In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The Metro Red Line is the easy choice: Aeroporto is its terminus, trains run every 6 to 10 minutes from 06:30 to 01:00, and a ticket is €1.90 on a Navegante occasional card or €1.92 by contactless bank card. For Baixa, change at Alameda for the Green Line; for Marquês de Pombal and Restauradores, change at São Sebastião for the Blue Line. A taxi on the official voucher is a fixed €16.00 to central Lisbon, bought at the Askme Lisboa desk in the arrivals hall. Buses 744, 783 and 722 and night bus 208 stop at the airport. Bus 728 does not. Fares from the operators, 1 October 2026. Or book a transfer: a private airport transferad is from £20.50 and takes you to your hotel door.
The options, compared
| Option | Runs | Fare | Where it drops you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Red Line | 06:30 to 01:00, a train every 6 to 10 minutes | €1.90 with a Navegante card, €1.92 by bank card | Alameda for the Green Line; São Sebastião for the Blue Line; Saldanha for the Yellow Line |
| Taxi on the official voucher | Prepaid at the Askme Lisboa desk, arrivals hall | €16.00 day, €19.20 night, weekend and holiday | Your door, in central Lisbon |
| Carris bus 744 | Weekday timetable from about 06:25 | €1.90 with a Navegante card, €2.30 on board | Marquês de Pombal, Avenida da Liberdade, Restauradores |
| Carris bus 783 | Weekday timetable from about 06:35 | Same | Saldanha, Marquês de Pombal, Amoreiras |
| Carris bus 722 | Weekday timetable from about 06:25 | Same | Saldanha, Marquês de Pombal, Restauradores |
| Carris night bus 208 | Departures between 00:30 and 05:35 | €2.30 on board | Alameda, Baixa, Cais do Sodré |
Humberto Delgado airport (LIS) is Lisbon’s only commercial airport, 7 km from the centre (Visit Lisboa, 1 October 2026).
The Red Line platform at Aeroporto station, with a train arriving. Photo: Jaimrsilva, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Metro
€1.90 or €1.92 · every 6 to 10 minutes · 06:30 to 01:00
The Red Line starts at Aeroporto, reaches Oriente three stops on, and continues through Alameda and Saldanha to São Sebastião. It meets the Green Line at Alameda and the Blue Line at São Sebastião (metrolisboa.pt, 1 October 2026).
A Red Line train for São Sebastião at Aeroporto station. Photo: Philip Mallis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- To Baixa, Chiado and Cais do Sodré: change at Alameda for the Green Line, which stops at Rossio, Baixa-Chiado and Cais do Sodré.
- To Restauradores, Marquês de Pombal and Santa Apolónia: change at São Sebastião for the Blue Line. Marquês de Pombal and Avenida are on the way to Restauradores and Baixa-Chiado.
- To Oriente and the Oceanário: stay on the Red Line to Oriente, a few minutes on foot from the Oceanário.
- Trains: on weekdays, one every 9 minutes 45 seconds until 07:10, every 6 minutes until 09:45, every 7 minutes 5 seconds until 16:30, then every 6 to 10 minutes until the Metro closes at 01:00. At weekends it is every 7 to 10 minutes.
- Fares: a Carris/Metro single is €1.90, valid for 60 minutes from the first validation on Carris and the Metro, but not for two Metro journeys in a row. It loads on a Navegante occasional card, €0.50, valid for a year. A Metro journey paid from zapping credit on the card is €1.72.
- Bank card: tap in and out at the gate with a contactless Visa, Mastercard, V Pay or Electron card, or a phone or watch, for €1.92 a journey. Use the same card in and out, and one card per person: the Metro does not let one card pay for a group (metrolisboa.pt, 1 October 2026).
- Strikes: general strikes on 11 December 2025 and 3 June 2026 stopped the whole Metro for the day. Check before you fly, and keep a taxi or the bus as the backup.
Taxis on the official voucher
€16.00 to central Lisbon · prepaid at the Askme Lisboa desk in arrivals
Turismo de Lisboa sells a prepaid taxi voucher at its Askme Lisboa desk in the Arrivals Hall, at fixed prices agreed with the taxi association Antral and the Portuguese taxi federation (shop.visitlisboa.com, 1 October 2026). The price depends on the ring around the city your hotel is in, and on the time: one rate by day, another at night (21:00 to 06:00), at weekends and on public holidays. Ask at the desk which ring your address is in.
| Destination | Day | Night, weekend and holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Lisbon, first ring | €16.00 | €19.20 |
| Lisbon, second ring | €20.40 | €24.50 |
| Lisbon, third ring | €27.90 | €33.50 |
| Estoril, Cascais or Sintra | €53.40 | €64.00 |
For a day out rather than a hotel there, Sintra and Cascais are both CP trains from the city.
Buses
€1.90 with a Navegante card, €2.30 on board · from about 06:25
Three Carris buses stop at Aeroporto and run to the avenues north of the old town (carris.pt, 1 October 2026):
- 744 runs from Restauradores up Avenida da Liberdade to Marquês de Pombal and Saldanha, then to Aeroporto and on to Oriente and Moscavide.
- 783 runs from Amoreiras through Marquês de Pombal, Saldanha and Campo Grande to Aeroporto.
- 722 runs from Restauradores through Marquês de Pombal, Saldanha and Areeiro to Aeroporto and Portela.
Weekday departures start around 06:25 to 06:35, and buses are every 14 to 25 minutes on the weekday winter timetable. A ticket bought on board is valid only on that bus. A €1.90 Carris/Metro ticket covers the bus and a change to the Metro or another bus within 60 minutes, though not two Metro journeys in a row.
Night bus 208 runs from Cais do Sodré through Baixa and Alameda to Aeroporto and Oriente when the Metro has shut. On the winter timetable departures run between 00:30 and 05:35, every 30 to 60 minutes, for €2.30 on board (carris.pt, 1 October 2026).
Bus 728 is not an airport bus, although several websites list it as one. Carris’s route page shows it running from Restelo through Belém, Cais do Sodré, Santa Apolónia, Oriente and the Oceanário to Portela, with no stop at the airport (carris.pt, 1 October 2026). It is useful for Belém and for Oriente.
Private transfers
A driver booked ahead meets you in arrivals, which suits families, heavy bags or a late landing. On GetYourGuide, the private airport transferad is from £20.50 (4.6 stars from 1,947 reviews, 30 minutes) and the private transfer between the airport and the city centread from £21.35 (4.6 stars from 934 reviews, 40 to 45 minutes), both read on 1 October 2026.
After you arrive
The Askme Lisboa desk in arrivals is also where you collect a Lisboa Card. The Carris/Metro 24-hour ticket is €7.25, and Lisbon public transport explains which ticket to buy, how to pay by bank card and which trams and funiculars run. Where to stay in Lisbon compares the areas on how you get in from the airport: Parque das Nações is on the Red Line, Saldanha and São Sebastião need no change, and Baixa needs one. For what to book before you fly, and which day each sight is closed, see what to book before you go in Lisbon. To plan the days, see 3 days in Lisbon and Lisbon in one day. Joining a ship instead, see Lisbon cruise port to the city centre; to choose the month, best time to visit Lisbon.
Common questions
What is the cheapest way from Lisbon airport to the city centre?
The Metro Red Line from Aeroporto station: €1.90 with a Navegante occasional card (the card is €0.50), or €1.92 tapping a contactless bank card. Trains run every 6 to 10 minutes from 06:30 to 01:00. Buses 744, 783 and 722 are the same €1.90 with the card, or €2.30 on board.
How much is a taxi from Lisbon airport to the centre?
A fixed €16.00 on the day rate to central Lisbon, or €19.20 at the night, weekend and holiday rate (21:00 to 06:00), on a voucher you buy at the Askme Lisboa desk in the arrivals hall. The second ring costs €20.40 or €24.50 and the third €27.90 or €33.50.
Does bus 728 go to Lisbon airport?
No. Carris's route page shows bus 728 running from Restelo through Belém, Cais do Sodré, Santa Apolónia and Oriente to Portela, with no stop named Aeroporto. Buses 744, 783 and 722 and night bus 208 stop at Aeroporto.
How do I get from Lisbon airport to Baixa or Rossio by Metro?
Take the Red Line from Aeroporto to Alameda and change to the Green Line, which runs to Rossio, Baixa-Chiado and Cais do Sodré. For the Blue Line, change at São Sebastião for Marquês de Pombal, Restauradores and Terreiro do Paço.
