Lisbon's airport is one of the easier ones to get out of. Here's exactly what to do from the moment you leave baggage claim.
The metro is inside the airport. You come out of baggage claim, follow the signs marked Metro, and you're on the platform in about five minutes. You don't leave the building. There's no shuttle to catch.
Buy a Viva Viagem card at one of the machines — €0.50 for the card, then load a single ride (around €1.85) or a 24-hour pass (€6.80) if you'll be using the metro all day. The machines have an English menu. Card payment works. Early morning there's almost nobody at them; midday there can be a small queue.
You want the red line, direction São Sebastião. From Aeroporto to Alameda is a direct ride, no changes. About twelve minutes. Alameda is our closest station. Areeiro, one stop further, is roughly the same walking distance from us — either works.
When you come out at Alameda, take the south exit. There's a lift for luggage. From there to our door is about eight minutes on foot, uphill. Cobblestones. If your suitcase has small wheels, they'll complain for the first block and then adjust.
If you'd rather not do any of that, an Uber from the airport is €10–14. A regular taxi is roughly the same. Both are easy to grab from the arrivals hall — the Uber pickup zone is signposted. Traffic in the middle of the day can make the drive slower than the metro; late evening it's usually quicker.
One thing we don't recommend: renting a car for the city. Parking in central Lisbon is genuinely difficult and the neighbourhood is built for people on foot. If you want a car for a day trip to Sintra or the coast, rent it for that day and drop it back the same evening.
By Angels Homes
