Lisbon is a well-connected capital city with excellent transport links by air, train and road and as it continues to grow in popularity, you will find more and more travel options to choose from with a range of different budget options. Instead of making your travel plans easy, this multitude of choice can make it difficult to decide which option works best for you.
This is especially true if you plan to explore elsewhere in the country too. Luckily for you, with our tips below you will easily be able to save money on your trip to Lisbon and find some helpful information about the different travel options available.
Airport parking
Something that is often overlooked by travellers when planning a holiday is airport parking. This is a mistake as airport parking can be extremely expensive, especially during the peak holiday period. You can end up paying 60% more if you book your parking on the day of travel instead of booking in advance!
Luckily, this is easily fixed, as all you need to do is to book parking as far in advance as possible and make use of an online comparison platform. For example, if you are travelling from the UK to Lisbon, then head on over to Parkhero.co.uk This website allows you to easily compare parking near Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh and more airports across the UK.
It is simple to use, offers great discounts and bookings can be made in less than 10 minutes with no need to make an account. Just enter ‘compare parking at…airport’ into a search engine for your country to find a similar website.
Choosing your airport
Lisbon Airport
Lisbon has one main airport located 7 km to the northeast of the city and is served by flights from all over the world. Some of the main airlines include TAP Portugal, easyJet, Ryanair, Transavia, British Airlines, American Airlines and Iberia.
These airlines offer a fantastic range of flight options with something for all budgets and plenty of connecting flight options if you are unable to find a direct flight.
Top tip - If you opt for a budget carrier and it offers an awkward flight time, make sure to check that you can still easily find a transfer to the city. There is no point booking a cheap flight if you have to spend a fortune on a transfer!
Transfer options
Metro
· Take the metro directly from the airport to the city centre in 20 minutes on the Aeroporto – Saldanha line.
· You will need to purchase a '7 Colinas' / 'Viva Viagem' card which you can top up for further jouneys
· Cost is €1.45 for a single fare or €6.30 for a 24-hour pass
Bus
· Airport is served by the city bus network Carris on which you can also use the 'Viva Viagem' card for the same fare
· If your luggage exceeds 50x40x20cm, you will need to catch a specific airport transfer bus, such as Aerobus or Airport Shuttle
· Line 1 of the Aerobus runs every 20 minutes (8am to 9pm) and takes 10 minutes to reach the city centre, Line 2 runs every 60 minutes (8am to 7:30pm) with a single fare costing €3.60
Taxi
· You can find the taxi rank outside both the departures and arrivals terminals
· Journey to the city centre is around 10 minutes or less
· Cost is between €10 and €15 depending on traffic but make sure that the driver has the meter turned on
Porto and Faro Airports
If you plan to visit the Algarve in the south or Porto to the north you also have the option of flying into or out of Faro or Porto airports. These airports are much smaller with a much more limited number of flight options, but if you have the opportunity to fly into one airport and out of another it saves you having to spend time travelling back and forth.
Both Faro and Porto are approximately a hour 4 hour drive from Lisbon with train and bus options also available. You can take the Flixbus for less than €10 one way or the train for €30 to €40 (make sure to choose the direct train otherwise the journey time can double).
Taking the train
Depending on where you are travelling from in Europe, you may want to consider catching the train to Lisbon. Travelling by train is becoming increasingly popular with travellers wishing to reduce their environmental footprints, as well as return to more a more romantic form of travel.
Lisbon acts as the national hub of the country, so there are plenty of options available from its two main stations, Oriente and Santa Apolónia. There are night train options from Madrid and other Spanish cities and many connections to these trains from major European stations. From Madrid on the night train it takes approximately 10 hours 30 minutes to Lisbon, from Paris around 19 hours (1 stop) and from London around 22 hours (2 stops). It is a great option to see more of the country and gives you the opportunity to stop somewhere along the way!
Now you know your options for getting to beautiful Lisbon, make sure to book your place on one of our tours!
Article written by Matthew Williams