Getting There By Air:Aeroporto de Lisboa (LIS) Tel: (21) 841 3500.
Website:
www.ana.ptLisbon airport, which celebrated its 60th birthday in 2003, has undergone a massive renovation over the last decade and there are now two terminals. It is located 7km (4 miles) north of the city.
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 and a bank. Car hire is available from
Avis,
Eurodollar,
Europcar and
Hertz. There are CIP (Commercially Important Persons) lounges available to first and business class travelers on several airlines. Facilities include fax, telephones and Internet.
Transport to the city: The
Carris AeroBus (tel: (21) 361 3000; website:
www.carris.pt) services the city center and the Cais do Sodré rail station. A one-day ticket includes further transport for that day on all trams, buses and metros. The AeroBus is free for
TAP passengers, on presentation of used boarding passes when arriving and flight tickets when traveling to the airport.
Carris’ local buses 5, 8, 22, 44, and 83 also service the airport, while bus 45 also covers the route. Taxis are available 24 hours a day. The airport tourist information office also sells set fare vouchers for taxi rides to all areas of the city.
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.
Getting There By Road:Traffic drives on the right in Portugal and international traffic signs are used. The minimum age for driving is 18 years. Speed limits are 120kph (74mph) on motorways, 90kph (56mph) outside built-up areas and 50kph (30mph) in towns. Tolls are charged on most motorways. Motorways are indicated by the prefix ‘A’, minor roads by the prefix ‘N’ and European routes by the letter ‘E’. Both International Driving Permits and national driving licenses are accepted. A Green Card and third-party insurance are compulsory, as is a warning triangle. Seat belts must be worn and children should travel in the rear seat. The legal maximum alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.05%.
The national motoring association is
Automóvel Club de Portugal (
ACP), Rua Rosa Araújo 24 (tel: (21) 318 0202; website:
www.acp.pt), which can offer assistance to motorists belonging to an automobile club with whom the
ACP has a reciprocal agreement.
Emergency breakdown service: ACP (tel: 707 509 510).
Routes to the city: The A1,
Auto-
estrada do Norte, extends from Porto to Lisbon and the A8 arrives from destinations to the north and west of the city. The A9 bypasses Lisbon, connecting the A1 and A8, as well as the A5, which links Lisbon with Cascais and the beaches. The A2,
Auto-
estrada do Sul, arrives from Faro and the Algarve via Almada and the Ponte 25 de Abril. The A2 also links to the A6, which continues on for connections to Madrid. The A12 crosses the Ponte Vasco da Gama, offering a less congested route into the city.
Approximate driving times to Lisbon: From Porto - 3 hours; Faro and the Algarve - 4 hours (longer on summer weekends); and Madrid - 9 hours.
Coach services: The main bus terminal is Rodoviàrio de Lisbon, Praça Marechal Humberto Delgado, Rua das Laranjeiras.
Eva (tel: (21) 358 1466; website:
www.eva-bus.com) and
Rede Nacional de Expressos (tel: 707 223 344; website:
www.rede-expressos.pt) provide coach services from hundreds of Portuguese destinations and work with other operators, such as
Eurolines (tel: (21) 895 7398; website:
www.eurolinesportugal.com), on pan-European routes, though some of these operate from Gare do Oriente.
Getting There By Rail:Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses -
CP (tel: 808 208 208; website:
www.cp.pt) is the Portuguese national rail service provider. Over the last decade,
CP’s reputation has improved, with more efficient services and a modernization program, which has especially benefited the Porto-Lisbon-Faro service with the introduction of high-speed trains along the route. Travelers should contact
CP direct for all national rail enquiries.
Lisbon is served by five major railway stations, as well as a number of suburban stations. Santa Apolónia, Avenida Infante D Henrique, serves an ever-decreasing number of routes. The gleaming modern Oriente station, at the Parque das Nações, on the city’s eastern approach, has become an increasingly important long-distance train station since it was opened for Expo 98. Rossio
(currently in the process of being revamped), between Praça dos Restauradores and Rossio, serves Sintra, while Cais do Sodré, near the Praça Duque da Terceira, serves Cascais and Estoril. The Barreiro station, on the south bank of the River Tagus, serves the south, though in recent years direct high-speed trains to Faro have made this longer journey less appealing.
Rail services: Intercity trains connect all of Portugal’s major cities to either Lisbon or Porto. Comfortable high-speed
Alfa services connect Lisbon with both Porto and Faro. There are also overnight trains to and from Madrid and Paris.
Getting Around:
Public TransportLisbon’s continually expanding
metro system, the
Metropolitano de Lisboa (tel: (21) 798 0600; website:
www.metrolisboa.pt), is an efficient way to get around the city. It also features works by prominent artists. There are four lines (A-D or Blue, Yellow, Green and Red) and trains run every three to 10 minutes daily.
Single tickets and carnets are available from station ticket office and self-service machines. Passes can be purchased from the special offices at certain stations including Cais do Sodré, Campo Grande, Marquês de Pombal, Oriente and Restauradores.
Complementing Lisbon’s metro is the city’s network of
buses,
trams and
elevadors (funiculars/street lifts), which are run by the
Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa (tel: (21) 361 3000; website:
www.carris.pt). Most bus and tram services operate daily. There are also eight
night bus routes, which converge at the Cais do Sodré. Tickets for buses and funiculars are available on board or at kiosks.
Passes valid for bus, tram and metro services are available for one day, three days, four days and seven days. These are all available for purchase at
Carris kiosks. The
Lisboa Card (see
Sightseeing) tourist pass offers unlimited travel on public transport.
For travel by water, most cross-Tagus ferries are operated by
Transtejo (tel: 808 203 050, in Portugal only; website:
www.transtejo.pt) and arrive at Belém, Cais do Sodré and Terreiro do Paço.
CP (Portuguese Railways) runs the ferry link from Barreiro (where the
CP trains terminate) to Praça do Comércio - the fare is included in the ticket price for rail travelers. You can buy tickets at the ferry pier.
TaxisTaxis are beige (the older ones are black with a green roof) and have small green lights on top, indicating availability. Taxis can easily be hailed on the street, at ranks or by telephone from
Rádio Táxis (tel: (21) 811 9000) and
Teletáxis (tel: (21) 811 1100). Lisbon’s once notorious taxi drivers have been reined in over the last few years, although caution should still be exercised with regards to overcharging.
Taxis are metered. A supplement is payable for luggage carried in the boot or on the roof. A tip of 10% is expected and appreciated.
Driving in the CityDriving in Lisbon can be more than a little nerve-wracking - not only do cars speed around but road signs are also often inadequate. The A9 outer ring road, known as the
CREL (
Cintura Regional Exterior de Lisboa), and the inner ring road,
CRIL (
Cintura Regional Interior de Lisboa), move traffic efficiently around the city, except during the extended nightmare of rush hour weekdays from 1700-1900. Despite the arrival of the Vasco Da Gama bridge across the River Tagus, the Ponte 25 de Abril can still take an hour to cross during rush hour and summer weekends. Over the last few years, increasing pedestrianization and traffic calming measures in the city center have added to the trauma of driving in Lisbon.
Pay-and-display parking is in effect Monday to Friday 0800-2000 in many areas of central Lisbon with a four-hour maximum stay. Parking is also available at the larger shopping centers. A network of underground car parks is currently being built - these are indicated by large blue ‘P’ signs and are far more expensive than metered street parking, although convenient, seeing as all-day and 24-hour parking is available.
Car HireDrivers must be at least 21 years old to hire a car and a valid national driving license is required. Insurance is mandatory in Portugal and lack thereof can lead to a heavy fine. Third party liability is often included in the hire price, although visitors should always check this and ask for an International Insurance Certificate. Accident rates are high in Portugal, so extra insurance is recommended.
Car hire companies include
Avis (tel: (21) 843 5550; website:
www.avis.com) and
Europcar (tel: (21) 353 5115; website:
www.europcar.pt). Both have branches at the airport and downtown.
Bicycle HireBicycles are available for hire at
Bike Iberia (tel: (21) 347 0347; website:
www.bikeiberia.com), which also does guided bike tours of Lisbon and longer tours around the country.
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