Arriving at Lisbon Airport: Passports, Metro, Taxis and Uber in 2026

Arriving at Lisbon Airport: Which Terminal Do You Land At?

Humberto Delgado Airport is about 7 km (4 miles) north-east of the Baixa, the historic centre. It has two terminals, but all arrivals use Terminal 1, including low-cost airlines. Terminal 2 is used only for departures by a few budget airlines flying within Europe. You will only need it on the way home, and a free shuttle links the two terminals roughly every ten minutes.

In practice, you collect your bags and walk out into the Terminal 1 hall. The metro, buses, taxi rank and the route to the ride-hail zone all start there. To plan the rest of your stay (neighbourhoods, sights, getting around town), see our complete Lisbon guide.

Passport Control on Arrival: Who Goes Through It?

Portugal is part of the Schengen Area. If you arrive from Paris, Brussels, Geneva or another Schengen city, there is no passport control: you go straight to baggage reclaim and the exit. Keep an ID card or valid passport with you anyway, as airlines require it at boarding.

If you arrive from outside Schengen (the UK, Canada, Morocco…), you go through border control run by the PSP, the Portuguese police. Since October 2025, travellers who are not citizens of an EU country are registered in the EES (Entry/Exit System), the European entry-exit system. It replaces passport stamps with fingerprints and a facial photo. The process takes longer, and Lisbon has seen queues of several hours. Before summer 2026 the airport was reinforced: the arrivals hall now has 34 control booths and 31 automatic gates (e-gates), and extra officers were assigned.

In the Arrivals Hall: First Things to Do

• Tourist office: the Ask Me Lisboa desk in the arrivals hall is open daily from 7am to 10pm (maps, transport information, bookings). Check its hours on the official Visit Lisboa page.
• Taxi and ride-hail: take a taxi only from the official rank in front of the terminal. Book a ride-hail car only through the app. Turn down any offers of a ride made inside the hall.
• Transport card: if you take the metro, buy your Navegante card from the machines in the station rather than looking for a ticket window elsewhere in the terminal.

Metro from Lisbon Airport: The Cheapest Way Into Town

The Aeroporto station is the end of the Red Line (Vermelha). It sits at the far end of the Terminal 1 arrivals area, so you do not need to go outside with your suitcases. The Red Line reaches Saldanha in about twenty minutes, then São Sebastião. The metro runs daily from 6.30am to 1am. Metropolitano de Lisboa has also announced a pilot scheme opening at 5.30am from October 2026, with a possible wider rollout in January 2027. If you land very early, check current hours on the Lisbon metro website.

Which Ticket Should You Buy on Arrival?

These are the fares in force since 1 January 2026, according to the Carris and metro fare schedule:

• Occasional Navegante card: €0.50 (about £0.43). A rechargeable card valid for one year. It holds only one type of fare at a time.
• Carris/Metro ticket: €1.90 (about £1.62). Valid for 60 minutes from the first validation, with unlimited rides on Carris buses and trams. It does not allow two successive entries into the metro.
• Zapping: you load credit onto the card (€3 minimum, about £2.55). Each metro ride then costs €1.72 (about £1.46).
• 24-hour Carris/Metro pass: €7.25 (about £6.16). Unlimited use of the metro, buses, trams and funiculars for 24 hours after first validation. It pays off if you plan to make several trips on arrival day.
• Contactless bank card: the metro gates accept it directly, at €1.92 (about £1.63) per ride under the 2026 fare schedule. Each traveller must use their own card.

Which Connection Gets You to Your Neighbourhood?

The Red Line does not go directly to the historic centre. You need to change once:

• Baixa, Rossio, Chiado, Cais do Sodré: change at Alameda for the Green Line.
• Avenida da Liberdade, Restauradores, Marquês de Pombal: change at São Sebastião for the Blue Line.
• Avenidas Novas, Saldanha: direct on the Red Line.
• Oriente station (trains to Porto, the Algarve or Sintra): direct, about ten minutes from the airport.

If your accommodation is in the Bairro Alto or Alfama, expect steep, cobbled streets between the station and your door. With big suitcases, a taxi becomes more practical.

Taxi from Lisbon Airport: The New Fixed Prices

Since 15 October 2026, taxi rides from the airport rank are fixed-price, depending on the destination district. The prices were set by the Lisbon Tourism Association (ATL) and voluntarily accepted by the taxi associations. This is not yet a municipal regulation. The protocol also requires electronic payment in participating taxis.

Most tourist accommodation (Baixa, Chiado, Alfama, Príncipe Real, Belém) is in zone 2. The ride to the centre takes about 15 minutes when traffic is light.

Uber and Bolt: Where to Meet Your Driver

Ride-hail cars (called TVDE in Portugal) are not allowed to pick up passengers in front of the terminal or at the arrivals roundabout. Their pick-up zone is in car park P2, the arrivals car park, in a reserved, signposted area. Book in the app once you have your bags, then follow the signs to P2: the meeting point shown in the app is that zone. The driver cannot stay more than 30 minutes in the car park. So book the ride after you have cleared passport control and baggage reclaim, not before.

Carris Bus: Mostly Useful at Night

Several Carris city buses stop in front of the Terminal 1 arrivals: lines 705, 722, 744 and 783 by day, and the night line 208. By day they are less convenient than the metro with luggage, as they mainly serve residential areas and the Marquês de Pombal and Amoreiras district. The Carris night network runs from 12.30am to 5.30am. Line 208 then links the airport with Oriente station and Cais do Sodré, via the Baixa.

If you buy a ticket on board, it costs €2.30 (about £1.96) and is valid only for that bus. Contactless bank cards and MB Way are accepted. The €1.90 Carris/Metro ticket loaded on a Navegante card is cheaper. Check schedules and fares on the Carris fares page.

The Aerobus, the shuttle that used to link the airport with the centre, was discontinued in 2023. Some websites and guidebooks still mention it, but it no longer runs.

Arriving Late at Night or Very Early in the Morning

If your plane lands after midnight, think about when you will really get out of the terminal. On a non-Schengen flight with EES checks, you may miss the last metro at 1am. You then have three options:

1. The fixed-price taxi at the night rate (€20 in zone 1, €23 in zone 2): the simplest and most predictable choice.
2. A ride-hail car booked from car park P2. The price is shown in the app before you confirm.
3. The night bus 208, the cheapest, but with less frequent departures. It suits you if you travel light and stay near its route.

If you arrive before 6.30am, the Ask Me Lisboa desk is still closed (it opens at 7am). Plan your route to your accommodation in advance, and tell your host if you will arrive before check-in time.

Which Transport Should You Choose on Arrival?

For a stay of several days, the Navegante card you buy at the airport will then work on Lisbon's metro, buses and trams. Keep it: it is valid for one year.

Frequently asked questions