How to Get to Lisbon

Lisbon is one of the few European capitals with its airport inside the city. Humberto Delgado (LIS) is about 7 km north of the centre, and on a good day you can be in the Baixa within half an hour of leaving the plane.

The metro from the airport

Aeroporto station, outside Terminal 1, is the end of the red line. The red line doesn't reach the old centre itself, so you change once: at Alameda for the green line to the Baixa and Cais do Sodré, at Saldanha for the yellow line, or at São Sebastião for the blue line to Restauradores and Baixa-Chiado. A single fare covers the whole trip, including the change. Terminal 2, used by several budget airlines, has no metro station, so take the free shuttle bus to Terminal 1 first.

Tickets and the Navegante card

Buy a reusable Navegante occasional card from the machines. Load it with single trips, a 24-hour pass, or credit for "zapping", which gives you a cheaper fare per journey on the metro, Carris buses and trams, the Santa Justa lift when it reopens, CP trains to Sintra and Cascais, and the river ferries. One card per person.

Taxis and ride apps

Official taxis wait outside arrivals and should use the meter, with a luggage supplement. Uber and Bolt pick up from the P2 car park, not the kerb outside the terminal. Ignore anyone who approaches you inside the building offering a ride. The Aerobus shuttle mentioned in older guides no longer runs.

By train

The Alfa Pendular from Porto takes about three hours and stops at Oriente before ending at Santa Apolónia, a short walk from Alfama. Trains from the Algarve arrive at Oriente or cross the river to Entrecampos. Book on the CP website for the fast trains.

Tram 28

The classic yellow tram runs from Martim Moniz to Campo de Ourique (Prazeres) through Graça, Alfama, the Baixa, Chiado and Estrela. The problem is the queue at Martim Moniz, which regularly takes half an hour or more, and the crush on board, which pickpockets love. Go before 9am, or board at the other end in Campo de Ourique, where the queue is shorter. Remember it's a public bus service, not a sightseeing tour, and locals need it to get home.

Getting around

Walking covers most of the centre, with the metro for longer hops. Trains to Sintra leave from Rossio, and trains to Cascais and Belém from Cais do Sodré. Tram 15 also runs to Belém from Praça da Figueira. On arrival from outside the Schengen area, allow extra time at passport control, where the EU's Entry/Exit System now takes fingerprints and a photo.