Quick answer: The cheapest way from Lisbon airport to the city centre is the metro: the red line leaves right outside the terminal (Aeroporto station), runs daily from about 06:30 to 01:00, and according to airport operator ANA takes around 20 minutes to Saldanha. Since 1 January 2026 a single ride officially costs €1.90 (€1.72 with “zapping” credit) plus a one-off €0.50 for the Navegante card. A taxi is usually €10–15 including luggage according to ANA, and Uber/Bolt pick you up in car park P2, level 2. The old Aerobus no longer runs. Watch out: city buses only allow luggage up to 50 × 40 × 20 cm, per ANA. Updated 5 November 2026, sources below.
The plane banks over the Tagus, and suddenly there it is beneath you: Lisbon, bright and hilly, terracotta roofs, the river glittering between them so wide it almost feels like the sea. Few airports in Europe sit this close to the city – from gate to your first pastel de nata in Baixa often takes less than an hour. Which is exactly why it stings to fall into the first trap right after landing: a driver who approaches you in arrivals, a bus that won’t take your big suitcase, a card you’re not allowed to share.
We loved Lisbon – and even more the days afterwards in our beach house in the dunes of Costa da Caparica, which was a real dream (our Lisbon and Costa da Caparica story). So your start is just as easy, we compared every way from Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) into the centre: official metro and Carris fares, the airport’s own rules, and the traps that would otherwise cost you money for nothing.
| Option | Journey time (per sources) | Cost (2026) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro, red line | approx. 20 min to Saldanha, 25–40 min to Baixa with one change | €1.90 (zapping €1.72) + €0.50 card | almost everyone, suitcases included |
| Carris city bus (e.g. 744, 783) | much longer depending on traffic | €2.30 on board, €1.90 with card | only with hand luggage up to 50 × 40 × 20 cm |
| Taxi | usually 15–25 min | approx. €10–15 incl. luggage fee (ANA) | families, late at night, lots of luggage |
| Uber / Bolt | usually 15–25 min | approx. €10–18 per travel sites, demand-based | anyone who wants to see the price upfront |
| Private transfer | usually 15–25 min | from approx. €25–40 per vehicle per providers | groups, child seats, name-sign pickup |
| Night bus 208 | long, detours via Oriente | bus fare | after 01:00, small luggage only |
Metro and Carris fares: official tariffs from 1 January 2026. Taxi range: official figure from airport operator ANA. Uber, Bolt and transfer prices come from travel sites and providers that partly contradict each other – the final price is always shown in the app or by the provider.
The metro is the fastest and cheapest option – and honestly the reason you hardly need a taxi in Lisbon. Aeroporto station is the terminus of the red line (Linha Vermelha), right outside Terminal 1. In arrivals, simply follow the metro sign.
The machines at Aeroporto station have an English menu and accept cards and cash. When several flights land at once, queues form – don’t panic, they move fast. Travelling as a couple? Buy two cards. Inspectors fine shared cards, and a fine costs many times the fare.
Official fares from 1 January 2026 according to Metro de Lisboa:
| Ticket | Price | Valid for |
|---|---|---|
| Single Carris/Metro | €1.90 | 60 minutes bus, tram, metro (no two consecutive metro trips) |
| Zapping (stored credit) | €1.72 per ride | metro and Carris; top up min. €3, then in €5 steps |
| Contactless bank card | €1.92 | metro |
| 24 h Carris/Metro | €7.25 | all buses, trams, metro |
| 24 h Carris/Metro/Transtejo | €10.35 | plus the ferry to Cacilhas |
| 24 h Carris/Metro/CP | €11.40 | plus trains to Sintra, Cascais, Azambuja, Sado |
The simple maths: if on arrival day you only ride from the airport to your hotel and take one tram in the evening, zapping is enough. If you plan tram 28, a lift and the metro on the same day, the 24-hour ticket quickly pays off – without a card a bus ride costs €2.30 on board and a tram €3.30. The Lisboa Card (from about €31 for 24 hours per current travel sites) only makes sense if you plan lots of admissions on the same day.
You will still find the famous Aerobus in plenty of older blog posts – but it no longer runs. No current timetable and no airport page lists it. Looking for it only costs you time.
Instead, regular Carris city buses run, such as line 744 towards Restauradores and 783 towards Amoreiras. The catch is on the airport’s official page: city buses only allow luggage up to 50 × 40 × 20 cm – in other words, hand luggage. With a big suitcase the driver can refuse you. For backpackers with small bags the bus is an option; for everyone else the metro is the better choice.
After 01:00, when the metro sleeps, night bus 208 runs from Oriente station through the centre to Cais do Sodré. With luggage late at night, a taxi or Uber is usually the calmer solution.
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The official taxi ranks are right outside arrivals. Airport operator ANA quotes €10 to €15 including luggage fees to the centre and explicitly advises: make sure the meter is on and ask for a receipt. Luggage or pet surcharges may be charged separately. Other travel sites quote €15 to €25, partly with night and weekend surcharges – so allow some margin, but not €40 or €50.
Ride-hailing services such as Uber and Bolt (“TVDE” in Portugal) pick you up in car park P2, level 2, at arrivals level, according to ANA. The big advantage: you see the price before the ride. Travel sites quote €10 to €18, more at peak demand.
With a child seat, lots of luggage, as a group or when you land in the middle of the night, a pre-booked transfer is the most relaxed: someone waits with a name sign and the price is fixed. Providers quote fixed prices from about €25 to €40 per vehicle.
The most important rule is on the official airport page: taxis and ride services are booked at the rank or via the app – never by someone approaching you in the terminal. Anyone greeting you inside with “Taxi? Good price!” is not an official taxi. Stay friendly, say “no, obrigado” and keep walking.
Travel sites report inflated flat rates for tourists. Insist on the meter, ask for the approximate fare before you get in and ask for the receipt (“recibo, por favor”). If something is off, the taxi’s plate and licence number are displayed inside.
The Navegante card is personal – even without a name on it. Two people, two cards. Otherwise you risk fines at metro and tram inspections.
See above: luggage over 50 × 40 × 20 cm is not allowed on city buses. With a suitcase, take the metro.
Not at the airport itself, but shortly after: several sources warn about pickpockets on crowded trams (especially the 28) and in Baixa and Chiado. Backpack on your front, phone out of your back pocket.
Details like these – which station for which neighbourhood, which ticket pays off when, how to get to the Costa da Caparica by bus or ferry and where the beaches are empty – are all gathered in our guide “Lisbon & Costa da Caparica” (€4.90, coming soon): official sites instead of middlemen, neighbourhoods, viewpoints and beaches we experienced ourselves. The maths is simple: if the two of you take the metro instead of an overpriced “flat-rate taxi”, the guide has usually paid for itself on the first ride.
Lisbon is beautiful – but our hearts belong to the Costa da Caparica on the other side of the Tagus. Miles of beaches, dunes, surfers, grilled sardines in the evening and that golden light over the Atlantic. We stayed in a beach house right in the dunes, and that exact feeling – Lisbon by day, the ocean at night – is why we recommend this combination so much.
More about the area, the beaches and our house in the dunes in Lisbon & Costa da Caparica.
The metro: €1.90 per ride (€1.72 with zapping) plus a one-off €0.50 for the Navegante card. The red line leaves right from the terminal.
Daily from about 06:30 to 01:00. According to the airport operator, Saldanha is about 20 minutes away.
No. The Aerobus no longer operates and is not listed on the airport’s official page. Older articles are out of date on this.
Usually €10 to €15 including luggage fees, according to airport operator ANA. It can be more at night, at weekends or for further destinations. Always have the meter running.
In car park P2 on level 2, at arrivals level. Follow the app and the signs in the terminal.
According to the airport, city buses only allow luggage up to 50 × 40 × 20 cm. With a big suitcase, the metro is the right choice.
No. Each person needs their own card or pays contactless with their own bank card or device.
Only if you visit lots of sights on the same day. For transport alone the 24-hour ticket (€7.25) is much cheaper.
Easiest by taxi or Uber across the 25 de Abril bridge. By public transport, take Carris Metropolitana buses, or metro, ferry from Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas and bus – current lines on carrismetropolitana.pt.
Passend dazu:
Want more? Read Lisbon & Costa da Caparica, our tips on money abroad and booking Airbnb the right way – or browse all destinations.
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