Why you should visit Lisbon, part 2 – how to get here

Hello again everyone! In this post I’ll explain how you can get to Lisbon and where you should stay to make your life much easier.

Entrance to Lisbon’s airport, terminal 1. It has an access to the red line of the city’s subway network.

Getting to Lisbon is pretty easy providing you’re flying with a company that has a direct flight here. If you live in the American continent, African continent or in Europe you should be able to find a direct flight to Lisbon. Even from the Middle East, Emirates has direct flights that lead you here. Either way, don’t forget that if you arrive in the morning, usually your hotel room won’t be ready until 2 or 3 pm, depending on the establishment, so take that into account when booking your flight. Unless they offer you the option of an earlier check in (you might have to pay extra) or to keep your luggage in the lobby for free. Now Lisbon has only one (!) airport, called Humberto Delgado, and it’s only 20 min by car from the center! It has 2 terminals, where terminal 1 is for regular flights, and terminal 2 for low-cost flights (like Ryanair or Easyjet). They are very close to each other, and the airport provides a free shuttle bus connecting them (it only takes 5 minutes). Make sure you check your terminal before leaving or departing. It is a small airport compared to others in Europe, so the government is making projects to build another one across the river. etting to Lisbon is pretty easy providing you’re flying with a company that has a direct flight here. If you live in the American continent, African continent or in Europe you should be able to find a direct flight to Lisbon. Even from the Middle East, Emirates has direct flights that lead you here.

To get to the center (or any other point in the city), you have several different options:

1. Use a taxi. It shouldn’t cost you more than 20€, unless you’re going somewhere else than Lisbon (ex: Cascais)

2. Use the subway. I recommend this mostly if you’re just staying for a few days and you only have a carry-on. The reason is because just like anywhere else in the world, it can get pretty busy, so it’s not convenient either for you (or for the locals) if you’re carrying loads of luggage. Besides, not all stations have elevators conveniently placed around. A regular ticket costs 1.50€ (plus 0.50 cents for the paper card) and  you can ride the subway ONCE and then a bus without paying extra, providing you do both under 60 minutes. There are other tickets available but I’ll make a full post about it later.

3. Use the Aerobus  . If you click the link, you can search by the name of your hotel so you can check if it’s convenient for you. A return ticket costs 4€/person and you can buy it online, at the airport, or even with the driver. You can carry bigger bags here.

4. Use a regular bus. Carris is the public bus company that covers the city of Lisbon. In the link I provided you can check the bus routes, but I also recommend you cross-reference it with google maps, which works pretty well in Portugal. The price is the same as the subway and works the same way (in this case you can ride the bus once and then the subway once under 60 minutes).

5. Rent a car. There are several companies at the airport where you can rent a car during your stay, but this is something that I personally don’t recommend because driving (and parking) can be complicated – unless you’re actually going to the countryside and you’re staying at a remote area.

6. Hire a private driver! There are several companies on the internet you can contact. Usually the driver will be with a plaque with your name at the arrivals so you can recognize him/her right away, and they’ll help you with your luggage and deliver you to your hotel. This is probably the most expensive option nonetheless.

Arrivals at Lisbon’s airport. If you hired a guide or a driver, they will be here waiting for you with a plaque with your name.

Now that we’ve sorted out your transport, it’s time to decide where to stay. I’d say that if you’re exploring Lisbon (and not just staying a night to go somewhere else in the country) you should stay as close as possible to the center, so that you don’t waste too much time everyday getting from point A to point B. So I’d say anywhere between the Liberty Avenue and Commerce Square (which pretty much is downtown Lisbon) would be your best area. There are several different lodging options, from cheap to extravagant, several eateries, shopping centers, pharmacies, loads of public transports and most of the area is flat and not very wide, so it’s easy to walk around. Besides it’s easy to access all the different attractions the city has from here. Here’s some suggestions:

• Heritage Avenida Liberdade: a 4 star hotel which is truly value for money. They have a good breakfast and a free self service tea bar for visitors. Has a subway station close to it, plus bus stops, a tea shop, one of the best traditional portuguese food restaurants nearby, and one of the famous funiculars of the city.

• Residencial Florescente: a simpler guesthouse with a great location, mostly because it’s on a back street so you don’t get as much noise from the main avenue.

• Altis Avenida Hotel:  a modern 5 star hotel located right in the center. It has a nice rooftop bar which gives you a beautiful view of the Liberty Avenue, where most of the expensive shops are located.

• Lisbon Destination Hostel : if you’re looking for a hostel right in the center this is it. Also convenient if you’re looking to visit Sintra, as the hostel is located inside the train station.

• Brown’s Boutique Hotel : a mid range modern hotel with a cozy atmosphere, in the main shopping streets of downtown Lisbon.

• Pousada de Lisboa : the most extravagant option of all of the hotels I’m suggesting, mostly because it’s a “pousada” (state-inn) – an hotel built in an historical building. Facing the Commerce Square it also has several nice places to eat nearby and plenty of entertainment around.

I tried to be as clear as possible with so much information to provide. I’ll come back soon with more info. Stay tuned!