I am going on a Heart of Portugal tour that ends in Porto on October 30th. My plane does not leave Porto until 5:00 a.m. on the 31st. I am debating whether I should book a night at an inexpensive hotel for the evening of the 30th, where I would stay only until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m (depending on distance and availability of transportation to the airport), or just lug my bags around Porto all day and spend the night hanging out at the airport until my flight leaves. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
92 posts
Yeah 5am flights from Porto are pretty common. I think it’s worth getting a hotel because then you can shower and sleep for a few hours. The only reason I wouldn’t do that is if I was super short on money. When I got to the airport for my 5am flight, there definitely were plenty of people who had spent the night there.
Posted by
24 posts
If you can swing it, definitely book a hotel or airbnb. Nothing beats a good night's rest for a flight. You'll have your own bathroom and can shower and do all that getting ready stuff too. Sleeping in an airport exposes you to so much yuck! Also super uncomfortable, noisy, etc..
safe travels!.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5867 posts
I’d book a hotel. I would want access to the room during the day and the ability to get a few hours of rest.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11948 posts
booking.com shows 3 hotels with free airport shuttles priced from $64-$82 for the night of Oct 30. Starting the day freshly showered and in clean clothes makes a day of travel more tolerable.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
543 posts
This is a good question. I've faced this dilemma in other European cities and always booked a hotel. That way I can get some sleep, shower, and relax before my flight. The thought of lugging bags around Porto and hanging out in the airport is not attractive.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8913 posts
Treat yourself better than lugging suitcases and spending a night at the airport. Get a reasonable hotel and use it to at least rest the evening before.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you, everyone, for this great advice. I just booked a decent hotel for a very good price. I am certain I will not regret this decision!
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8130 posts
Not the point of your question, but departure time is one criteria that I will pay a bit more for, a flight leaving no earlier than 9:00 AM.
That way I can have a nice last evening, good sleep, and not have to worry about how to get to the airport at2:00 in the morning. My Madrid departure in September leaves between 11 and 12, time enough for coffee and churros in the morning.
Posted by
WA
121 posts
You made the right choice. I had a similar departure time from Porto in 2019, and it was a relief to relax and rest until our 3am departure.
Posted by
9 posts
We took a 5 am flight from OPO to AMS a few days ago. We thought briefly about booking a hotel near the airport for the night before, but didn't think that we would actually get enough sleep to make it worth the rigmarole of packing everything up, relocating, unpacking, trying to sleep, then packing again and getting ourselves to the airport. So, we opted for taking the metro to the airport at 11 pm (because it stops running at 1 am). When we got there, we went up to the departure area on the third floor. The lights were dimmed and lots of people were sleeping. There were many others charging their devices and using the free wifi. The KLM check in counter opened at around 2:30 am. We got checked in and through security in about 10 minutes total. When the airport cafes opened, we enjoyed some chocolate croissants while we waited for our flight. It was actually quite relaxing to know that we were there in plenty of time and that we were not rushed at all.
I am certainly not recommending that anyone go to the airport in the middle of the night instead of trying to get some extra hours of sleep at a nearby hotel. I'm just sharing how it went for us.