Last updated: 05/14/2022
Check out in this post all the options, important information and unmissable tips to get from Porto airport to the center of the largest city in northern Portugal! With this information, you will be able to choose the option that best suits your needs.
THE AIRPORT OF PORTO
Opened in 1945, Porto Airport (OPO), whose official name is Francisco Sá Caneiro Airport, is located in Greater Porto, in the municipality of Maia, less than 15 km north of the city center. Since then, the airport has undergone expansion and currently has the capacity to handle up to 12 million passengers a year, but that could be expanded to up to 20 million in the near future. Porto Airport has a modern and multifunctional passenger terminal that was rebuilt between 2003 and 2006. The single terminal serves national and international flights and has 60 check-in desks, 4 baggage carousels and 22 boarding gates.
Porto Airport receives flights from the following airlines: Air Europa, Air France, Air Transat, Azores Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, easyJet, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa, Luxair, Ryanair, Swiss International Air Line, TAP Air Portugal, Transavia, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, Valotea, Vueling and Wizz Air.
FROM THE AIRPORT OF THE PORTO TO THE CENTER
Check out the main transport options from Porto airport to the city center and vice versa. There are options for every budget, from public transport to private services like taxi or car rental.
1. SUBWAY
Metro (not metroO), is probably the most practical way to travel from Porto Airport to the city centre. To do this, just use the Line E (violet) which connects the Aeroporto station to the Trindade station and passes every 20 or 30 minutes, depending on the time, day of week and time of year. Travel time is around 30 minutes. See the map of metro lines in this link. To get an idea of the schedules, the official data of the winter 2021/22 show that trains run every half hour, the first train leaves the airport at 5:57 am and the last train leaves the airport at 0:42 am. The complete price table with the value per zone can be consulted in this link. The ticket from the airport to the city center (Zone 4) costs €2 + €0.60 for the card.
- WALKING CARD: It's the card individual public transport in Porto. the card is rechargeable has a cost of €0.60. It can be purchased at the Airport Tourist Office (daily from 8 am to 7 pm) or at the automatic service machines. Bear in mind that there are no turnstiles, so it is necessary to validate the ticket every time who are going to use the transport. Validate the card, maximum 10 minutes before boarding (confirm the time the train will arrive on the panels). The card is contactless (in contact) and just bring the card closer to the yellow totems and wait for the green light to validate. Walking Card Types.
- O Blue Andante it is a good rechargeable card for those who use the metro occasionally and the price varies according to the areas you intend to use;
- The Andante 24 allows it to be used for 24 consecutive hours after the first validation and the price also depends on the city's zones;
- The Andante Tour is perfect for those visiting Porto and wanting to circulate without limits throughout the entire transport network, regardless of the areas (tour 1 is valid for 24 hours and costs €7 and the tour 3 valid for 72 hours and costs €15).
2. BUSES (BUSES)
Another option for public transport is to use the bus network, or buses as it is spoken in Portugal. The path can take up to 1 hour, depending on time and traffic. It is possible to use the Andante card on the buses as well. There are two companies that serve the airport: STCP and the Matosinhos tide.
>> STCP
- Line 601 (Cordoaria – Airport): This line operates between 5:30 am and 00:30 am (times vary depending on the time of year). Services run every 25 minutes.
- Line 602 (Cordoaria – Airport – via Padrão de Moreira): This line operates between 5:30 am and 12:30 am (times vary according to the time of year). Services operate every 25 minutes.
- Line 604 (Hosp. S. João – Airport – via Crestins): This line operates between 6:00 am and 9:00 pm (times vary depending on the time of year). The services are carried out with a frequency of about 30 minutes.
>> TIDE OF MATOSINHOS
Line 120 (Guifões – Airport): Complete timetable, route and fares can be consulted in this link.
- Weekdays: 6:10am to 7:55pm (every 30 minutes)
- Saturdays: 6:55 am to 7:45 pm (every 55 minutes)
- Sundays and holidays: 7:50 am – 1945 (every 50 minutes)
3. SHUTTLES
Porto Airport has a wide range of shuttles that connect the site to the center of Porto and many other locations in the surroundings. There is options from €5. Among the companies are Airport Shuttle (100 Directions), getBUS and Goin'Porto. See more options, prices and schedules by visiting this link.
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4. TRANSFER
If you don't want to have any worries about transportation when you arrive in Porto, you can hire a transfer from the airport with a trusted professional driver for a safe journey to your hotel. Check out some transfer options below (there are shared and private options):
5. TAXI / UBER
If you have a lot of luggage or arrive at dawn, perhaps the best alternative is to take a taxi or an Uber. Taxis run 24 hours a day and make it easy to have an alternative for more specific cases. To the city center, a taxi ride usually costs around €25. According to the airport's official website, taxis usually charge a baggage supplement when volumes are greater than 55x35x20 cm. already the Uber usually costs around €15.
6. CAR RENTAL
There is various car rental companies at the airport, including: Avis-Budget, Europcar, Goldcar, Guerin (Alamo, Enterprise, National) Hertz (Hertz, Thriffty, dollar, Firefly) and Sixt. I recommend that you don't leave your car rental directly at the airport desk because availability is lower and prices are more expensive. Get a comparative quote on car rental companies using this link.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport
- Address: 4470-558 Vila Nova da Telha, Portugal
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