Few capitals make the airport run as short as Lisbon: all ten of our hotels are 20 to 25 minutes from the arrivals kerb by road. Since 15 October 2026 the taxi from the arrivals rank has a fixed price into the city, so the car is now also the predictable choice. Below is every realistic way in, with the operators' own times and prices, and how we would reach each hotel.
The short answer
Take a taxi from the arrivals rank: the fixed fare is €19 on weekdays from 07:00 to 22:00 and €23 at night, weekends and holidays to eight of our ten hotels, and €16 or €20 to the Four Seasons and Sublime Lisboa, for up to four people with luggage and no supplements. The drive is typically 20 to 25 minutes. Travelling light, the Metro's red line from arrivals costs €1.92 with a contactless card and runs 06:30 to 01:00.
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A driver meets you in arrivals with your name on a sign, at a fixed price agreed when you book. Booked and paid with Welcome Pickups through our partner Travelpayouts; we may earn a commission.
The best answer for almost everyone: to the door in 20 to 25 minutes for a price you know before you get in. Pay by card, MB Way or a voucher from the Turismo de Lisboa desk in arrivals.
Worth it for a late or delayed landing, a family that needs a larger car or child seats, and Alfama, where a driver who knows the nearest drop-off to a car-free lane saves a search with bags.
Fine with a carry-on for the hotels near a station, such as Hotel das Amoreiras by Rato or the Four Seasons near Marquês de Pombal. With suitcases and Lisbon's hills, the fixed taxi fare wins.
A budget option for one person with a small bag: the airport limits luggage on city buses to 50 x 40 x 20 cm, so suitcases are out.
Chiado
The hotel faces Praça Luís de Camões, and with luggage the €19 fixed fare to the door beats a Metro change and the walk up from Baixa-Chiado.
Príncipe Real
Príncipe Real is on a hilltop with no Metro station, so the taxi to the gate is the only easy arrival.
Amoreiras
Rato, the end of the yellow line, is six minutes on foot, so light travellers can ride the Metro with one change at Saldanha; with luggage the €19 taxi is easier.
Chiado
Chiado's streets are steep and cobbled, so the fixed fare to the door beats a Metro change and the cobbles from Baixa-Chiado with cases.
Avenida da Liberdade
The hotel is in the closer zone, so the fixed fare is €16 by day and €20 at night, for the joint shortest drive in our Lisbon edit.
Príncipe Real
The hotel itself recommends arriving by taxi or app; Rato is a 12-minute walk, too far with bags, and its own transfer is €55 for two booked four days ahead.
Amoreiras
In the closer zone at €16 by day and €20 at night, and ten minutes on foot from the nearest Metro entrance, so the taxi is the quickest and simplest arrival.
Alfama
Parking is banned in this part of Alfama and the lanes are cobbled, so a booked car to the front door is the arrival to choose; the hotel's own runs at €60 one way for up to three.
São Pedro de Alcântara
The Glória funicular beside the hotel is out of service and Restauradores is a steep five-minute climb away, so take the taxi to the door.
Santa Catarina
Licensed taxis can drive into the restricted quarter to the door, while Uber and Bolt stop at a barrier 150 to 200 metres short, so take the rank taxi.
Since 15 October 2026, trips from the taxi rank in the arrivals area into the city of Lisbon are at fixed prices set by zone and time, agreed by the taxi associations, the city, the airport and Turismo de Lisboa. Eight of our ten hotels are in zone 2: €19 on weekdays between 07:00 and 22:00, €23 at night, at weekends and on national holidays. The Four Seasons and Sublime Lisboa, in the Avenidas Novas parish, are in zone 1: €16 and €20.
The fare covers up to four passengers and the luggage that fits in the car, with no supplements. A larger taxi carrying five or more costs €20 or €24 to zone 1 and €23 or €28 to zone 2. Drivers must accept cards and MB Way at the same price, and may not refuse the trip. You can pay in the car or buy a voucher in advance at the Turismo de Lisboa desk in arrivals.
The airport's own advice is to take a taxi from the rank or a ride booked in an app, never one offered by someone who approaches you inside the terminal. Uber and Bolt pick up on Level 2 of car park P2.
Aeroporto is the end of the red line, and its entrance is in the arrivals area. The airport puts Saldanha about 20 minutes away. From there the yellow line runs to Marquês de Pombal and Rato, and at Alameda, one stop earlier, the green line runs down to Baixa-Chiado. Trains run from 06:30 to 01:00 every day; on weekdays the red line runs every 6 to 7 minutes for most of the day and about every 10 minutes early and late.
Tap a contactless bank card in and out at €1.92, or buy a navegante card for €0.50 and load money on it at €1.72 a trip. A 24-hour Carris and Metro ticket is €7.25 if you plan to keep moving.
The Metro stops at 01:00, but the taxi rank works all night and the fixed fare at night is only €4 more: €23 to most of our hotels, €20 to the Four Seasons and Sublime Lisboa. For a flight due after midnight, or one that is often late, a pre-booked driver who tracks the flight and waits in arrivals takes the uncertainty out of it.
A family of four with cases pays the same fixed fare as a single traveller, which makes the taxi far better value than four Metro tickets. A family of five or more needs a larger taxi at €20 to €28, or a private transfer booked with the right car and child seats, so you are not waiting at the rank for a big enough vehicle.
Check your airline before you leave the hotel. Eurowings, Norwegian, Ryanair, Transavia, Volotea, Vueling and Wizz Air leave from Terminal 2, a separate building with no Metro; tell your driver, or take the free shuttle from Terminal 1 departures, every 12 minutes and about 3 minutes' ride. The fixed fares apply only to trips from the arrivals rank, so a taxi to the airport runs on the meter. App rides drop at Drop Off 1 or 2 beside departures.
Questions people ask
From the arrivals rank, a fixed €19 on weekdays 07:00 to 22:00 and €23 at night, weekends and holidays to most of central Lisbon, or €16 and €20 to the zone around Avenidas Novas. Up to four people and luggage, no supplements.
To our ten hotels, typically 20 to 25 minutes. The airport itself puts the city centre about 20 minutes away.
Yes, the red line starts at Aeroporto, in the arrivals area, and runs 06:30 to 01:00. A trip costs €1.92 with a contactless card.
The airport's own transport page lists the Metro, Carris city buses, coaches and taxis, and no Aerobus. Carris buses 744 and 783 cover the same ground for €2.30.
Not on the city buses: the airport limits luggage on them to 50 x 40 x 20 cm. Take the Metro or a taxi with a suitcase.
On Level 2 of car park P2, on the arrivals level. In some historic quarters app cars must stop at a barrier, while licensed taxis can reach the door.
Yes. Under the October 2026 rules taxis from the arrivals rank must accept cards and MB Way at the fixed price, or you can prepay with a voucher from the Turismo de Lisboa desk.
Image credits: Sharon Hahn Darlin (CC BY 2.0)