Airport - central Porto / VNG: We paid around EUR30 for a taxi with 5 of us. There was one waiting on the rank and the 4 seater at the front just waived him down for us. All of the pre booked options were more the twice this cost. Going back to the airport from Campanha station (direct line on the metro) we paid around EUR2 each. Just remember to validate your ticket on the barrier before you get on the tube!
Porto - Regua / Pinhao etc: This is a direct train line, even though the Railwey website http://www.cp.pt (available in English and actually very easy to use), tells you you need to change to go beyond Regua. What seems to happen is the train stops at Regua for anywhere between 20-45 minutes for the driver to have a tea break! We used it to top up our cold beer supplies! You can take the train from Porto Sao Bento (very central) or Porto Campanha. Sao Bento is worth a visit just for its architecture. A word of warning though - the ticket office has the most confusing queueing system I have ever experienced. Unlike the website, nothing is explained in English! So, for those of you that decide on this route, here is how it works, for those who do not speak any Portuguese:
- -Outisde the ticket office is a ticket dispensing machine. This gives you a ticket that tells you your number in the queue. You need to know which line you need. (The website tells you this, but probably "IR" for Regua etc)
- -Go into the ticket office and watch the large screen for your number and ticket window (numbered 1-9)
- - Have a copy of the website print with you so the counter clerk (who probably speaks no English) knows what you want!
- - A ticket to Pinhao cost us EUR8.45 each, one way. An absolute bargain!
- - The train will take around 3 hours to Pinhao, depending on the length of the wait at Regua
If I think of any more tips, I will add to this thread!