Lisbon Airport is only around 7 km from the city centre, so you could reach Baixa about half an hour after collecting your suitcase. The metro runs directly from Terminal 1, and a taxi into town costs around €20.
There have been several fare changes. From 15 October 2026, participating airport taxis are due to introduce fixed fares into the city, and you can now pay for the metro by tapping a bank card at the gates. Here, I cover the options, prices and journey times, along with my advice on which to choose.
Contents
1. Metro: the red line from Terminal 1
The metro would be my choice for most visitors. Aeroporto station is just outside arrivals at Terminal 1, to the right as you leave, with signs showing the way. The red line, Linha Vermelha, starts here, so you can’t head in the wrong direction.
The line doesn’t reach Baixa, so you’ll need to change once. For Rossio, Baixa-Chiado or Cais do Sodré, change to the green line at Alameda. For Marquês de Pombal or Avenida da Liberdade, stay on to the terminus at São Sebastião and change to the blue line.
There’s no luggage size limit on the metro, so bringing a suitcase is fine. You’ll find the routes on Metro de Lisboa’s network map.
Prices and tickets
A single metro and bus ticket costs €1.90 and is valid for 60 minutes. It must be loaded onto a navegante card, which costs €0.50 the first time and is available from station machines. You can reuse the card, but each person needs their own.
You can also skip the machines and tap your bank card or phone at the gates. This costs €1.92 per journey, with Visa and Mastercard accepted, including through Apple Pay and Google Pay. Metro de Lisboa explains bank card payment at the gates on its website. Use one card per person and keep it handy for ticket inspections.
For several journeys on your first day, a 24-hour metro, bus and tram ticket costs €7.25. All fares are on Metro de Lisboa’s ticket page.
The Lisboa Card includes metro, bus and tram travel, plus entry to a range of museums. It costs €31 for 24 hours, €51 for 48 hours and €62 for 72 hours; you can buy the Lisboa Card here. The tourist office has an Ask Me Lisboa desk in arrivals, open from 07:00 to 22:00.
Departures and journey time
The metro runs daily from 06:30 to 01:00. Trains run every 6 to 8 minutes during the day and every 10 minutes late in the evening. Check the intervals in the metro timetable.
Alameda takes around 17 minutes and São Sebastião around 20 minutes. Including your change, allow 25 to 30 minutes to Baixa-Chiado and half an hour to Cais do Sodré.
The last train leaves the airport at 01:00, but you can’t count on a connection to the green or blue line that late. If you land around midnight, a taxi or Uber is a more dependable choice.
2. City buses and the night bus
Carris runs several city buses past the airport, but they’re only an option with hand luggage. The airport gives a maximum luggage size of 50 x 40 x 20 cm on city buses, while Carris itself says 55 x 40 x 20 cm. Either way, an ordinary suitcase is too large.
Route 744 runs from the airport via Entrecampos, Saldanha and Marquês de Pombal, then down Avenida da Liberdade to Restauradores. Route 783 goes to Amoreiras via Saldanha and Marquês de Pombal. You’ll find the stops on Carris’ route 744 page.
A ticket bought on the bus costs €2.30. The €1.90 ticket on a navegante card is also valid here; fares are listed by Carris.
When the metro is closed at night, bus 208 runs between Gare do Oriente and Cais do Sodré via the airport, Areeiro, Alameda, Martim Moniz and Praça do Comércio. It operates from roughly 00:30 to 05:30.
The old Aerobus, still mentioned in many older guides, no longer runs.
3. Taxis: fixed fares planned from 15 October 2026
Lisbon Airport taxis have long had a poor reputation because some drivers have left the meter off and demanded a high fixed price. That’s why the city, airport, tourist office and taxi associations have agreed on fixed fares, due to apply from 15 October 2026.
The city is divided into two zones:
- Zone 1: €16 on weekdays from 07:00 to 22:00, and €20 at night, on weekends and public holidays. This includes Parque das Nações, Alvalade, Areeiro and Avenidas Novas.
- Zone 2: €19 on weekdays from 07:00 to 22:00, and €23 at night, on weekends and public holidays. This includes Baixa, Chiado, Alfama, Bairro Alto, Avenida da Liberdade, Estrela, Alcântara and Belém.
The fare covers up to four passengers with luggage, with no extra supplements allowed. For five or more people in a larger vehicle, zone 2 costs €23 during the day and €28 at night and on weekends.
You can buy a voucher at the tourist office desk in arrivals or pay in the taxi, and drivers must accept cards without a surcharge. Taxi association ANTRAL has published the agreement, fares and zones in Portuguese.
The scheme applies to taxis participating in the agreement, so ask for the fixed fare before getting in. For extra certainty, buy the voucher at the desk first.
Until 15 October, taxis use the meter, with a typical city-centre journey costing €15 to €20. The taxi rank is just outside arrivals. The airport warns against accepting offers from drivers approaching you inside the terminal.
4. Uber and Bolt
Uber and Bolt are widely available in Lisbon and often a little cheaper than taxis. A journey to the centre typically costs €10 to €18, with higher prices when demand is strong.
Drivers can’t collect passengers at the taxi rank. Pick-up is in car park P2, which the airport identifies as P2, level 2. Follow the signs from arrivals and check the meeting point in your app.
Waiting times can be long in the late afternoon and evening when several flights arrive together. In a hurry, a taxi is a better option; the new fixed fares are due to apply from 15 October.
5. Private transfer
For a driver waiting with a sign when you arrive, you can book a private transfer from Lisbon Airport here.
Prices start at around €25 for a car carrying up to four people, only a little more than a taxi. It makes most sense for late arrivals, travelling with children or having everything arranged before you leave home.
6. Terminal 2: remember the shuttle for your return flight
All arrivals use Terminal 1, but several low-cost airlines depart from Terminal 2. These include Ryanair, Norwegian, Wizz Air, Vueling, Transavia, Eurowings and Volotea.
Terminal 2 has no metro station. Take the metro to Terminal 1, then the free shuttle from the departures area. It runs every 12 minutes between 03:30 and 00:30. The trip takes around 3 minutes, but allow an extra 15 to 20 minutes. The airport’s Terminal 2 page has the current times.
7. Onwards by train from Gare do Oriente
There are no trains from the airport itself, but Gare do Oriente is only three metro stops away, taking around 7 minutes. Trains from there run north towards Coimbra and Porto and south towards the Algarve.
For an onward trip, I’ve written guides to where to stay in Porto and where to stay in the Algarve.
Trains to Sintra leave from Rossio and Oriente, while trains to Cascais leave from Cais do Sodré.
Which option should you choose?
Here’s what I’d recommend for the most common situations:
For most people: Take the metro. It costs €1.92 with a bank card and reaches Baixa in around half an hour with one change.
For two or more people with suitcases: Take a taxi to the door. From 15 October, the agreed weekday daytime fare to Baixa, Chiado and Alfama is due to be €19 for participating taxis; until then, check the meter fare.
Arriving around midnight or later: Take a taxi, Uber or Bolt. Night bus 208 is only an option with hand luggage.
With only hand luggage and a hotel near Avenida da Liberdade: Bus 744 goes directly to Marquês de Pombal and Restauradores without a change.
For everything arranged before you travel: Book a private transfer, with the driver waiting in arrivals.
Practical tips for Lisbon airport transfers
Tap your card at the gates. Airport ticket machines can have queues. A contactless card or phone lets you go straight to the gates.
Check your departure terminal. For Terminal 2, you need the shuttle from Terminal 1.
Stay near the metro. In Baixa or Chiado, Baixa-Chiado station is nearby. You can see places to stay in Baixa here.
Taking an early flight? Parque das Nações is three metro stops from the airport, and the new taxi fares from 15 October are due to be €16 to €20. You can see places to stay in Parque das Nações here.
For help choosing the right neighbourhood, I’ve written a guide to where to stay in Lisbon.
Travel ressources & websites I use all the time 👇
• Booking.com has the best offers on hotels and unique places to stay
• GetYourGuide is the best place to book tours & activities with free cancellation
• Welcome Pickups is the best & safest place to pre-book airport transfers
Psst 👀 Have you subscribed to my Youtube channel and my Instagram where I provide more useful travel tips?