In a nutshell
- If you travel to Lisbon by plane, you will land at Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) – from there you have several options to get to the city center of Lisbon.
- The best option for us is the metro – it’s quick and cheap. If you want to be really comfortable, book a private transfer from Lisbon airport.
- We’ll give you all our tips on how to get from Lisbon airport to the city center now. Let’s go!
Transfer overview: From Lisbon airport to the city center
You have these options to get from the airport to Lisbon city center:
| Price | Travel time | |
|---|---|---|
| Metro | 1,80 € | 30 min |
| Private transfer | Approx. 25 € | 20 min |
| Taxi | Approx. 20 € | 20 min |
| Uber | Approx. 12 € | 20 min |
Our tip: Take the metro from the airport to Lisbon
- Price: 1.80 euros
- Travel time: approx. 30 minutes
- Operating times: 06:30 – 01:00
- Frequency: approximately every 10 minutes
If you don’t have a lot of luggage, we definitely recommend the metro. The metro station at the airport is right next to Terminal 1 and is well signposted in the airport building.
Once you arrive at the station, simply hold your credit card up to the reader and you’ll be on the metro network – the one-way fare of €1.80 will be deducted automatically.
From there, take the red line in the direction of São Sebastião – this is the only line that runs at the airport. To get to the city center, you have to change trains once.
Info: If you use the metro often on your Lisbon city trip, get the Navegante Card with credit. You can find out more about this in our article about public transport in Lisbon.
Take either at Alameda station the green line towards Cais do Sodré or in São Sebastião the blue line towards Santo Apolónia.
Private airport transfer from Lisbon airport
- Price: about 25 euros
- Travel time: 20 minutes
If you have a lot of luggage with you or are traveling in a group, a private transfer is the best option for you. Your driver will be waiting for you at the airport and you will be driven to your hotel door.
Book a private airport transfer in Lisbon
Take an uber or taxi from lisbon airport to the city center
- Price: 10-20 euros
- Travel time: around 20 minutes
Taxis and Uber are a popular option to get from Lisbon airport to the city center.
We prefer Uber to Taxis. Via the app, the ride only costs around 12 euros and as you pay online, you are protected from being ripped off by the taxi driver.
If you take a taxi, you will pay around 15-20 euros. Make sure that the taximeter is switched on – otherwise, taxi drivers in Lisbon like to charge a higher price.
Extra tip: How to get from terminal to terminal
There are two terminals at Lisbon Airport: Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
Terminal 1 is the main terminal. Most flights are processed here. Terminal 2 is a little further away and it is mainly low-cost airlines that fly from here.
The two terminals are connected by shuttles, the Aerobuses. They are free of charge and run every 12 minutes from the departure areas.
Note: There used to be aerobuses that connected the airport with the center of Lisbon. However, these are no longer in operation.
Our experience at Lisbon Airport
We have been to Lisbon airport many times and would like to share our experiences with you briefly and concisely.
Our experiences on arrival in Lisbon
So far, we have always arrived at Terminal 1 and from the arrivals’ hall it is only a 2-minute walk to the metro station.
As there is only one subway line from there, the metro station is very clearly laid out and everything is easy to find.
Our experiences on departure in Lisbon
On the way back, we already took an Uber and the metro to the airport.
Once, we took an Uber because we were leaving early in the morning. In the app, we were able to specify directly which terminal we needed to go to and the driver let us out there.
You always arrive at Terminal 1 by metro. If you have to go to Terminal 2, you can take the free Aerobus to the other terminal.
We were usually at the airport 2 hours before departure. That was always easily enough – however, we only traveled with hand luggage.
To get to the gates, follow the signs on the ceiling (Portas de embarque in Portuguese). The security check was always quick for us.
These were our tips on how to get from Lisbon airport to the city center
How did you get from the airport to Lisbon city center? Do you have any questions about airport transfers? Feel free to write to us in the comments.