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Top Tips for Getting to Lisbon

a town with people on the street

Lisbon is a well-connected city with plenty of options for you to choose from whether you are arriving by air, train or road. As the city continues to grow in popularity as a holiday destination there are more and more options available.

This is great news for tourists as it means there a variety of options for all budgets throughout the year, but all these choices can feel overwhelming. Planning a holiday can take all the fun out of it, especially if you are organising everything yourself. Luckily for you with our top tips for travelling to Lisbon, you will be able to make your decisions quickly and easily!

Airport Parking

Booking airport parking in advance at your departure airport is something that many travellers overlook and this is a big mistake. Airport parking can be expensive, especially during peak travel periods. It is also a huge stress to turn up at the airport with the chance of not finding a space or only one that is far from your terminal!

Luckily there are a couple of easy ways to avoid this. If you book in advance, it is possible to save up to 60% compared to if you make your airport parking booking on the day. That is a big difference! You can also check out a comparison platform for airport parking, such as Parkhero.co.uk for UK travellers.

This simple website allows you to quickly compare the parking options for your dates, find the best value offer for your trip and book in less than 10 minutes. They provide parking at Heathrow Airport, Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and more across the UK. Simply search for ‘compare airport parking at…’ in a search engine to find a similar website for your departure country.

Choosing your airport

Lisbon Airport

Lisbon’s main airport is located 7 km to the northeast of the city and is served predominantly by flights from Europe with some flights North America, Asia and Africa. The main airlines include the national carrier TAP Portugal, budget airlines easyJet, Ryanair, Transavia, as well as British Airways, 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 – Don’t forget to check the transfer times from the airport if you end up booking a budget airline with an awkward arrival time. There is little point in booking a cheap ticket if you are unable to get to your final destination at the other end!

Transfer options

Private Transfers

  • The Cooltours offer transfers directly from the airport to your hotel in Lisbon city centre and vice versa for your return journey. Book them here.
  • Super convenient service costing €25 for 2 people and an additional €5 per extra person during the day and €35 plus €7.50 per additional person between 10PM and 7AM

Metro

  • You can catch the metro right at the airport to the city centre in just 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
  • A single fare costs €1.45 and for a 24-hour pass it costs €6.30

Bus

  • The airport is part of the Carris bus network and on the bus you can also use the ‘7 Colinas’ / ‘Viva Viagem’ card withthe same fares
  • 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

Porto and Faro Airports

If you are planning to explore more of Portugal then you might want to consider flying into one airport and leaving from another. This is a great way to save time during your holiday and see more of this stunning country! If you want to fly into or out of either Faro in the Algarve or Porto in the north, it is approximately a four hour drive from Lisbon to either. You can also save a fortune by taking the Flixbus as it can cost as low as €10 one way or opt for the more comfortable option with the train. Trains cost between €30 and €40 and take between 2 and 3 hours to/from Lisbon, but make sure you take the direct train or you might find yourself on the train for up to 8 hours!

Taking the train

If you are considering avoiding flying and are looking for an alternative way to get to Lisbon, the train is a great option. Many travellers are beginning to see the environmental benefits of travelling by rail and value the romantic experience travelling by train. It is a fantastic way to see more of Portugal, as well as the other countries you will pass through.

Lisbon is Portugal’s rail hub with its two main stations, Oriente and Santa Apolónia, serving international trains from Spain. You can easily travel from most Spanish cities to Lisbon with night trains also an option from Madrid and the Pyrenees. If you opt for the might train from Madrid it will take around 10 hours and 30 minutes, if from Paris it will take about 19 hours with one change and from London it will take 22 hours and requires 2 changes.

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