We arrange freight from Portugal to Slovakia as full truckloads, part loads and groupage from a single pallet. From Porto or Lisbon to Bratislava, Žilina or Košice the journey usually takes 4–5 days. The Slovak consignee buys car parts, tyres, footwear, textiles or cork in Portugal, and from Břeclav we plan the route through Spain, France, Germany and the Czech Republic right to the consignee's dock.
For an overview of Portuguese regions see transport from Portugal; deliveries within the country are covered on transport Slovakia. This page is only about the Portugal → Slovakia corridor, where a lot can be picked up along the way.
How many kilometres and days between Portugal and Slovakia?
| Route | approx. km | Transit note |
|---|---|---|
| Porto → Bratislava | 2,900 | closer to 4 days |
| Porto → Žilina | 3,000 | 4–5 days |
| Porto → Košice | 3,250 | 4–5 days |
| Lisbon → Bratislava | 3,000 | 4–5 days |
| Lisbon → Žilina | 3,150 | 4–5 days |
| Lisbon → Košice | 3,350 | closer to 5 days |
Routes from Porto and Lisbon meet at the Vilar Formoso border. From there the truck continues via Salamanca, Valladolid and Burgos to the Irún crossing, then across France and Germany into the Czech Republic. Tolls in Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia – six different systems – are included in the price.
Where in Portugal do we collect for Slovak companies?
| Collection point | Typical goods | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| Aveiro, Braga, Palmela | automotive parts | loading per order, exact delivery notes for the plant |
| Lousada | tyres | bulky, charged by loading metre |
| Felgueiras, São João da Madeira | footwear | cartons on pallets, smaller makers often without a dock |
| Guimarães | textiles | often several suppliers nearby – easy to combine |
| Santa Maria da Feira | cork | light load, keep it dry |
Palmela lies south of Lisbon, the other places in the north of the country. Combining a southern and a northern collection is possible but lengthens the trip – with goods from both ends of the country we check whether two separate vehicles or groupage make more sense.
Vigo, Valladolid, Burgos, Pamplona: what can be picked up en route?
A truck from Portugal passes through regions where Slovak companies often have further suppliers. On one trip we can therefore combine the Portuguese load with goods from Galicia (Vigo, Ourense), Castile and León (Valladolid, Burgos) or the Basque Country and Navarre (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Pamplona). Purely Spanish shipments have their own lane, freight Spain–Slovakia, and French suppliers freight France–Slovakia.
Where does the run end: Czech Republic, western or eastern Slovakia?
The truck enters Slovakia either via Brno and Trenčín to Žilina, or via Austria to Bratislava. With several drops we follow the order of the route:
- any drops in the Czech Republic – Plzeň, Prague, Brno,
- western Slovakia – Bratislava, Trnava, Nitra,
- the Váh valley and the north – Trenčín, Žilina,
- the east – Košice, Prešov and smaller towns nearby.
Each consignment has its own CMR, so consignees do not depend on each other. For smaller places without a dock we arrange a tail-lift vehicle. If part of the goods is destined for Austria or Germany, see freight Portugal–Austria and freight Portugal–Germany.
Three weekend bans on one journey
France bans trucks over 7.5 t from Saturday 22:00 to Sunday 22:00, Germany on Sundays and public holidays from 0:00 to 22:00, and Austria from as early as Saturday 15:00 until Sunday 22:00. The Czech Republic has a Sunday and holiday ban from 13:00 to 22:00. Over more than three thousand kilometres a weekend is hard to avoid, so we recommend loading in Portugal on Monday or Tuesday – that gives the goods the best chance of reaching Slovakia before the weekend. Friday is the least suitable loading day.
One pallet, part of a trailer, or a full truck?
A curtainsider offers about 13.6 loading metres, takes 33 euro pallets and around 24 t. One euro pallet occupies 0.4 ldm. From one pallet the goods travel as groupage; for a few pallets up to half a trailer a part load fits. On a lane this long it pays to consolidate several suppliers in one vehicle – the fuller the truck, the smaller the share of the whole journey each pallet carries.
Booking, documents and what to send us
Under EXW or FCA the Slovak buyer books the transport; under DAP the Portuguese seller does. EU goods move without customs; an invoice or delivery note and a CMR travel with the shipment.
- collection point in Portugal (or Spain) and loading hours,
- pick-up reference,
- delivery points in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and their order,
- pallets or loading metres, weight,
- ready date and whether the consignee has a dock.
We usually send the quote within 30 minutes during office hours, and after confirmation the vehicle is typically arranged within 24 hours. We have been forwarding freight since 2011 and work with more than 500 vetted contracted carriers.
Shipping from Portugal to Slovakia again and again? We set up a regular line with the same stops along the way and a stable rate – see regular transport, or reach us via the contact page.
Related guides: Importing goods from the EU · Automotive freight · Preparing pallets