By plane

The Lisbon Airport serves the city. If no flight fits, you can take a plane to Porto or Faro. Both cities have direct trains and buses to Lisbon.

1 Aeroporto de Lisboa (Aeroporto Humberto Delgado / Aeroporto da Portela LIS IATA), Alameda das Comunidades Portuguesas (between Loures and Lisbon, 7 km (4.3 mi) from the city centre), ☏ +351 218 413 500, aeroporto.lisboa@ana.pt. The airport has two terminals. All flights arrive at Terminal 1, while Terminal 2 is used for departures by low-fare carriers. The metro station, bus stops and main taxi rank are at Terminal 1. Terminal 2 is quite distant from Terminal 1. A free shuttle bus runs between the terminals at 10-minute intervals. If you depart from Lisbon on a low-fare flight operated by Easyjet, Norwegian, Ryanair or Transavia, add the extra time needed to transfer to Terminal 2. (updated Feb 2024)

Connections

The airport is a major European hub connection for South America (especially Brazil) and is dominated by Portuguese national carrier TAP Portugal, a Star Alliance member airline that covers an extensive network throughout Europe, Africa and the Americas, usually in codeshare with local Star Alliance partners. This is complemented by SATA International, the airline of the Azores, who connect Lisbon not only to the archipelago but also the East Coast of North America. Canadian and US-based carriers also offer seasonal and year-round direct flights to Lisbon.

Other European flag carriers, especially those allied in SkyTeam and Oneworld, as well as independent, also operate direct flights from major European cities to Lisbon. Portela airport is well served by low-fare European carriers EasyJet and Ryanair, for whom Lisbon is a base, and by others such as Norwegian, Transavia and Vueling.

On balance, TAP has no Asian destinations and Lisbon Airport has few direct connections to Asia. That said, getting in from major Asian and Oceanian destinations requires just one stop in Dubai, Beijing or a major European airport.

Landing approach

The approach to the airport most often used for landings takes the plane on a majestic sweep over the city. If you come in from North America, grab a window seat on the right side for a free show as you float over the Tagus and both bridges, the statue of Cristo Rei in Almada, the old aqueduct and the football stadium of Benfica; further out you'll easily be able to discern the castle, the streets of Baixa, the old quarters of Alfama and Mouraria, and right before touchdown - the Oriente train station and Parque das Nações.

Getting from/to the airport

Lisbon's efficient and dense public transportation network provides links form the Portela airport to almost every point in the city, so unless you have heavy luggage or some other reason not to, do take advantage of the public transit options. They're not only cheaper, but taxi drivers in Lisbon also have a somewhat tarnished reputation for poor service and frequent overcharging attempts, even among the locals.

Metro - Lisbon Airport metro station is the final destination of the red line Vermelha of the metro. The journey to the central Saldanha station takes about 16 minutes and less than 25 minutes are enough to get from the Airport to Baixa-Chiado with a change to the green Verde or blue Azul lines. A single journey can cost as little as €1.75 using the zapping functionality of the navegante card (see below).

Bus lines 22, 44, 83, 705, 708, 744, 745, or night bus line 208. Bus 44 takes you to the Oriente railway station in about 10 minutes, where you can change for metro and continue to the city centre. Board fare is €2. 7 Colinas transport card (see "Get around" section) can be used which can be bought at the airport post office. You are not allowed to take large pieces of luggage on these buses.

Taxis cost about €16.00 from the airport to the city centre (Feb 2024). Charge is according to the meter, adding €1.20 per item of luggage. Taxis are required to have working meters (it is illegal to drive without one) and fares posted to the window in the rear seat. Be sure to ask the taxi driver if he has a working meter before getting into the taxi, and be careful of drivers trying to grab your bags and usher you into the taxi before you can make these inquiries. As with many cities, watch out for dishonesty and if you think you are being charged significantly more ask for their number and a receipt, and make it clear you plan to complain.

Ride-hailing: Uber and Bolt serve the airport for about €13 to the city centre (Feb 2024). There is a designated area for "pre-reserved rides". You can hail a ride when you get there. All ride-hailing services must have a visible sign on the outside of the vehicle with the acronym "TVDE" and the request must be made via the mobile application. Unlicensed cars won't be cheaper.

Bike - It is quite easy to cycle from the airport to the centre, and could be recommended if you arrive for a cycling trip. After leaving the airport and negotiating a roundabout, merge onto the long and straight dual-carriageway Av. Almirante Gago Coutinho (you should be able to follow the "Centro" signs.) After merging, the route to Baixa is simple and straight. This street later turns into Av. Almirante Reis, and then Rua de Palma, at the end of which you will be right in Baixa.

By train

There are two main stations, 2 Santa Apolónia in the city centre and the 3 Gare do Oriente, a bit further out and used by the high-speed trains. However, if you are entering Lisbon from the south, you may want to get off at the smaller stations of Entrecampos or Sete Rios. Their metro stations are closer to the historic centre than Oriente (you need to change metro lines to get to the centre from there).

The domestic high-speed line Alfa Pendular connects Braga, Porto, Aveiro and Coimbra with Lisbon from the north and Faro from the south. Prices between the major cities starts at €40 in second class. All trains call at Oriente, only some in Apolonia. The travel times on Alfa Pendular from Lisbon are around 1 hr 45 min to Coimbra, 2 hr 45 min to Porto, 3 hr 25 min to Braga and 3 hr sharp to Faro. Regular Intercidade trains are also available, and by stopping at intermediate stations they add 20 to 40 minutes to each route. Train tickets may be booked directly with the train company, Comboios de Portugal.

Portugal in general has notoriously poor international train services. The overnight Sud Express from Irun/Hendaye on the French-Spanish border to Lisbon, and the Madrid-Lisbon Lusitania were cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic and never restored. The only current train options are a three or four train journey (only two possibilities per day) from Madrid via Badajoz, or a more comfortable and frequent but more circuitous journey via Vigo and Porto.

By car

Lisbon can be accessed from six main highways. Coming from the south (A2) or east (A6 - the main route from Madrid), there are the two bridges:

From/to south: The A2 goes all the way to the 4 25 de Abril Bridge (Ponte 25 de Abril), which usually has lots of traffic getting into Lisbon, especially on weekday mornings. This is the best option if you want to go to the centre of Lisbon or to the west (A5 - Estoril, Cascais, Sintra).

To north / to east: If you branch from the A2 into the A12, you'll get to the 5 Vasco da Gama Bridge (Ponte Vasco da Gama), the longest bridge in Europe, it usually has less traffic than the older 25 de Abril Bridge (but a more expensive toll). This is the best option to go to the eastern/northern section of Lisbon (to the airport and to the Parque das Nações - the former Expo 98 site), and also to take the A1 or A8 going north.

From/to north and the airport: Coming from the north, there is the A1, that connects Lisbon to Santarém, Fátima, Leiria, Coimbra, Aveiro, Porto. The A1 ends near the airport. There's also the A8, which goes to Torres Vedras, Caldas da Rainha, Alcobaça, Leiria.

From the west, there is the A5, which connects to Estoril, Cascais, and the IC19 that crosses all the suburbs and ends near Sintra.

Lisbon has three ring roads: The 2ª circular, which connects the A1 to the IC19; the CRIL IC17 (still incomplete), which connects the Vasco da Gama Bridge with the A1 and A8; and the CREL A9, which connects the A1 with the A8, IC19, A5, and goes all the way to the Estoril coast.

By bus

All nearby cities and most major cities in Portugal have direct buses to Lisbon. The main bus terminal is at 6 Sete Rios (Metro: Jardim Zoológico). The main operator for long-haul buses is Rede Nacional de Expressos.

By boat

Lisbon is a major port on the Atlantic coast both for cargo and cruise traffic. Most major cruise ship operators include Lisbon in their itineraries, so it should be reasonably easy to find a cruise route that would take you there. That said, regular shuttle ferry traffic is limited to joining the banks of the Tagus river, i.e. there are no ferries to Lisbon other than the small ones from neighbouring municipalities.

The cruise terminals are at:

7 Estação Marítima de Alcântara (Alcantara Cruise Terminal). (updated Apr 2017)

8 Estação Marítima de Santa Apolónia (Santa Apolónia Cruise Terminal). (updated Apr 2017)

9 Novo Terminal de Cruzeiros de Lisboa (Jardim do Tabaco Quay). (updated Apr 2017)

For those coming in by smaller boats, the Port of Lisbon operates four marinas - Alcantara, Belem, Bom Successo and Santo Amaro. You can find all the details at the Port of Lisbon website. Alternatively, you may moor at 10 Marina Parque de Nações, which is operated as a separate entity.

By bicycle

Cycling outside Lisbon can be a challenge, as Lisbon offers far easier cycling than what you may find outside of the city. The further you get from Lisbon however, the easier the cycling gets. You may wish to take advantage of certain regional trains that take bicycles in a separate luggage carriage, allowing you to start your cycling some 50 or 100 km outside of the city.

Read more below under 'Getting around by bicycle'.