Lisbon has a good and growing network of subways, but for some reasons I cannot really explain, it misses at least two connections that could be very handy for those visiting it : A connection with the Belém area and a connection to the airport. This last one has been planned and delayed for many years, as a construction of a new airport is beginning to take shape. But meanwhile the subway expansion has started, and Lisbon Airport will have an subway connection in the years to come. But right now, it doesn’t.
When arriving to the airport you have two options available to get to a more central part of the city : the bus or taxi. I will talk about taxis when I have the chance, but right now I would like to focus on bus connection, specially on the AeroBus and AeroShuttle special bus services, created to serve the one’s arriving or leaving town through the airport.
Aerobus
It’s the first of the two connections created to serve the airport. It runs daily from 07:00 AM to 11:00 PM, at 20 minutes intervals.
Normal tickets cost 3€, but you can buy the frequent travelers ticket pack (it costs 10€ and has 5 tickets, meaning 2€ for trip). If you have a Lisboa Card, ticket price has a discount, costing only 1.65€.
Leaving the airport, the bus goes through the Campo Pequeno, Saldanha square, Marquês de Pombal square, Restauradores / Rossio (downtown) , Praça do Comércio and finally Cais do Sodré.
If you’re going to Sintra, take this bus to Entrecampos. Here you can take a train on the Sintra Train line.
If you’re going to Estoril or Cascais, take this bus to Cais do Sodré. Here you can take a train on the Cascais Train line.
AeroShuttle
The more recent connection from the airport . It runs daily from 07:00 AM to 11:00 PM, at 30 minutes intervals.
Normal tickets cost 3€, but you can buy the frequent travelers ticket pack (it costs 10€ and has 5 tickets, meaning 2€ for trip). If you have a Lisboa Card, ticket price has a discount, costing only 1.65€.
Leaving the airport, the bus goes through Campo Grande, Sete Rios, Praça de Espanha ending close to the Marquês de Pombal square. This bus connection has recently expanded, also connecting the airport with the Gare do Oriente station.
16 responses so far ↓
1 Matt Heath // Jul 12, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I am told that the Metro misses the airport because the taxi drivers successful lobbied to make sure it did.
2 Bruno Marques // Jul 12, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Hello Matt,
Yes, although this is not “official” is true that Lisbon has a lot of taxis and that most of them live of the airport services. If the Metro reached the airport, most of them would have much less clients. On the other end, it has happen in the last decades that every time the government tried to create a law that would somehow harm the taxi drivers, the law is never approved, as the taxi drivers unions threaten to go on strike and block all the roads in the city.
Thanks for your comment!
3 Rodolfo Carvajal // Jul 27, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Excelent information! Actually I have to get to the airport on friday.
But I have a small question… Do you if the Aeroshuttle’s stop at Campo Grande is where the Sporting stadium is? And how long it takes from there to the airport?
Miuto obrigado!
4 Bruno Marques // Jul 28, 2008 at 12:55 am
Hi Rodrigo,
Thanks for the visit! Yes, the Aeroshuttle stop at Campo Grande is close to the Sporting Stadium, and given the distance between the two places it shouldn’t take more than 10m, (15m top) to get from one place to the other.
Have fun and enjoy your visit,
Bruno.
5 D R Sjarif // Aug 3, 2008 at 4:39 am
We will stay in hotel Eurostars Das Letras in the rue castilho Lisbon. If i take the aeroshuttles or aerobus where should we stop and is the driver will tell us where to stop ?
6 Bruno Marques // Aug 3, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Hello!
You should take the Aeroshuttle to get to Rua Castilho, as the bus has a stop on that street (the stop is even named Castilho). And yes, the driver can help you, ask them if you are in doubt of something.
Best Regards and enjoy your stay!
Bruno.
7 Pedro // Sep 30, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Boas Bruno Marques
bem pra começar vou-me apresentar eu sou motorista do aeroshuttle e desculpa que te diga mas a gente nao passa ao pé do estadio do sporting o trajecto é este gare do orinte, av. berlim, aeroporto lisboa, relogio, av. brasil, campo grande, av. forças armadas, hospital s. maria, universidade católica, sete rios, av. jose malhoa, av augusto aguiar, marques da fronteira, rua castilho, rua barata salgueiro e por fim rua mouzinho da silveira.
Espero que te posso ter ajudado qualquer duvida ou questao podes colocar pro meu mail….1 braço
8 rika // Mar 9, 2009 at 12:27 am
hi i am travelling to lisbon and am booked@the novotel which is the best way to get there?
9 Bruno Marques // Mar 9, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Check my mew post at : http://www.sunnylisbon.com/hotels-novotel-lisboa/
10 Normand // May 8, 2009 at 1:42 am
Hi, great info.
we are arriving at the airport in a couple of weeks and need to get to Duas Noaces residence downtown. we will have a couple of luggage. should we take the aerobus? and how close to the hotel will it stop?
11 Bruno Marques // May 8, 2009 at 9:59 am
Hello!
Thanks for your comment! I draw a map with the info that I think you’ll need :
Google Map
Taking the airport bus, you should take the AeroBus (be careful, because there are two of them, the other one is the AeroShuttle, don’t take that one). It runs between 07:00 to 23:00, everyday of the week and you can buy the ticket in the bus. The bus stops close by to your destination will be on Rossio or at Praça do Comercio, both of them will need a 5 to 10 minute walk to the residence. If you really have a lot of luggage or if you are arriving at the airport at an hour where the AeroBus is not running, then yes, I would recommend a taxi. If you don’t feel comfortable about taking a taxi in Lisbon (because of the language / rip-offs) I can give you the phone number of a driver who speaks english / french that I know.
Most of all, please make sure you have fun and really enjoy your stay! The days here are warm and the sun is shinning!
My Best Regards,
Bruno.
12 Cristina // Aug 15, 2009 at 9:28 pm
I need to get from Airport to Oriente train station, so I take the aeroshuttle. So far so good, my question is: Is this bus going directly to Oriente, or it goes all around the city before reaching the train station? (it’s very important as i have to get there in like 20 min…)
13 Bruno Marques // Aug 16, 2009 at 11:05 pm
Hi Cristina and thanks for your post!
The aeroshuttle doesn’t have any additional stop between the airport and the Oriente station, and the two places are more or less close to one another. Please be careful to ask the driver about the Oriente station, since you don’t want to take the aeroshuttle when it is moving towards the city center, but on the other way around.
14 Daniela // Sep 4, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Hello,
can you tell me how to get from Costa da caparica, hotel COLIBRI, to Lisbon Airport, on Saturday morning ?; the plain leavs at 11 o’clock; which hour shall I leave the hotel?
I need this information for tomorrow…
Thank you in advance,
Daniela
15 Bruno Marques // Sep 4, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Hi Daniela,
It’s hard for me so say how soon you should leave the hotel, because you need to switch transportation a couple of times. But this is how I would do it :
- Take the TST bus from Trafaria (where the hotel is located) to Costa da Caparica. It leaves every 30m.
- From Costa da Caparica take another TST bus, this time to Praça de Espanha (Lisboa) which leaves every 20m. This one should get you to the city center.
- Take the Aeroshuttle that will take you to the airport.
If you are travelling alone, it may be cheaper to go this way, but if you are travelling with one or more persons, do take a taxi, as it will be much more cheaper and faster to get there.
My best regards,
Bruno.
16 Daniela // Sep 4, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Thank you for your answer.
I thought that bus Nr. 153 goes from here (Av. 1 May) directly to the Spain Square; maybe I’ll take a taxi.
Thank you again,
Daniela
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