Porto Airport has very straightforward connections to the city centre. For most travellers, the best option is the Metro E line, which runs directly from the airport to Trindade, Casa da Música or the Campanhã coach station.

Buses are more suitable if you’re staying right by the Cordoaria stop, or for late-night departures and arrivals. If there are two or more of you travelling with larger bags, it often makes sense to use Bolt or Uber.

You can find detailed information on getting around the city in the Porto guide.

	Price	Journey time	Frequency
Tram E	2,30 eur	33 minutes	17 minutes
Bus 601	2,30 eur	37 minutes	35 minutes
Bus 602	2,30 eur	50 minutes	40 minutes
Bolt	15 eur	35 minutes	any time

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Metro E

There is a direct Metro E line from the airport to the city centre, marked in purple on maps. In reality, it is more of a light rail tram, but in Porto the entire system is referred to as the metro.

The metro is the best option if you’re staying near the following stations:

• Trindade – the best interchange point and a convenient area for accommodation,
• Casa da Música – the Boavista district,
• Bolhão / Aliados / São Bento – the historic centre, usually with one change.

The journey from the airport to the city centre takes around 30 to 35 minutes. The metro runs approximately every 15–30 minutes, depending on the time of day.

• First metro from Trindade station to the airport: 5.58
• Last metro from the airport: 00:42
• Hotel tip for Trindade: YOTEL Porto ****

Don’t rely on the metro for a very early departure around 6:00. The first service from the city centre doesn’t arrive at the airport until after 6:00, so it’s better to take the 3M night bus, Bolt or a taxi.

You can find metro timetables and maps on the official Metro do Porto website.

How to pay for the metro from the airport

From the airport to the city centre, you’ll need fare zone Z4. A single journey costs 2,30 eur and is valid for 75 minutes.

During this time, you can change lines, but you must always validate your ticket again when changing lines or modes of transport.

You have 3 practical options:

1. Your own bank card

The simplest option for travelling from the airport to the city centre.

At selected metro stations, you can tap your own contactless Visa or Mastercard directly against the validator. Cards stored on your mobile phone or smartwatch also work.

For your journey from the airport, it’s important to note that contactless validators are available on Line E at the following stations, amongst others:

• Aeroporto
• Senhora da Hora
• Casa da Música
• Trindade

The fare is the same as for a standard Z4 ticket: 2,30 eur.

If you use the contactless system multiple times in a single day, you will be charged a maximum of 7,75 eur per day. This corresponds to the price of an Andante Tour 1 day ticket.

Please note: paying with your own card is not available across the entire network. Think of it primarily as a convenient option for the metro from the airport and selected main stations in the city.

2. The Andante Azul card

A standard paper Andante Azul card costs 0,60 eur and can be purchased from a ticket machine at a metro station.

You top up the card with a ticket based on the number of zones. For a journey from the airport to the city centre, select Z4 for 2,30 eur.

On your first journey, you’ll pay:

• 0,60 eur for the Andante card
• 2,30 eur for the Z4 ticket
• total 2,90 eur

Do not throw the card away. It can be topped up again with further tickets.

The Andante card cannot be shared between passengers – everyone must have their own.

You can load multiple tickets of the same type onto a single card, for example several Z4 tickets, but you cannot load tickets of different types onto the same card (for example, one 75-minute ticket and one 24-hour ticket).

3. All-day tickets

There are two main types of all-day tickets in Porto.

Andante Tour 1

• Price 7,75 eur
• Valid for 24 hours from first validation
• Valid across the entire Andante network
• not valid on STCP heritage trams or the Funicular dos Guindais
• The card cannot be topped up
• No ‘ 0,60 eur ’ fee applies to the Andante Azul

This ticket is worth buying if you plan to travel around the city several times straight after arriving. The downside is where to buy it: at the airport, it’s sold at the tourist information desk in the arrivals hall, where Andante sales stop at around 6.30 pm.

However, you can also buy the ticket in the city.

Andante Tour 3

• Price 16,55 eur
• Valid for 72 hours from first validation
• works in the same way as the Andante Tour 1
• suitable for a shorter stay if you’ll be using public transport every day

Andante 24

You can also buy Andante 24 from a ticket machine at a metro station, 24/7. It is loaded onto a standard Andante Azul card.

For the airport and wider travel around the city, choose the Andante 24 Z4 for 8,55 eur.

If you already have an Andante card, you only pay the fare. If you’re buying one for the first time, add 0,60 eur the cost of the card.

For the centre of Porto itself, the cheaper zones are often sufficient, but for journeys to or from the airport you’ll always need the Z4 zone.

What’s worth buying?

• If you’re just travelling from the airport to your hotel and will then be walking -> use your own bank card or buy a single Andante Z4 ticket.
• If you arrive in the morning or early afternoon and plan to travel around the city that same day -> the Andante Tour 1 is worth it at 7,75 eur.
• If you arrive late in the evening and the tourist information desk is already closed -> use your own bank card or buy an Andante Z4 ticket from a ticket machine.
• You’ll be in Porto for 3 days and want to use the metro, buses and suburban trains frequently within the Andante network -> go forthe Andante Tour 3 at 16,55 eur.

Buses

Buses heading to the city centre also stop at the airport. Both main routes terminate at the Cordoaria stop, right in the historic centre of Porto.

• Route 601– runs to the city centre via the Leça da Palmeira district every 35 minutes
  • Journey time: 36 minutes
  • First service from Cordoaria – 6.00
  • Last service from the airport – 1.10 am
• Route 602– runs directly to the city centre, but with more stops along the way than Route 601; services run every 40 minutes (only every second service goes to the airport) 
  • Journey time: 50 minutes
  • First service from Cordaria – 6.05
  • Last service from the airport – 20:45

The fare for Zone Z4 is the same as for the metro: 2,30 eur. You can also use day tickets or pay with your own contactless card on buses.

Bus route 604 only runs to the northern part of Porto and cannot be used to travel to the city centre.

Information about buses in Porto is available on the official website:stcp.pt/en

Night transport

At night, bus number 3M runs from the city centre (Av. Aliados) every 60 minutes. Departures from the city centre are always on the hour from 1:00 to 5:00; according to the timetable, the journey to the airport takes 28 minutes, and the fare is the same as on daytime bus routes.

Car hire

Porto is a popular destination not only for exploring the city itself, but also for travelling through the famous Douro Valley wine region and across the whole of northern Portugal. For these trips, the most convenient option is to hire a car directly at the airport, where most major international companies as well as smaller local hire firms are based.

You can easily compare all car hire companies, for example, via the website Booking.com, where you can also book a car straight away. Prices range from 30 eur to 50 eur per day.

• Compare prices and book a car

Bolt / Uber / Taxi

Taxis to Porto Airport operate on a meter, and the fare to the city centre is around 25 eur.

The Uber or Bolt apps can be significantly cheaper, taking you to the city centre from as little as 15 eur.

Using the apps is particularly worthwhile if:

• you’re arriving late in the evening
• you’re flying out very early in the morning
• you have large pieces of luggage
• you’re staying outside the metro area
• you’re travelling with two or more people