Lisbon · Getting around
Getting Around Lisbon 2026: Airport, Metro, Trams, Taxis, and the Trains to Sintra and the Coast
Lisbon airport to your hotel by metro or bus, the tickets, the metro and trams, what's closed for now, taxis, and the trains to Sintra and Cascais, with fares from Metro de Lisboa, Carris and CP.
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In this guide · 9 sections
The short version
- The airport is 7 km from the centre. Take the Metro's Red line from Aeroporto station (€1.90 a ticket, or €1.92 with a contactless bank card at the gates) or a Carris city bus. The Aerobus appears to have stopped.
- The 24-hour Carris/Metro ticket costs €7.25, on a €0.50 navegante occasional card, the card that replaced the Viva Viagem. It doesn't cover trains: the 24-hour Carris/Metro/CP ticket (€11.40) adds the Sintra and Cascais lines.
- Closed for now: the Glória, Lavra and Bica funiculars are out of service, and the Santa Justa lift is temporarily closed. The Graça funicular is running.
- Tram 15E runs from Praça da Figueira to Belém; Tram 28E runs through Graça, Alfama, the Baixa, Chiado and Estrela.
- Don't hire a car for the city. Keep it for trips out.
- Trains to Sintra and Cascais: a return from Lisbon to either costs €5.10 with CP. The day-trips guide covers what to do there.
Lisbon's public transport is the Metro, Carris's buses and trams, and CP's trains out to Sintra and the coast. One reusable card, the navegante occasional, works across them. Some of it is closed for now: the historic funiculars are out of service and the Santa Justa lift is temporarily closed.
This guide covers the airport, the tickets, the metro, trams and funiculars, taxis, when (and when not) to hire a car, and the day trips by train. Fares are from Metro de Lisboa, Carris and CP.
Lisbon Airport (LIS)
Humberto Delgado Airport is 7 km from the city centre, according to Visit Lisboa.
Airport to your hotel
1. Metro (Red line) Take the Red line from Aeroporto station. A Carris/Metro ticket costs €1.90: it's valid for 60 minutes on Carris and the Metro, for one Metro trip. With zapping credit on a navegante occasional card, a Metro journey costs €1.72, and you can also tap a contactless bank card at the gates: €1.92 a trip.
2. Carris city buses Carris buses 705, 722, 744, 783 and 208 serve the airport. Carris limits bags on board to hand-luggage size (55 x 40 x 20 cm), so they're for travelling light.
3. The Aerobus: apparently gone The Aerobus appears to have stopped running. Carris refers to the airport's "inactive Aerobus shelter", and the Aerobus isn't on Carris's 2026 route list. Its old website now redirects to an unrelated site, so don't buy tickets through it.
4. Taxi There's no fare table here: new national rules for setting taxi fares take effect on 14 October 2026. See Taxis, below.
Tickets
| Ticket | What it covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Navegante occasional card | The reusable card you load tickets and zapping credit onto, valid for a year | €0.50 |
| Carris/Metro ticket | Carris and Metro for 60 minutes, one Metro trip | €1.90 |
| Zapping, Metro journey | One Metro journey, from credit on the card | €1.72 |
| Contactless bank card | One Metro journey, tapped at the gates | €1.92 |
| 24-hour Carris/Metro | Unlimited Carris and Metro for 24 hours | €7.25 |
| 24-hour Carris/Metro/CP | Adds CP's Sintra, Cascais, Azambuja and Sado lines | €11.40 |
Prices are from Metro de Lisboa and Carris.
Bought on board, a tram ticket costs €3.30 for one trip, a funicular ticket €4.30 for up to two trips, and the Santa Justa lift €6.20 for up to two trips, when it's open. With zapping, a Carris journey is valid for an hour.
The 24-hour Carris/Metro ticket pays off from five Metro journeys in a day, against €1.72 each with zapping. It doesn't cover trains: for Sintra or Cascais, buy the 24-hour Carris/Metro/CP ticket or a CP ticket.
Around the city: the metro
Lisbon's metro has 4 lines and 56 stations. Under normal operating conditions, it opens at 6.30 AM and closes at 1 AM every day, including weekends and public holidays.
Trams, funiculars and the lift
Tram 28E runs from Martim Moniz to Campo de Ourique (Prazeres). Visit Lisboa describes the route between Graça and Prazeres as one that slips between historic bairros, passes the cathedral, crosses the Baixa and climbs up to Chiado and Estrela. On a busy tram, keep your bag in front of you.
Tram 12E is no longer a circular: it runs from Martim Moniz past the Portas do Sol and Santa Luzia viewpoints and the Sé to Chiado and Praça Luís de Camões.
Tram 15E runs from Praça da Figueira through Cais do Sodré to Belém, stopping at MAAT, the Jerónimos Monastery and the Centro Cultural de Belém, and on to Algés. From 7 to 20 October 2026, between midnight and 5 AM, a shuttle bus replaces the tram between Belém and Algés.
Funiculars: the Glória funicular has been out of service since an accident on 3 September 2025, and the Lavra and Bica funiculars are out of service too. The Graça funicular, between Mouraria and Graça, runs from 7 AM to 9 PM; it costs €4.30 on board for up to two trips, and navegante passes are valid on it.
Santa Justa Lift: temporarily closed, Carris says.
Taxis
AMT, Portugal's transport regulator, says new national rules for setting taxi fares take effect on 14 October 2026, so this guide doesn't give fares.
With luggage, take a taxi to a hotel up the hill rather than walking it.
Hire car: only for trips out of the city
Don't hire a car for Lisbon itself: in the city, use the metro, trams, buses and your feet.
Hire a car only if you're:
- Driving a Sintra → Cabo da Roca → Cascais → Estoril loop
- Continuing onward to the Alentejo, the Algarve, or Porto
- Visiting Évora, Mafra, or the Setúbal Peninsula independently
Day trips by train
CP's 2026 fares go by zone: singles cost €1.50 to €3.90, and a Lisboa–Sintra or Lisboa–Cascais return costs €5.10. The 24-hour Carris/Metro/CP ticket (€11.40) covers both lines. CP also sells its own 24-hour tourist ticket, at €6.70, and a €14 Train & Bus day ticket, valid on the Sintra line and Scotturb's buses 434 and 435.
Sintra: trains on CP's Sintra line leave from Rossio station. For what to see there, and the buses around the town, see the day-trips guide.
Cascais: the Cascais line runs from Cais do Sodré through Belém and Estoril to Cascais.
Setúbal and Tróia: from Setúbal, Atlantic Ferries crosses to Tróia in about 15 minutes by catamaran, or about 25 by car ferry.
For longer journeys, check CP's site for times and fares.
A few things nobody tells you
- The calçada is slippery when wet. Lisbon's stone pavements need shoes with grip in the rain.
- Tram 15E runs late: Carris's winter weekend timetable has trams until 1 AM.
- Check Carris's service changes before you rely on a tram or bus: it lists the closures and diversions.
Lisbon transport rewards the right ticket for the day: a 24-hour Carris/Metro ticket for the city, a CP ticket or the Carris/Metro/CP ticket for Sintra and the coast, and a taxi for the climb with luggage.
Questions
How do I get from Lisbon airport to the city?
Take the Metro's Red line from Aeroporto station: a Carris/Metro ticket is €1.90, or tap a contactless bank card at the gates for €1.92. Carris buses 705, 722, 744, 783 and 208 also serve the airport, for hand luggage only.
Do I need a car in Lisbon?
No. In the city, use the metro, trams, buses and your feet; hire a car only for trips out, to the Alentejo, the Algarve or Porto.
Is the Aerobus still running?
It appears not. Carris refers to the airport's inactive Aerobus shelter, and there's no Aerobus on Carris's 2026 route list. Take the Metro's Red line or a Carris city bus instead.
How do I get to Sintra from Lisbon?
By CP train on the Sintra line, from Rossio station. A Lisboa–Sintra return costs €5.10, the 24-hour Carris/Metro/CP ticket (€11.40) covers the train, and CP's €14 Train & Bus ticket adds Scotturb's buses 434 and 435.
Are Lisbon's funiculars and the Santa Justa lift open?
Not for now. Carris lists the Glória, Lavra and Bica funiculars as out of service and the Santa Justa lift as temporarily closed. The Graça funicular, between Mouraria and Graça, runs from 7 AM to 9 PM.
Places in this guide
All of Lisbonmarks a Citorah Pick.
Plan the trip
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About this guide
Written by Jordan Gilbert, who edits Citorah. Last checked . Prices, hours and timetables change, so check anything you’re booking against the operator’s own site. Something out of date? Email hello@citorah.com.
Corrections
- : Re-checked against Metro de Lisboa’s, Carris’s, CP’s and Visit Lisboa’s own sites, and rewritten. The Aerobus appears to have stopped: Carris refers to the airport’s inactive Aerobus shelter and has no Aerobus on its 2026 route list, so the guide now sends you to the Metro or Carris’s airport buses. The Viva Viagem card is now the navegante occasional card. A Carris/Metro ticket is €1.90, not €1.85, and a zapping Metro journey €1.72, not €1.65. The 24-hour Carris/Metro ticket is €7.25, not €6.80, and it doesn’t cover the trains to Sintra and Cascais: the €11.40 Carris/Metro/CP ticket does. CP’s fares go by zone, and a Lisboa–Sintra or Lisboa–Cascais return is €5.10. The Glória, Lavra and Bica funiculars are out of service and the Santa Justa lift is temporarily closed; on board, a funicular ticket is €4.30 and the lift €6.20, not €4.10 and €5.30. Tram 12E is no longer a circular: it runs from Martim Moniz to Praça Luís de Camões. New national rules for taxi fares take effect on 14 October 2026, so the fare table, the per-kilometre rate and the luggage surcharge are gone. Removed the Bolt, Uber and FREENOW claims, the airport’s terminals and shuttle, the journey times we couldn’t confirm (from the airport by metro, and by train to Sintra, Cascais, Setúbal, Porto and Faro), parking and hire-car prices, tuk-tuk prices, Tram 28’s pickpockets and queues, the “Atlantic on your right” line, and superlatives such as the “closest capital airport” and “one of the most scenic short rail journeys in Europe”, which no source we could reach states.