Porto airport
All you need to know about the city's airport
Porto Airport
Contents
Porto’s Airport is called Francisco Sá Carneiro and is connected via the metro to the city.
It is located 17 kilometers from Avenida dos Aliados, a landmark in downtown Porto.
It is the only international airport in the region, so not only major airlines fly there, but also the low-cost ones, which tend to use smaller and more distant airports.
Comfortable and convenient
From an architectural point of view, Sá Carneiro airport is modern and luminous. Its human scale dimensions make it manageable; everything is close enough and it is practically impossible to get lost inside. Thanks to its efficient organization and management, the city air terminal has won in 2007 Europe’s Best Airport Award and in 2010, it conquered the second place.
It has a pharmacy, a bookstore, a duty free with makeup, perfumes and liquors (you can buy Port wine to take home), shoe shops, newsstands, cafes, restaurants, souvenir stores and porter service.
On the arrivals (level 0) you will find a tourist information office, which operates every day (except December 25th and January 1st) from 08h00 – 18.30h. Here you can ask for information, pick up your Porto Card or buy the Andante Tour Card.
¿How to get from the Airport to the city center?
Porto airfield location is undoubtedly an important advantage: a ride to the center takes only a few minutes by metro or on a comfortable transfer.
Metro
Getting from the airport to the center, or vice versa, is easy via the metro. The purple line takes you from the air terminal to the city center.
Please note that a ride to the city center will take you approximately 35 minutes (depending on your destination).
Trindade is the best station if you are going downtown. It is just a few yards from Avenida dos Aliados, Bolhão, Rua de Santa Catarina and the neighborhood of Cedofeita. If you don't have too much luggage, you should be able to walk from this station to your hotel.
The first train from the airport departs at 5.57am and from Trindade station at 5.58am. On the other hand, the last metro from the airport is at 00.42am and from Trindade at 00.44am.
The metro frequency is 30 minutes. Check timetables, route map and more details on our Porto metro page.
Price
Make sure you buy the ticket corresponding to the zoned section of the city you are going to, because in the same metro line you can change the zone and thus, the cost of the ride. For example, traveling from Porto Airport to Trindade station, the ticket you should buy corresponds to 4 zones (Z4) whose price is 2€.
Advantage: It is cheap
Disadvantage: The ride may be time consuming, depending on the station where you are. For example, from Estádio do Dragão station it takes about 50 minutes to reach the airport. By car it would be 20 minutes.
Porto public buses
Buses 601 602 (going to Cordoaria) and bus 604 (going to Hospital de São João)
Porto’s public transportation system (STCP) has three bus routes that connect the city to the airport. Be aware that it’s a service conceived to serve a maximum of users living in areas not well communicated by the metro or other bus lines. Therefore, they drive through rural neighborhoods of the greater Porto and narrow streets, lengthening the trip to more than 50 minutes. If you want to check the route, you can check this map where you only need to enter the bus number.
By the way, there are no Shuttle Buses from the Porto Airport.
Price
2€
Advantage: It is inexpensive
Disadvantage: It is the slowest option, which can take sometimes more than an hour. Definitely not a runner-up.
Taxi
For those who have less time or were delayed on departure, the cab option is more expensive but less when compared to other European countries.
Price
Approximately 25€
Advantage: the cab rank is next to the exit on the arrivals level
Disadvantage: You have no way of knowing in advance how much the total will be and you will be charged extra for each piece of luggage.
Porto Airport Transfers
If you want a more personal and comfortable journey, private transfer from Porto airport to your hotel is the answer. The main advantage of the airport shuttle option is that it gives you the tranquility of knowing that when you arrive at the airport with your luggage, all you have to do is look for the sign with your name on it, relax and start enjoying the city.
The airport transfers from Porto can take an average of 25 minutes.
Price
The cost per trip is 27 euros for up to 4 people. You can book here.
Advantage: You arrive at the airport without worrying about how to get to your accommodation. If several people are traveling, you can split the payment, making it a very good value for money option. You can ask for a child car seat, so you don't have to travel with one.
Disadvantage: It is not as economical as the metro or bus.
Are there
Car rental
If you want to be free to move around at your own pace or you have planned to travel around Portugal and visit cities close to Porto like Aveiro, Coimbra or Lisbon, we recommend you to rent a car at the airport.
Going from the airport to downtown Porto
More tips on how to reach your accomodation in Porto from the airport
Private transfer from Porto Airport to the city center
Book your transfer from Porto airport to your hotel in advance.
Porto metro system
Learn about Porto metro, schedules, lines, connections and how to get on board.
The Andante card
To access the Porto metro you need the Andante card which can be purchased at any station.
See recommended hotels in Porto
A list of the best ranked hotels in our guide and our most recent recommendations.