Lisbon Airline Crew Layover Guide
Reviewed by Captain AL
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The LIS crew card
| Fastest into town | Metro red line from Aeroporto station, inside the Lisbon Airport building in the arrivals area; the station runs 06h30 to 01h and shares the stop with bus lines 705, 722, 744, and 783 |
|---|---|
| Night option | Carris bus 208 is the night network link, running between Cais do Sodré and Estação Oriente by way of the airport. Its official timetable, in force from 1 June 2026, reads the same every day: first and last departures are 00h30 and 05h35 from Cais do Sodré, and 23h30 and 04h30 from Estação Oriente |
| Payments | Carris/Metro single ticket EUR 1.90, good for one journey across the whole Carris and Metro network for 1 hour after first validation; zapping pay as you go costs EUR 1.72 per metro journey and a contactless bank card costs EUR 1.92 per metro journey; validate the same card at the entrance and the exit gates |
| Tap water | Safe to drink |
| Emergency | 112 (Calls to 112, 116 000, and 116 111 are free; SNS 24 is charged at the landline rate) · non-emergency 21 811 10 00 |
| Solo & at night | Taxis are metered under the national price convention: the night tariff applies from 21:00 to 06:00 on weekdays, and for the full 24 hours on Saturdays, on Sundays, and on national holidays. An invoice or receipt for the total charged is mandatory, and it must carry the owner’s name and address, the tax number, and the vehicle registration; the time, the origin, and the destination have to be shown whenever the passenger asks for them |
| Crew knows | Aeroporto is the end of the red line, so 01:00 here is not a vague closing time. The official rule is that 01:00 is the departure of the last train from each line terminal, and at the airport you are standing on that terminal. Coming back out is the softer leg: the last train from the far end of the red line also leaves at 01:00 and only reaches the airport later, and no official timetable publishes that journey time. After that the link is night bus 208, whose published times, 00h30 to 05h35 at Cais do Sodré and 23h30 to 04h30 at Estação Oriente, are departures from those two terminals and not from the airport stop. |
| Crew deals | Verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff: on this page, right below this guide. |
airlinecrewdiscount.net · LIS crew card · Checked Aug 2026 · Next check Nov 2026 · Screenshot this card for offline
Every number on this page comes from an official source. Where no official source gives a number, we say so instead of guessing.
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Getting from Lisbon Airport to the City Centre by metro red line, Carris bus 744, night bus 208, or a metered taxi
Aeroporto station sits inside the terminal building, so nobody is dragging a crew bag onto a transfer bus first. Metro is the default here. Carris buses take the same door for a cheaper ride on the street and cover the hours when the metro is shut, while a taxi runs on a meter that is fixed nationally rather than by the driver.
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| Mode | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro (red line) | red line trains every 6 min 00 s to 9 min 45 s on weekdays and every 7 min 00 s to 9 min 45 s at weekends, depending on the time band | Carris/Metro single ticket EUR 1.90 valid 1 hour across the whole Carris and Metro network, EUR 1.72 per metro journey with zapping pay as you go, or EUR 1.92 per metro journey with a contactless bank card; 24 hour Carris/Metro ticket EUR 7.25 | Trains run every day, weekends included, from 06:30 to 01:00, and that 01:00 is the departure time of the last train from each line terminal rather than a vague closing hour. Aeroporto is the red line terminal, sitting in the arrivals area of the airport building. Red line order from the airport: Aeroporto, Encarnação, Moscavide, Oriente, Cabo Ruivo, Olivais, Chelas, Bela Vista, Olaias, Alameda, Saldanha, S. Sebastião. Change there for the green line at Alameda, the yellow line at Saldanha, the blue line at S. Sebastião, and mainline rail at Oriente. Buy from the vending machines, because the staffed ticket desk at Aeroporto is listed as temporarily closed. Validate at the entrance gate and again at the exit gate, which is mandatory, and use the wide access gates, the ones reserved for passengers carrying large objects. |
| Carris bus 744 | official Carris timetable in force from 1 June 2026; on the Dias Úteis – Agosto (August weekday) timetable the first departure from Restauradores is 06h25 and the last is 21h40 | Carris/Metro single ticket EUR 1.90, or EUR 2.30 for a bus ticket bought on board | Route 744 runs between Restauradores and Moscavide, stopping at Aeroporto and at Av. Berlim (Aeroporto). On the way it serves Avenida da Liberdade, Marquês de Pombal, Saldanha, Entrecampos, and Estação Oriente, which makes it a one-seat ride between the airport and the downtown end of the boulevard. That 06h25 to 21h40 window belongs to the Restauradores to Moscavide direction, the run toward the airport; we could not read the window for the opposite direction with certainty, so we do not give one. Check which timetable you are reading before you travel, since the route PDF carries separate ones for winter, school holidays, summer, August, Saturdays, plus Sundays and holidays. Carris does not publish a maximum baggage size for its buses. |
| Carris night bus 208 | official Carris timetable in force from 1 June 2026, the same every day: departures from Cais do Sodré at 00h30, 01h00, 01h30, 02h00, 02h30, 03h30, 04h30, 05h00, and 05h35, and departures from Estação Oriente at 23h30, 00h00, 00h30, 01h00, 01h30, 02h30, 03h30, 04h00, and 04h30 | Carris/Metro single ticket EUR 1.90, or EUR 2.30 for a bus ticket bought on board | Route 208 belongs to the Rede da Madrugada night network. It runs between Cais do Sodré and Estação Oriente with stops at Praça do Aeroporto, at Aeroporto, and at Av. Berlim (Aeroporto), and it also serves Praça do Comércio, Praça da Figueira, Martim Moniz, and Alameda, which is the downtown stretch you want in the hours the metro is shut. From the airport into town, take the Estação Oriente to Cais do Sodré direction. One catch: the times listed here are departures from the two terminals, not from the airport stop. |
| Taxi | metered on the national urban tariff: daytime start EUR 3.25 plus EUR 0.53 per km and EUR 16.50 per hour of waiting; night, weekend, and holiday start EUR 3.90 plus EUR 0.64 per km and EUR 19.80 per hour of waiting | The meter is not the driver’s to set. Prices come from the taxi price convention signed by the Directorate-General for Economic Activities with ANTRAL and FPT on 27 November 2023, tariff in force from 1 January 2024. Daytime means weekdays, 06:00 to 21:00. The night tariff takes over from 21:00 to 06:00 the next day, and it applies for the full 24 hours on Saturdays, on Sundays, and on national holidays. Bags heavy or bulky enough to need the boot or the roof rack add a supplement of EUR 1.60, while volumes no larger than 55x35x20 cm are exempt. Pets are another EUR 1.60, and a phone or radio booking carries EUR 0.80. An invoice or receipt for the total charged is mandatory, and it has to carry the owner’s name and address, the tax number, and the vehicle registration; the time, the origin, and the destination have to be shown whenever the passenger asks for them. | |
| Ride-hailing (TVDE) | Ride-hailing is legal and licensed in Portugal. The Institute for Mobility and Transport lists Bolt Support Services PT under electronic platform licence 19/2018 of 27 December 2018, and Uber BV Representação Permanente em Portugal under licence 42/2019 of 25 January 2019. Platforms set their own TVDE fares, outside the national taxi price convention, so there is no official price to quote here. The pickup point is the gap: no official source confirms it, so read the signage on arrival. |
Best Areas for Crew Stays in Lisbon, from Baixa and Avenida da Liberdade out to Parque das Nações on the airport side of town
Baixa and Restauradores: Flat downtown grid of squares and pedestrian streets. On a short window it is the easiest part of the city to keep your bearings in.
Avenida da Liberdade and Marquês de Pombal: Wide tree-lined boulevard between downtown and the business district, with calm pavements and a straight run back toward the airport side of town.
Parque das Nações: Modern riverside quarter around Oriente. Level walking, open promenades, and the closest real neighborhood to the airport.
Alfama and Graça: Old hillside lanes and viewpoints east of downtown. Beautiful and steep, and much kinder in soft shoes than in uniform ones.
Belém: Riverside monument quarter west of the centre. A longer run out, but this is the classic half day when the layover is generous.
What to Do on a Layover in Lisbon: is five hours enough to leave Humberto Delgado Airport?
Under 5 hours: Stay at the airport. The metro station is inside the arrivals building, so town looks close from where you are standing, and that is the trap: the round trip plus the return through security eats the buffer you wanted on the back end.
5 to 9 hours: One area, not three. Parque das Nações sits a few stops down the red line, downtown is one interchange away, and whichever you pick, the return leg gets planned before you leave the station.
9 hours plus: A full Lisbon day works: downtown, the hill quarters, and the river. Just watch the clock at the far end. The metro stops at 01:00, and after that the 208 night bus is your link back to the airport.
Crew Tips for Lisbon and Humberto Delgado Airport: the fare that costs more on board, the touch in and touch out rule, and where a bag waits for up to 24 hours
Public transport payments: Buy a navegante occasional card for EUR 0.50 at the machines and load it before you do anything else. A Carris/Metro single is EUR 1.90 and covers one journey across the whole Carris and Metro network for 1 hour after the first validation, though it is not valid for consecutive metro rides. Zapping pay as you go is EUR 1.72 per metro journey, a contactless bank card is EUR 1.92 per metro journey, and the 24 hour Carris/Metro ticket is EUR 7.25. Same card at the entrance and at the exit gate, every time.
Buying on board costs more: Board without a ticket and Carris charges you a separate, higher fare: EUR 2.30 for one bus journey and EUR 3.30 for one tram journey, against EUR 1.90 for a Carris/Metro ticket bought before you board. The lifts are EUR 4.30 for up to two journeys, and Santa Justa is EUR 6.20 for up to two journeys plus viewpoint access. Load the card at the airport machines before you get on anything.
Validation and big bags: On the metro you validate twice, at the entrance gate and again at the exit gate. Mandatory, not a formality, and the ticket has to stay readable until you are out. The wide access gates are reserved for passengers with strollers or large objects, which is exactly the gate you want with a crew bag behind you. Items that affect safety or comfort by nature, volume, shape, or smell may not be carried.
Connectivity: An EU or EEA mobile plan roams in Portugal at domestic rates under the roam like at home rules, so your calls, your texts, and your data are charged at the home price. The same regime covers Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova, and Ukraine. Operators may still apply a fair use policy. Outside those countries the rule does not apply at all, so a non-EU plan needs its own roaming check or a local SIM.
Luggage storage: Comboios de Portugal runs automated left-luggage lockers at Cais do Sodré, Lisboa Oriente, Rossio, Sete Rios, and Cascais. A bag can sit there for a maximum of 24 hours, and locker access follows the opening and closing hours of the station. Lisboa Oriente is the one on the red line, so it is the closest of them to the airport. CP publishes no prices.
Emergency and health numbers: 112 is the European emergency number, free from any phone and reachable from anywhere in the country at any hour. It is wider than health: a fire, an assault, and a robbery go to the same number. The PSP and the GNR answer at the emergency centres, and health calls are routed on to the INEM patient guidance centres. For advice short of an emergency, the SNS 24 health line on 808 24 24 24 gives clinical triage 24 hours a day at the cost of a landline call.
Emergency Numbers for Lisbon and Portugal, starting with 112 free from any phone
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| Emergency (single European emergency number: medical, fire, police) | 112 |
| SNS 24 health line (triage and advice, clinical contact 24 hours) | 808 24 24 24 |
| Polícia de Segurança Pública, national contact (non-emergency) | 21 811 10 00 |
| Missing children line | 116 000 |
| Child support line | 116 111 |
| Portugal country code (calling from abroad) | +351 |
Save these before you fly; numbers work from any phone.
How do I get from Lisbon Airport to the city centre?
Four practical options. Metro red line first: it leaves from Aeroporto station inside the airport arrivals building, runs 06:30 to 01:00 every day, and costs EUR 1.90 on a Carris/Metro single. Carris bus 744 links the airport stop with Restauradores in downtown Lisbon, and on the August weekday timetable the run toward the airport leaves Restauradores between 06h25 and 21h40. For the closed hours, Carris night bus 208 covers the run between Cais do Sodré and Estação Oriente. A taxi runs on the national meter, which starts at EUR 3.25 plus EUR 0.53 per kilometre in the daytime.
How much is the metro from Lisbon Airport?
A Carris/Metro single ticket is EUR 1.90, good for one journey across the whole Carris and Metro network for 1 hour after the first validation. Tap with zapping pay as you go and it is EUR 1.72 per metro journey; tap a contactless bank card and it is EUR 1.92 per metro journey. The reusable navegante occasional card itself costs EUR 0.50, and a 24 hour Carris/Metro ticket is EUR 7.25.
What time does the Lisbon metro stop running?
Every day, weekends included, the metro runs from 06:30 to 01:00, and 01:00 is the departure time of the last train from each line terminal. Aeroporto station keeps that same 06h30 to 01h window. After that, Carris night bus 208 runs through the airport daily, leaving Cais do Sodré between 00h30 and 05h35 and Estação Oriente between 23h30 and 04h30.
How much is a taxi from Lisbon Airport?
Taxis are metered on the national urban tariff rather than a fixed airport price. The daytime meter starts at EUR 3.25 plus EUR 0.53 per kilometre and EUR 16.50 per hour of waiting. At night, at weekends, and on holidays it starts at EUR 3.90 plus EUR 0.64 per kilometre and EUR 19.80 per hour of waiting. Bags that need the boot or the roof rack add EUR 1.60. A receipt for the total is mandatory, and the time, the origin, and the destination have to be shown on it whenever you ask for them.
Can you drink tap water in Lisbon?
Yes. EPAL, the supplier, states that it runs about 300,000 water quality analyses a year, with more than 99 percent compliance with national and European legal requirements, and that the water is fit for consumption. One caveat comes from EPAL itself: a building’s own old plumbing can still affect what reaches the tap.
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Crew Discounts in Lisbon: verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff sit right below this guide. Bookmark this page before you walk down to Aeroporto station in the arrivals area. Next Lisbon rotation you start on the rates instead of in a search box.
