Getting around in Lisbon: A guide on public transportation

Lisbon Airport

Lisbon Airport is conveniently located, and from there, it's easy to reach the city center. There are many options available. However, not all neighborhoods are easily accessible by public transportation, such as Alfama.

How to get to the city:

· Subway: You're on the red line at the airport and can transfer to the other three lines without having to buy new tickets (more information below). Price: €2.35 per person

Aerobus: This shuttle bus operates regularly between the airport and the city center. Prices start at €4 per person.

More information: https://www.portugalvisitor.com/portugal-travel/aerobus

Mobile apps: In Portugal, we also have courier services like Uber and Bolt, for example. After requesting a ride through the app, you'll know the estimated costs before you place your order. Payment is made using the credit card registered in the app. Available providers and apps include Uber, Bolt, Kapten, and Cabify. If you want to order a ride, we recommend that you first go to the departures terminal to catch it. Please be careful with people offering the service at the airport, there are many scammers.

Taxi: Right at the exit, you'll find a long line of taxis. The price naturally depends on where you're going, but it shouldn't cost more than €20 in the city center; €15 is a fairly normal price. There's an extra charge for suitcases in the trunk. You can simulate prices here: https://cooptaxis.pt/en/simulador-en/. Unfortunately, some taxi drivers may drive more kilometers than the shortest route to make more money, so I'd rather use an app to call a taxi or tell them you're in a hurry.

Tickets for public transportation

Lisbon's public transportation system is relatively easy and very inexpensive. You can purchase your "Viva Viagem" card for 50 cents at a ticket counter or vending machine and top it up immediately. There are several options for this, depending on how often you plan to use public transportation.

The "Viva Viagem" tickets can be used on Carris buses and trams, as well as on the metro. A single ticket costs €1.85. Transfers on the metro are always considered the same journey (up to one hour).

Important: If you buy a ride directly on a tram without a ticket, it will cost between €3.20 and €4.20.

Another option is "zapping," which allows you to load the card with a certain amount of money (starting at €3), and each ride is deducted from the balance (€1.66 for one hour on all Carris modes of transport). You can also use trains with this option, but this costs more (depending on the zone). The good thing about zapping is that the rides are cheaper, and this applies to all modes of transport (with the first option - top-up rides - you can't top up train rides at the same time as metro rides). Unfortunately, this option often leaves a few cents of credit unused, so if you're not going to travel much, it's not worth it.

There are also various day tickets available. The price depends on which means of transport are included. The ticket is valid for 24 hours from the start of the first journey. If you only want to use the metro and the Carris public transport (bus, tram, Sta. Justa elevator, Bica, Glória, and Lavra funiculars), the ticket costs €7. If you want to use all of these plus the ferry to Cacilhas, the day ticket costs €10. If you prefer the first option plus local trains, for example, the train to Sintra or Cascais, the daily ticket costs €11.

Another similar option is the Lisboa Card (from €31), but this is only recommended if you plan to visit the attractions included in the card. More information can be found here: https://www.lisboacard.org/

If you are staying longer and want to use public transportation often, consider ordering a monthly ticket (from €30/month).

All information here: https://www.metrolisboa.pt/en/buy/#

Please note that these prices are from 2025. This page may not always be up to date.