Porto Airport to the City Centre: Metro, Uber, Taxi or Transfer

Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro airport is about 15km north of the city, and getting into town is refreshingly simple. The metro runs straight from the terminal to the centre, and Uber, Bolt and taxis are all easy to find. Here’s how each option works, what it costs and which one suits you.

Quick answer: the metro (violet line E) takes about 30 minutes and costs under €3. With lots of luggage, kids or an early or late flight, take an Uber/Bolt or taxi (roughly €20–30).

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Your options at a glance

Option	Rough cost	Time to centre	Best for
Metro (line E, violet)	€0.60 card + €2.30 Z4 ticket, or €2.30 by contactless bank card	About 30 min	Most travellers
City bus (STCP)	About €2.50 on board	45–60 min	Night arrivals, tight budgets
Uber / Bolt	About €15–25	20–30 min	Couples, groups, luggage
Taxi	About €20–30	20–30 min	No app needed
Private transfer	From about €30	20–30 min	Families, late arrivals, Douro trips

Prices checked October 2026. Fares change, so treat these as a guide.

1. The metro

The Aeroporto metro station is a short walk from arrivals. Follow the “M” signs. Line E (violet) runs into the city from roughly 6am to 1am: on the timetable from September 2026, the first train leaves the airport just after 6am and the last at about 12.40am. Trains usually come every 15 minutes or so in the daytime and every 20–30 minutes early in the morning and late at night. The airport is the end of the line, so you’ll normally get a seat.

• Buy a blue Andante card (€0.60) from the machine and load a Z4 ticket (€2.30). The airport is in zone 4, so a cheaper zone ticket won’t cover it. A Z4 ticket is valid for about 1h15 from when you first tap it.
• Or pay by contactless bank card. Visa and Mastercard contactless works at the airport station and at a few central stations (such as Trindade, Aliados, São Bento and Campanhã). Each trip costs €2.30, with a daily cap of €7.75 (the price of a 24-hour Andante Tour ticket). Tap the reader with your bank card before you board.
• Tap (validate) your card on the yellow reader before getting on, every single time, including when you change lines. Inspectors do check, and fines are steep.
• Get off at Trindade for the centre (Aliados, Bolhão) or change there for other lines. For the Ribeira riverside, go to São Bento (change at Trindade for the yellow line D).
• One card per person. Keep your Andante card. You can top it up for the rest of your stay.

Like Lisbon, Porto is very hilly. If your accommodation is down in the Ribeira, the walk from the station can be steep, and the Guindais funicular has been suspended since July 2026, so don’t count on it. For the rest of your stay, see our Porto public transport guide.

2. City buses

STCP buses 601 and 602 run from the airport to Cordoaria, near the Clérigos Tower, in about 45–60 minutes. STCP says each runs roughly every 25 minutes from about 5:30am to midnight, and a single bought from the driver costs about €2.50. They’re slower than the metro and have little room for big cases. The real use is the night bus 3M, which runs roughly hourly to Avenida dos Aliados when the metro is closed, from around 12:30am to 5am. Check current times on the STCP website before you rely on it.

3. Uber and Bolt

Both apps work well at Porto airport and are usually the simplest option with bags. Follow the signs for the ride-hailing (TVDE) pick-up area, outside the arrivals level. Expect around €15–25 to the centre, more at busy times. Since September 2026 there’s no legal cap on busy-time pricing, so on a Friday night or after a big event the price can jump. Have both apps and compare. See Uber vs Bolt vs taxi.

4. Taxis

The official taxi rank is outside arrivals. Taxis are metered and cost roughly €20–30 to the centre, a bit more at night, at weekends and on holidays. Under the new national taxi tariff, in force from 23 October 2026, there’s no extra charge for luggage. Ask before you set off if you want to pay by card, and never accept a ride from someone approaching you inside the terminal.

5. Private transfer

A pre-booked driver is ideal with kids, if you’re landing late, or if you’re heading straight out to the Douro Valley or further north. You get a fixed price, a driver waiting at arrivals and, if you ask, child seats. Several drivers on our local guides page are based in Porto and do airport transfers as well as Douro and Braga day trips.

Our pick: Welcome Pickups has fixed prices you pay in advance, an English-speaking driver waiting at arrivals with a name sign, flight tracking for delays, and free child seats on request.

Driving from the airport

All the main rental companies have desks at the airport. Driving into central Porto isn’t much fun: streets are steep and narrow, and parking is scarce and expensive. Note that the lower deck of the Dom Luís I bridge has been closed to private cars since 2023. If you’re spending a few days in the city first, pick the car up later.

Which one should you pick?

• Solo or couple, light luggage: metro, the easiest and cheapest.
• Group of three or four: Uber/Bolt often costs about the same as four metro fares, door to door.
• Family with small children: pre-booked transfer with car seats.
• Landing after midnight: taxi, app or transfer. The 3M night bus is the budget fallback.
• Going straight to the Douro: transfer, or a hire car from the airport. See our car rental guide and Douro wine tours.

Going back to the airport

Allow about 45 minutes door to door by metro from the centre, plus time at the airport. Line E trains for the airport leave from the shared tunnel through Trindade, so check the destination on the front says Aeroporto, as other lines use the same platforms. For early flights before the metro starts, book an app ride or a taxi the night before.

FAQ

How much is the metro from Porto airport to the city centre?

A Z4 ticket costs €2.30, plus €0.60 for a blue Andante card the first time. Or tap a contactless bank card at the airport station for €2.30 a trip, capped at €7.75 a day.

What time does the metro from Porto airport start and finish?

The first train usually leaves the airport just after 6am and the last at about 12.40am. After that, the 3M night bus runs to Avenida dos Aliados about once an hour.

How much is a taxi from Porto airport to the centre?

Usually about €20 to €30 on the meter, a bit more at night, at weekends and on holidays. There’s no luggage supplement under the new tariffs.

Where do you get an Uber or Bolt at Porto airport?

At the ride-hailing (TVDE) pick-up area outside the arrivals level. Follow the signs, and check the number plate and driver match the app before you get in.

Before you land

• Get mobile data sorted first. See our eSIM guide.
• Questions about Porto? Ask the 12,000 members of our Porto Travel Tips group.
• Our free Portugal trip checklist covers everything else.

Flight delayed or cancelled? Under EU rules (EC 261) you may be owed up to €600 per person if your flight to or from Portugal arrived three or more hours late or was cancelled at short notice, unless the cause was outside the airline’s control, such as bad weather. You can claim from the airline yourself for free, or let AirHelp handle it; it only takes a fee if your claim succeeds.

See also: flight delays and compensation, Porto to the Algarve, luggage storage in Lisbon and Porto, parking in Porto and Lisbon to Porto by bus.

Top photo: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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