Car hire in Lisbon Airport cheaper than taking a taxi?

We aim to provide visitors to Lisbon, Portugal with the information they need to choose transport that suits their needs and budget and to provide a cost effective solution.

See also: Compare rates for hire cars in Lisbon Airport

How to travel to Lisbon city centre from Lisbon Airport

In Lisbon Airport, a cheap and quick way to travel to the city centre from the airport is by the Airport shuttle bus at a cost of €3,50 (no extra charge for suitcases).

This fast-route to the city centre leaves 2 or 3 times per hour depending of time of day. Traveling from Lisbon Airport to Lisbon city centre takes approx. 20-25 minutes depending on traffic. The airport bus is referred to in Portuguese as the ‘Aerobus’ at Lisbon Airport.

The Lisbon Airport Aerobus and Aeroshuttle routes include:

• Lisbon Airport to Cais de Sodrè and back – Aerobus route 91
  The aerobus route 91 also stops at Saldanha, Marguês Pombal, Avenida da Liberdade, Rossio and Praca do Comércio (amongst others).
• Lisbon Airport to Oriente and financial district at Av. José Malhoa and back (referred to as the Aeroshuttle) – Aeroshuttle route 96

The airport busses commence around 08.00. The most popular route to Cais do Sodre continue to approx. 23.00 hours for 7 days a week. The ticket to the airport bus is valid for 24 hours.

See more about the schedule for Lisbon Airport Aerobus route 91 and Aeroshuttle route 96.

Bus transport to Lisbon from the airport

If you know the local bus lines well, the fare is even cheaper at some €1,75 to say the Rossio square near the city train station. You will, on occasions, be asked by the bus driver to take the designated Airport Shuttle Bus (please see above) if you bring suitcases, as the regular busses from the airport often are full.

The fares for the regular busses is expected to increase to around €2 in 2012. In general, the local bus lines from Aeroporto de Lisboa take longer to reach the centre than the main airport bus route 91 (Aerobus).

When, in a few years, the Lisbon Metro is extended to the airport, this option of travel will be cheap as well with fares on the same level as the Lisbon bus lines.

Taxi fare to Lisbon from the Airport – beware of high prices

Taking a taxi from Lisbon airport can be a bit of a lottery price-wise.

If you ‘play it safe’ and ask for a voucher at the Lisbon Airport Tourist Information, the price is a steep €23 (price seen November 2011). This fare is fixed and covers all of the Lisbon area. The voucher price, however, is a lot higher than when dealing directly at the taxi ranks, but can be advantageous when going to a hard to find address or slightly remote area of Lisbon.

Standard charge for taxi to Lisbon city centre

Taking a taxi from the stand at the airport to Lisbon city centre without voucher will usually result in a price around €10 plus luggage charge of some 1,60-2 euros, depending of the number of suitcases.

If in Lisbon you acquire a taxi by phone, a charge of €0,80 is added to your bill by the driver.

In weekends and on holidays as well as after 18.00 hours, there is an extra charge of some 20% (Lisbon taxi rate 2) on top of normal rate (Lisbon taxi rate 1).

It is, however, known to happen that taxi drivers overcharge in Lisbon Airport or simply drive a detour for the sake of squeezing more money out of customers. In most cases, this is no more than a few euros and still cheaper than the voucher.

Taking a taxi from Lisbon Airport is no better or worse than most airports in large European cities. It is always a good idea to have an indication from the driver about the total price before setting off; unless of course you choose to purchase a taxi voucher from the Tourist Information in Lisbon Airport.

Car hire cheaper than taxi – if looking at rental price only

In low season, hiring a car in Lisbon Airport can be arranged for as little as €17-20 per day (rates per November 2011).

Check and compare car hire rates in Lisbon Airport

For a one day visit in Lisbon, provided you have access to relatively cheap parking with your accommodation, having your own car in the form of a hire car from Lisbon Airport, can be a better value option, allowing you to make visits outside of Lisbon.

Outside Lisbon road-trip example:
Lisbon trip in a hire car to Malveira da Serra and Guincho.

It has to be said, that the taxi fare back to Lisbon Airport from the city centre often is more reasonable than the other way. Locals are able to obtain prices from Cais de Sodre to Lisbon Airport or the opposite way for as low as €7 to €8 (price per September 2011) excluding the luggage fee and additional weekend/holiday charge.

Compared to the cheapest prices obtainable for Lisbon taxis as well as for hire cars in Lisbon Airport, the voucher system for taxis from Lisbon Airport seems to be expensive.