Check before you go Routes checked 9 Oct 2026. Trains, fares and borders change: confirm every leg with its operator before you book. Why

SZLAK Plan a szlak →

czarny · The Atlantic line

Szlak Atlantycki

The one you join rather than the one you start. Down the western edge.

  • Days15
  • About, a day€66
  • Legs5
  • Night on board1
Lisboa Porto Sevilla Donostia Bordeaux Paris Bruxelles Amsterdam Hamburg Berlin Wien Ljubljana Zagreb Split Mostar Kotor Sofia Veliko Tarnovo Brașov Budapest Košice Praha Kraków Warszawa Zakopane Vilnius Rīga Tartu Tallinn Helsinki

Every other szlak begins in Kraków. This one begins in Paris, where most people arrive anyway, and goes down the Atlantic side: Bordeaux, the Basque coast, Porto, Lisboa and the heat of Sevilla. France and Portugal are easy rail; between them the honest answer is a coach, and on the longest leg a night coach.

When. May, June, September and October. Sevilla passes 40 °C on July and August afternoons, and Donostia's beds cost double in summer.

For whom. Someone flying into Paris who wants the coast, the food and the warmth, and can sleep on a coach once.

The hardest leg is Donostia → Porto. No useful train. The night coach takes about ten hours, the day coach about thirteen. Or fly from Bilbao, which we would not blame you for.

The 5 legs come to about €183 in fares bought a few weeks ahead, and 25 h on the move. With a dorm bed, food and local transport every day, the whole szlak is about €991 — €66 a day. How we count.

Plan this szlak →

  1. Paris 2 nights then train, 2 h 05
  2. Bordeaux 2 nights then train, 3 h 20
  3. Donostia 2 nights then night coach, 10 h
  4. Porto 3 nights then train, 2 h 50
  5. Lisboa 3 nights then coach, 6 h 30
  6. Sevilla 2 nights the end of the line

Before you go, on this szlak

Borders, money, phones.

Borders

All Schengen: carry your passport or EU identity card.

Money

Euro everywhere.

Phone

EU roaming covers the whole route.

Clock

Portugal is an hour behind Spain and France.

Book ahead

  • Paris → Bordeaux: TGV and Ouigo fares climb steeply in the last two weeks.
  • Donostia beds in summer.

Buy on the day

  • The Euskotren from Hendaye: buy at the machine.
  • Porto → Lisboa on Intercidades: often cheap even close to the day.

Noclegi i odcinki (the nights and the legs)

The whole trail, stop by stop.

Times are the usual fastest journey. Fares run from booked early to bought late; dorm beds from low season to high. Prices in euro, 9 Oct 2026.

  1. Nights 1–2 · France

    Paris

    2 nights

    Two nights to arrive properly: most people fly in and land tired.

    Arrive
    Trains to Bordeaux leave from Gare Montparnasse; check the station on the ticket, especially for Ouigo.
    Sleep
    Belleville, Canal Saint-Martin or Montmartre. A dorm bed costs about €30–55 a night.
    Do
    • Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur, and Père Lachaise cemetery. Both free.
    • The Canal Saint-Martin in the evening, and Parc de Belleville for the view.
    • National museums are free for EU and EEA residents under 26, with ID; everyone else books a time slot.
    • The Seine on foot from Notre-Dame to the Eiffel Tower.
    Meet people
    The Canal Saint-Martin and the banks of the Seine on warm evenings.
    Worth knowing
    A metro ticket costs about €2.50; buy one on your phone or on a Navigo Easy card.

  2. Train

    Paris to Bordeaux

    SNCF TGV inOui · Ouigo

    Time
    2 h 05
    Runs
    about 20 a day
    Fare
    €16–100

    TGV inOui and Ouigo (the low-cost TGV) from Paris-Montparnasse to Bordeaux Saint-Jean. At weekends Ouigo Train Classique runs a slow, cheap train (about 5½ hours, from €10).

    Book early: fares climb fast in the last two weeks.

    Check and book on SNCF ConnectOuigo

  3. Nights 3–4 · France

    Bordeaux

    2 nights

    Cheaper than Paris and walkable from end to end.

    Arrive
    Bordeaux Saint-Jean station; tram C to the centre, about 15 minutes.
    Sleep
    The centre or Chartrons. A dorm bed costs about €25–40 a night.
    Do
    • Place de la Bourse and the Miroir d'eau, the reflecting pool in front of it.
    • The quays by bicycle, and the Chartrons district.
    • Darwin, the converted barracks across the river. Free.
    • The Dune du Pilat: train to Arcachon, then a bus.
    Meet people
    The quays fill up on summer evenings. Hostels are few, so book early.
    Worth knowing
    Tastings in the city's wine bars cost less than a château tour.

  4. Train

    Bordeaux to Donostia

    SNCF TER + Euskotren

    Time
    3 h 20
    Runs
    a TER every 1–2 hours to Hendaye; the topo every 30 minutes
    Fare
    €20–45

    A TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine (or a TGV) from Bordeaux Saint-Jean to Hendaye in 2½–3 hours, then the Euskotren 'topo' from its station next door into Donostia, about 40 minutes and a few euros.

    Buy the Euskotren ticket from the machine at Hendaia station.

    Check and book on SNCF ConnectEuskotren

  5. Nights 5–6 · Spain

    Donostia

    2 nights

    Pintxos are the cheapest way to eat well in western Europe, and you eat them standing, next to people.

    Arrive
    The Euskotren 'topo' from Hendaye runs into central Donostia. Long-distance coaches and Renfe trains use the station by the river at Egia.
    Sleep
    Parte Vieja (Old Town) or Gros. A dorm bed costs about €30–60 a night.
    Do
    • La Concha beach and the walk up Monte Urgull. Free.
    • A pintxo crawl in the Parte Vieja: one pintxo and one drink per bar.
    • Surfing at Zurriola beach in Gros (board hire and lessons).
    • Monte Igueldo by funicular for the view of the bay.
    Meet people
    The pintxo bars themselves, and the surf schools in Gros.
    Worth knowing
    The night coach to Porto leaves late in the evening: leave your bag at the hostel until then.

  6. Night coach Night 7, on board

    Donostia to Porto

    FlixBus (night) · ALSA (day)

    Time
    10 h
    Runs
    1 night coach — 22:40 → 07:35, Portuguese time — and 1 day coach
    Fare
    €45–100

    The night coach leaves Donostia late in the evening and reaches Porto Campanhã in the morning: a long night, and a bed you do not pay for. The ALSA day coach takes about 13 hours. There is no through train; by rail it is two days via Madrid and Vigo.

    The hardest leg on this szlak. Flying from Bilbao to Porto takes about an hour if you decide the night coach is not for you.

    Check and book on FlixBusALSA

  7. Nights 8–10 · Portugal

    Porto

    3 nights

    Three nights. The best value on this szlak by a distance.

    Arrive
    The night coach arrives at Campanhã, the bus and train interchange; take the metro or a train to São Bento in the centre.
    Sleep
    Baixa or Bonfim. A dorm bed costs about €18–30 a night.
    Do
    • São Bento station's tiles, the Ribeira, and the upper deck of the Dom Luís I bridge on foot.
    • The Palácio de Cristal gardens over the river. Free.
    • A port cellar in Vila Nova de Gaia (paid tastings).
    • Tram or bus to Foz do Douro, where the river meets the sea.
    Meet people
    Free walking tours daily; Porto's hostels are some of the best in Europe.
    Worth knowing
    Trains to Lisboa leave from Campanhã: the Alfa Pendular is faster, the Intercidades cheaper.

  8. Train

    Porto to Lisboa

    CP Alfa Pendular · Intercidades

    Time
    2 h 50
    Runs
    every hour or two
    Fare
    €10–35

    From Porto Campanhã to Lisboa Santa Apolónia or Oriente. The Intercidades are a little slower and cheaper than the Alfa Pendular.

    Seat reservations are compulsory and included in the fare.

    Check and book on CP — Comboios de Portugal

  9. Nights 11–13 · Portugal

    Lisboa

    3 nights

    Stay in Graça or Alfama rather than Baixa: the difference is a few euros and the whole city.

    Arrive
    Trains from Porto arrive at Santa Apolónia, by Alfama, or at Oriente.
    Sleep
    Graça, Alfama or Bairro Alto. A dorm bed costs about €20–38 a night.
    Do
    • The viewpoints: Senhora do Monte and Graça. Free.
    • Belém: the monastery (paid), the tower and the pastéis.
    • The Feira da Ladra flea market, on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
    • The ferry to Cacilhas across the Tagus, for the view back.
    Meet people
    Free walking tours, and Bairro Alto's street drinking on warm nights.
    Worth knowing
    Tram 28 is beautiful and full of pickpockets. Walk the route instead.

  10. Coach

    Lisboa to Sevilla

    ALSA · FlixBus · Rede Expressos

    Time
    6 h 30
    Runs
    several a day, overnight included
    Fare
    €20–45

    There is no direct train. Coaches leave from Lisboa Oriente or Sete Rios and arrive at Sevilla's Plaza de Armas.

    Spain is an hour ahead of Portugal.

    Check and book on ALSAFlixBus

  11. Nights 14–15 · Spain

    Sevilla

    2 nights

    It ends here, in the heat, where everyone eats at ten at night.

    Arrive
    Coaches from Lisboa arrive at the Plaza de Armas bus station, ten minutes' walk from the centre.
    Sleep
    Centro, Triana or the Alameda. A dorm bed costs about €18–35 a night.
    Do
    • Plaza de España and the María Luisa park. Free.
    • The Real Alcázar (paid; book a time slot online).
    • Triana across the river, and flamenco in a peña.
    • The Metropol Parasol, 'Las Setas', and its rooftop walk at sunset (paid).
    Meet people
    The Alameda de Hércules at night.
    Worth knowing
    From mid-June to mid-September, do everything before one o'clock or after eight.

The end of the Szlak Atlantycki: 15 days, about €991. Checked 9 October 2026 — confirm every leg with its operator before you book.

The other four

Not this one?

Szlak Bałtycki Up the eastern edge until the land runs out, then across the water. 16days €49a day Szlak Adriatycki Down through the Alps until the water turns the wrong colour. 18days €56a day Szlak Karpacki Three weeks along the mountains, on the cheapest money in Europe. 21days €41a day Szlak Zachodni Six capitals in fourteen days, and it is the expensive one on purpose. 14days €70a day