World City Guide

Getting There By Air

Aeroporto de Lisboa (LIS)
Tel: (21) 841 3700 or 3500. Fax: (21) 841 3675.
Website: www.ana-aeroportos.pt/anaingles/lisboa/homepage.htm

The airport, which celebrated its 60th birthday in 2003, has undergone a massive renovation over the last decade. It is located seven kilometres (four miles) north of the city. Portugal’s busiest airport, Aeroporto de Lisboa, served over nine million passengers in 2001.

Major airlines: The national airline is TAP Air Portugal (tel: (21) 7072 05700; website: www.tap-airportugal.pt ). PGA – Portugália Airlines (tel: (21) 842 5500; website: www.pga.pt ) is also a Portuguese-based airline. Other airlines serving the airport include Air France, British Airways, Iberia, KLM and Lufthansa.

Approximate flight times to Lisbon: From London is 2 hours 15 minutes; from New York is 6 hours 45 minutes; from Los Angeles is 12 hours; from Toronto is 9 hours 30 minutes and from Sydney is 22 hours 30 minutes.

Airport facilities: First aid, bureaux de change, post office, left luggage, a mobile phone shop, restaurant and bar are all open 24-hours. There are also duty-free and other shops, tourist information (open 0800–2400) and a bank. Car hire is available from A Castanheira, Auto Jardim, Avis, Eurodollar, Europcar, Guerin and Hertz.

Business facilities: There are CIP (Commercially Important Persons) lounges available to first and business class travellers on Air France, British Airways, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa, Portugália and Varig. Facilities include fax, telephones and Internet.

Arrival/departure tax: None.

Transport to the city: The Carris AeroBus (tel: (21) 361 3000 or 9662 98558; website: www.carris.pt ) departs every 20 minutes daily 0700-2100, to the city centre (journey time – 20 minutes) and the Cais do Sodré rail station. A one-day ticket costs ¬2.75 and includes further transport for that day on all trams, buses and metros. A three-day ticket costs ¬5.65. The AeroBus is free for TAP passengers, on presentation of used boarding passes when arriving and flight tickets when travelling to the airport. Carris’ local buses 5, 8, 22, 44, and 83 also service the airport daily 0600–2130, while bus 45 runs until 0115 (journey time – 20-30 minutes). A single ticket costs ¬1 and a day ticket costs ¬2.35.

Taxis are available 24-hours a day. The average taxi fare to the city centre is ¬10-17 (journey time – 15-30 minutes). The airport tourist information office also sells set fare vouchers for taxi rides to all areas of the city, which are normally more expensive, except during rush hours.