In a press release, the company announces "the launch of two new routes: the Madrid-Braga line, which will connect Braga, Porto, Vila Real and Bragança to the Spanish capital, more specifically to the Madrid Sul bus terminal and Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport, as well as the city of Zamora; and the Lisbon-Badajoz line, which connects these two cities to Setúbal, Montemor-o-Novo, Évora, Estremoz, Borba and Elvas, with the last three joining the company's network for the first time."

FlixBus thus guarantees that the new connections will give passengers from the Minho, Trás-os-Montes and Alentejo regions "a new travel alternative, which will allow them to reach cities such as Madrid, Zamora and Badajoz in a more comfortable, sustainable and economical way." The company thus guarantees that it will be possible to travel between Setúbal and Badajoz in three hours, "while Bragança will be less than an hour and a half away from Zamora, and less than five hours from Madrid." FlixBus also guarantees that more economical trips will be offered to Brazilians.

"The launch of the Madrid-Braga route will allow the FlixBus operator to connect three of the most important destinations in northern Portugal – Braga, Vila Real and Bragança – to Madrid, thus facilitating passenger mobility and tourist flows between the territories, taking advantage of the foreign market's interest in tourism in these regions. According to data released by Turismo de Portugal, the Spanish market represented the largest share of foreign guests in the Northern region in 2025 (18.3%), totalling more than 780,000 tourists," the statement reads.

Flexibility in travel planning

The Madrid-Braga route will also allow passengers greater flexibility in planning their trips, as it will stop at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport.

According to Tiago Cavaco Alves, quoted in the press release, the Director of Operations for FlixBus in Portugal, “the launch of this new route will boost the Iberian tourism market by strengthening connectivity between Minho and Trás-os-Montes and the city of Madrid, including Madrid-Barajas Airport. Long-distance road transport is playing an increasingly strategic role here, especially in the current context of the energy crisis, which has led more and more passengers to seek more accessible, comfortable and sustainable mobility solutions.”

Entry into Alto Alentejo

The line between Lisbon and Badajoz “marks FlixBus’ entry into Alto Alentejo, one of the regions of the country where road transport plays a crucial role in its connectivity with the various urban and economic centres of the country, and in particular with the Lisbon Metropolitan Area.” In addition to connecting the Portuguese capital to Spain, the line will pass through cities such as Elvas, Borba and Estremoz, as well as Setúbal and Montemor-o-Novo.

“The arrival of FlixBus in Extremoz, Borba and Elvas marks an important moment in the expansion of our network in Portugal, and reinforces our commitment to making mobility more accessible and sustainable throughout the country. We believe that this expansion to Alto Alentejo will help reduce the asymmetries between the coast and the interior, promote greater territorial cohesion, and boost the economic development of sparsely populated areas. At the same time, and with the connection of these cities to Badajoz, this line will allow the strengthening of border connections, strengthening cross-border connectivity and creating new opportunities for mobility and economic development between Portugal and Spain,” explains Tiago Cavaco Alves.

Tickets on sale

Tickets can now be purchased both on the app and website and at Pagaqui points of sale, as well as “at the operator's partner travel agencies, with prices starting from €14.99 for the Braga-Madrid route, €8.49 for the Lisbon-Estremoz route, and €9.49 for the Lisbon-Elvas route.”

Route availability

“The newly created Madrid-Braga route will be available every day, from Monday to Sunday, with two daily departures, one in each direction – the first starting at 00:15, at Madrid airport, and the second at 10:45 pm, at the Braga Transport Coordination Centre.”

Regarding the new Lisbon-Badajoz connection, for now there will be two daily departures, one in each direction: from Gare do Oriente in Lisbon at 9:45 am, and from Badajoz at 4:25 pm. The journey between Lisbon and the Spanish city of Badajoz takes less than four hours.