Airport to Oriente Train Station
Lisbon Airport to Oriente Train Station
Lisbon Airport to Oriente Train Station

Lisbon Airport To Oriente Train Station

Transport Options From Lisbon Airport To Oriente Train Station

Lisbon Airport provides several transportation options for getting into Portugal’s capital city once your flight has landed, but the airport is situated about 1.9 miles (or 3 kilometers) from downtown, so you will need to use one of the methods for getting between the two locations.

One popular choice for making the trip from the airport to Lisbon and beyond is by taking the subway, known as the Metro. This can be a great combination of a quick trip that also doesn’t cost much, making Metro a useful choice for those fliers who are looking to cut their expenses.

The Metro Red Line service available at the airport takes passengers to Oriente Train Station downtown, which you may also see written on maps and signs as Gare do Oriente. It is the city’s central station with train connections from Lisbon to locations throughout Portugal, so you can exist the Metro here, head to your hotel or other accommodation and enjoy your time in the city or make a connection at the station for a train to take you elsewhere in the country.

Before detailing the various aspects of taking the Metro into Lisbon from the airport, it’s also useful to read about the alternative transportation options that are also on offer. Instead of riding on the subway system you could get on a bus, ride in a taxi or rent your own car.

Lisbon Airport To Oriente Train Station By Lisbon Airport Bus

Lisbon Airport Bus Lisbon Airport Bus

Taking a bus is usually the slowest of the various methods for getting from the airport into the center of Lisbon, because many passengers will have to board and then exit the bus, and they’ll also need time to store their luggage. Some of the buses leaving the airport also make several stops, but typically to get to Oriente station it shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes total.

Although the travel time isn’t fast, one advantage of taking the bus is that it is the cheapest of the methods on offer. Expect to pay less than €2 for a one-way trip from the airport to the train station, although the exact price you’ll pay could depend on the route that you use.

It can be helpful to research the bus routes online in advance because there are a few that leave from the airport, and they generally operate between 6.30am and late in the evening but note that buses are not available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So, if your flight lands very early in the morning, you might be forced to use another method of transportation.

Lisbon Airport To Oriente Train Station By Lisbon Airport Taxi

Lisbon Airport To Oriente Train Station By Lisbon Airport Taxi Lisbon Airport To Oriente Train Station By Lisbon Airport Taxi

Taxis provide a good mix of affordability and privacy, because the only other people in the vehicle will be the driver and your traveling companions, and the bags will be secured in the trunk. The taxi will also take you on a direct route to the front door of wherever you’re staying.

You will pay between roughly €5 and €10 depending on the time of day that you need the taxi, and it should less than 15 minutes to get to Oriente station, and this includes the amount of time that you might be waiting at the airport before a taxi is available to pick you up.

It’s not required to give your taxi driver a tip and you should not do so if the ride was unsafe or you think it was overpriced. But if you believe that you received a quick, safe and fairly priced ride then it is polite to offer your taxi driver a tip using a few Euro notes and coins.

Lisbon Airport To Oriente Train Station By Lisbon Airport Rental car

Lisbon Airport Car Hire Lisbon Airport Car Hire

This is the most expensive option and the price will change based on how long you hire the car and the type of vehicle that you choose. But renting a car has a few benefits including total flexibility to drive where and when you want and having your luggage safe in the trunk.

The drive time from the airport to your accommodation should take under 10 minutes, although it could be longer if there’s lots of traffic, for example if you are driving during rush hour.

Compare Price & Options

PRICE FOR 2 PASSENGERS +
OPTION PRICE DURATION AVAILABILITY
Taxi 6min 24/7
Train 8min 06:30–01:00
Bus 12min 18:25–21:40

* click on – + to compare price

Lisbon Airport Metro Timetable – Red Line

Lisbon Airport to Oriente Train Station

Red line train frequencies (weekdays)
Hours Waiting time
06:30 a.m – 07:10 a.m 9′ 45”
07:10 a.m – 09:45 a.m 6′ 00”
09:45 a.m – 04:30 p.m 7′ 00”
04:30 p.m – 07:15 p.m 6′ 00”
07:15 p.m – 08:30 p.m 7′ 05”
08:30 p.m – 10:30 p.m 7′ 55”
10:30 p.m – 01:05 a.m 9′ 30”
Red line train frequencies (weekends and holidays)
Hours Waiting time
06:30 a.m – 12:00 p.m 8′ 10”
12:00 p.m – 08:15 p.m 7′ 00”
08:15 p.m – 10:15 p.m 8′ 00”
10:15 p.m – 01:05 a.m 9′ 30”

Pros and cons of taking the Metro from Lisbon Airport

As with any type of transportation there are benefits and drawbacks with taking the Metro from the airport into Lisbon, and it’s useful to learn about these when planning your trip.

Advantages of using the subway include that it is a relatively speedy way to get downtown, particularly compared to getting on a public bus because that can include some long waiting times while all of the passengers board and stow their luggage. By contrast, Metro services leaving the airport are much larger than the buses and they also depart more frequently.

Buying a one-way Metro ticket will also be significantly more affordable than renting a car for getting into Lisbon, as you’d not only pay for the make and model of the vehicle that you pick, along with the number of days that you’re renting it, and you’ll pay to refuel the car.

Disadvantages of taking the Metro from the airport into the city include that it can be very crowded during peak travel times, which means space for your suitcases could be limited, and there might not be very many seats available. If you are traveling with a very large group that also has a lot of baggage, you might want to think about other methods of transportation.

Another negative factor is that Oriente station may be very far from your hotel, requiring a further trip even after exiting the Metro. For example, if your final destination is located a long distance from the downtown train station, you would then need to spend additional time and money on a train, taxi, bus or other way to get from Oriente station to your accommodation.

Finding the airport Metro station and buying your ticket

After your flight has arrived at Lisbon Airport and you have gone through the necessary steps of clearing passport control and collecting your luggage, next you will have to find the Metro station. There are signs throughout the airport or you can ask a staff member to give you directions if you are finding it difficult to locate the station within the airport complex.

The Metro station is located to the right of Terminal 1’s arrivals section. If your flight has landed at Terminal 2 then there is a complementary shuttle bus to take you to Terminal 1.

Lisbon Airport is directly connected to Oriente station on the Metro’s Red Line, and the central train station is the third Red Line stop once you depart the airport.

You should purchase your ticket before boarding your Metro to get into the city, and you can do this either by approaching one of the ticket counters within the station or by using on the ticket vending machines. Alternatively, you can buy your ticket from a validator on board the Metro.

Never try to avoid having to purchase a ticket for the subway because there are staff on the routes and at the stations that will check whether or not you have a ticket for your trip, and if you are caught with deliberately not having bought a ticket then you might be subject to a fine.

Pricing, times and other key facts about the Metro

Metro operates at the station from 6.30am daily through to 1am the next morning, so if your flight will be arriving outside of these hours, you’ll need to use another transportation option for making the journey between the airport and wherever you are heading in Lisbon.

If you are traveling during the Metro’s opening hours, you won’t have long to wait because services typically depart between every 6 to 9 minutes from the airport station.

It’s also a very quick travel time of roughly 6 minutes to get to Oriente station, which is comparable to how long the journey could take with either getting a taxi or renting a car.

When you are ready to board your Metro, you will first have to buy a Viva Viagem card, which is a travel card that you can keep adding money to for making trips on trains and buses during your time in Lisbon. The upfront cost of purchasing one of these cards if €0.50.

After you have bought your Viva Viagem card, you will need to add €1.65 to the card in order to cover the cost of your one-way trip from Lisbon Airport to Oriente station. Once you have added this far to your card it will be valid for up to 1 hour from the time of purchase. Or you could pay €6.30 and this would give you unlimited trips to and from the airport for 24 hours.

If your travel group includes any children that are 4 years old or younger, they will travel for free on the Metro system, which can be another good way to reduce your costs.

Lisbon Airport To Oriente Train Station FAQs

The airport is about 1.9 miles (or roughly 3 kilometers) away from Oriente Train Station, also known as Gare do Oriento, which is Lisbon’s busy central train station.

Metro departs from the airport station on the Metro rail system’s Red Line every 6 to 9 minutes, which means you won’t have long to wait before being able to board a service.

You can expect that the average travel time for the short trip between the locations will be about 6 minutes, which is similar to how long it would take in a rental car or a taxi.

You will need to first buy a Viva Viagem reloadable card that costs €0.50, and then for any rides you’d like to make, you simply add the value of those trips to the card. The cost of a one-way ticket to get from the airport station to Oriente station will be €1.65.

There are ticket kiosks as well as ticket vending machines located within the airport Metro station, or you can pay for your journey using a validator on board the subway.

If you have any children that are 4 years old or younger, they can ride for free. But children that are aged 5 or older will have to pay the standard €1.65 one-way fare for the trip.

No, the airport Metro station is only open between 6.30am and 1am the next morning, so if you have a flight that arrives outside of these hours you will not be able to use the subway.

Space for bags on the Metro services departing the airport station is somewhat limited, and you’ll be sharing the carriage with many other travelers who will also have baggage. If you are flying with many pieces of luggage then you may want to rent a car or extra-large taxi instead.