the city — for example, Zé da Mota Tuk Tuk Tours on Avenida Luísa Todi. Electric scooters are another option: Bolt operates shared e-scooters with parking areas on Avenida Luísa Todi (east and west), in the Parque Urbano de Albarquel, in the squares of Bocage and do Brasil, at the ferry dock, at the Convento de Jesus and on Avenida Rodrigues Manito.
By Car
Setúbal is a major town in the region, so you will find signs pointing the way if you are driving in the area. The city is served by the A12 highway toward Lisbon, as well as the N10, N10-4 and N10-8 national roads. A drive, motorbike ride or tuk-tuk tour through the Serra da Arrábida is a highlight: start at the end of Avenida Luísa Todi and continue through the Arrábida Natural Park, passing beaches and stopping at viewpoints over the bay.
By Boat
The Tróia peninsula lies across the river and is the main commercial boat connection to Setúbal. Atlantic Ferries runs ferries between the Doca das Fontainhas terminal in Setúbal and Cais Sul in Tróia, next to the Soltroia urbanization, with an average crossing of about 25 minutes. Catamarans run between Cais 3 in Setúbal and the marina at Tróia, taking about 15 minutes on average. A taxi-boat service also connects to Tróia and to Setúbal's beaches.
Getting There from the Airport
The nearest airport is Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) in Lisbon. From Lisbon you can reach Setúbal by train; if there is no direct train, take one to Lisbon first and then continue to Setúbal. Alternatively, if you are already downtown near Praça do Comércio, you can avoid backtracking to a rail station by taking the ferry from the Terreiro do Paço terminal to Barreiro across the river and picking up a train there — it is a different branch than the Lisbon–Setúbal line, and the combined travel time is about the same.
Buses also connect Lisbon to Setúbal every day and almost every hour, so travelling from the capital is straightforward. There are also buses serving the surrounding area towns.