How best to get to airport in Lisbon

You change at Alameda. Here is a map of the network: https://www.metrolisboa.pt/en/travel/diagrams-and-maps/

[Post edited because I named the wrong colours. Sorry!]

I don't know about you but I quickly learnt that I had some confusions around Rossio Square, the metro map, and so forth.

Let me explain. On some of the Lisbon metro maps (usually the ones on the boards but not the ones in the train), it looks like the Blue line has a stop called Rossio. It doesn't. The Blue Line has a stop called Restauradores which stops near the Rossio railway station and the two, as far as I could tell, are not interconnected. Rossio railway station is near Rossio Square. Also near Rossio Square is the Green Line. Confusing?

To repeat:

So we have Blue Line which has the Restauradores metro stop, which itself is near Praca dos Restauradores which itself is also near Rossio Square. There is no Rossio stop on the Blue Line even though some Lisbon Metro maps make it look like there is one.

Then we have Green Line which has a Rossio stop and this is near Rossio Square.

Depending on if you hop on the Green Line or the Blue Line, your way to transfer to the Red Line to get to the Airport is a little bit different but not difficult. Just make transfers at any points that intersect the line you're on. Eventually you'll get to the Red Line. All in all, Lisbon metro is easy to navigate. I only needed to realize my confusion around Rossio metro stop, Rossio railway station, Rossio square, and Restauradores stop. They're all pretty much near each other and you could practically say next to each other.

Good point by Muriel S, it can be a bit confusing. Just make sure you know which station you are at.

The manager of my hotel helped me figure it out.

I am going to the Baxia-Chiado station and take the green line to Alameda , then transfer to the red line which goes right to that he airport

Lisbon has very good transportation but it is very confusing.

I am thinking of doing a dry run tomorrow to the airport before I do the real thing with my luggage on Friday

I am thinking of doing a dry run tomorrow to the airport before I do the real thing with my luggage on Friday

Do not tire yourself needlessly! Just give yourself an early start on Friday, and you will be fine.
But are you sure you want to deal with the metro with luggage? taxis are cheap in Lisbon...

But are you sure you want to deal with the metro with luggage? taxis are cheap in Lisbon...

I agree with Balso, taxis are inexpensive, and the Lisbon airport is not far from the city center.
Your hotel may help you book a taxi.

We only paid €20 from our hotel to airport a few years ago.

Looking forward to reading your trip report!

I didn't find the Lisbon metro (or the bus, or the tram!) confusing at all once we tried it a few times and studied it. If you use an iPhone, the Map app has a transit layer and it is very useful.

Because of various circumstances, we ended up needing to take bus multiple times for different reasons. It was pretty easy.

The Metro was quite easy too. Just remember when you enter a station, figure out which color line you need to be on. Depending on which station you're at, there might be just one color line. After determining the color, then pay attention to which direction you need to go to by looking at the terminal stops for the color line you will be on. Go the the platform for that terminal stop. My husband kept forgetting to pay attention to which direction he needed and made assumptions that as long as he is on the right color line he's fine. NOPE! I had to correct him many times ;-)

Hi Muriel

You say that you did not find the Lisbon public transportation confusing “once you used it a few times”.

I have taken the bus once, the Metro once, and the train once. Now, it is a. Little less confusing and if I was able t use the public transportation more, it would be much less confusing but I am leaving tomorrow and do not have the opportunity to use Lisbon public transportation more.

I already bought a ticket for the Metro. I know that I am taking the green line to Alameda and changing to the red line which takes me directly to airport. Surely there will be others who are heading to the airport.

I hope that there is good signage.

Balso and Muriel

I am way over budget now and soon enough, I am going to be dealing with the realities of paying the bills.

My hotel has a private transit service that they use but they are discouraging when it comes to the taxis.

I think that I am going to stick with Metro at this point. I travel light and Metro is close by.

Re Taxis

If I decide to take one, do they all require cash

Remind me about which taxis to take and what to do such as request that the meter is on

On Aug 31 my wife and I traveled the route described by OP bostonphil17: Baxia-Chiado station and take the green line to Alameda , then transfer to the red line which goes right to that he airport.

If you wish (as we did with our one rolling bag each) to use escalators and elevators (instead of stairs), your described route works well. (and of course it works well even if you don't mind stairs.)

Alameda metro station had elevators at the platforms we used, making it easy to ascend/descend with our bags. We just followed the signs with the elevator icons.

From the metro stations you mention as starting points, it sounds as if you are in the Chiado area, near to Rossio train station. That is the area we stayed. Though the Baixa-Chiado metro station was not the nearest metro station to our lodging, it was the only one we could walk to without being forced to descend via stairways or steep slopes. There are two possible routes for achieving this (that I found and mentioned in my trip report):

1. Avoid ALL stairs by using the elevator or escalators in the Amazéns do Chiado Shopping Mall. The lower (Baixa) entrance/exit of the metro station is then just a few steps away.
2. Encounter only a few steps (maybe 10-15) by using the metro station's upper (Chiado) Largo do Cameos entrance/exit. The few steps are at the entrance, and then it is a long series of escalators down to the platforms.

We used both routes (#2 when we arrived in Lisbon and #1 when when we departed); #1 was the easiest and fastest. Our Green Line metro departed at Baixa-Chiado at about 10:30am, we didn't rush when making the transfer to the Red Line at Alameda, and we arrived at Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) at about 11:15am.

You don't actually say what time your flight is (ie- if you would be travelling out to the airport in the peak or the off peak) which could have a bearing on the matter.
But the above poster has given you very good directions, and as you have already purchased your metro ticket (presumably on a Viva Viagem card) I don't see any reason why you wouldn't use the metro.
Sadly the airport bus hasn't run since Covid- which would have been another option.

I hear loud and clear from London that you are careful with money (through personal circumstance), and that you are a bit concerned that you have overspent on the ship.

I know you will allow yourself oodles of time to make the journey. You managed with the tube/bus in London and managed the walk in London from Lancaster Gate to Victoria, so you entirely capable of making this metro journey. And if you are already ticketed you may as well use that ticket. Otherwise that ticket goes to waste.

People are very good on this forum at spending other people's money for them!

Out of interest how much more expensive is the hotel transfer service than a taxi?

Geoff

I .am on Rua Augusta, very close to Zara’s and the Metro.

Thank you for the information.

isn31c

My flight leaves about 12:30 pm but you must know that I hate rushing I am planning no leaving 6 a.m

I would rather be at the airport 5 hours early and do nothing than have to run as the doors close. Just the thought ….

I am over budget but it is not just because of the ship. The hotels and the ship were expected. It was the eating out that took so much money and then I was to find that the cost of museums and attractions was very high, again for me

For a lot of people on this site, taxis are inexpensive. That is not true for me

It depends on what comes in

I think the cost of transfer from the hotel was 25 euros but I prefer control. I do not like waiting. I like having control over my coming and my going.

The metro opens at 6.30 am, so there is no need to leave earlier than that!
And yes, I agree that any amount of money is too much when you are already over budget, so the metro will be perfectly fine.
Safe travels 😊.

As you are on Rua Augusta near Zara, you seem to be in Baixa -- thus you can just walk to the lower (Baixa) entrance/exit of the Baixa-Chiado metro station. Great! That makes it even simpler as you can ignore what I wrote in my earlier reply about avoiding stairs and steep slopes.

I am getting ready to head to the Metro soon. Once I get going, I tend to relax. I imagine there will be plenty of others heading towards the airport

It has been a good trip but I am looking forward to home. I miss my computer. I miss my favorite T V programming. I miss my coffee and favorite foods

@bostonphil7, I trust you have safely made it to wherever you were going to?

Sorry didn’t see this latest post until much, much later. The way this forum is technologically set up, it’s not easy to find out when a thread one has been reading has been updated.

Anyhow, did you find the metro trip to the airport relatively easy after all? Hopefully it was a fine experience.

I'm going to jump on this thread with a question since it seems to fit, but if I should start my own instead, please let me know.

I'll apparently be only a three minute walk from the Rato metro stop (yellow), so it looks like I can get to the airport pretty easily by taking the yellow to the red at Saldanha, correct?

I'll have to store my backpack at Rossio train station the morning of my arrival, so I'll get off the red line at Almeda and take the green line down to Baixa Chiado, then walk to the train station, correct?

Again, if I should make my own post, just let me know. Thank you!

We just returned from our trip - leaving Lisbon on Nov 1st. Our hotel was the Moxy Lisbon - not too far from the Picoas Metro. However, after looking at the metro schedule and the time of travel and price (for 2) plus one 50# bag to lug, we opted for Uber. For 7.08 Euro, we got picked up at the front door, and dropped at Terminal 1 in about 20 min. Insanely cheap and easy.

We are huge users of mass transit - at home and abroad - but Uber crushed it all this time.
When we got home, it was just after the last train departed for the day, so we took Uber home for a similar 20 min drive, but this time, over $20 for that trip. No idea why Lisbon Uber was so inexpensive, but it was quite a deal.

For us, on metro, it would have been the yellow (Picoas) to the red (Saldanha) to the airport, but double or more time and less but not much less cost (~3.50 vs ~7.00) as the Uber. Time and ease of travel won out over cost alone.