Layover in Lisbon might sounds bad, but the Lisbon airport is perfectly connected by metro and easy to reach, what makes it great to visit only in few hours long layover.
Layover in Lisbon and things to do in 6 hours
We had 6 hours layover at the Lisbon airport between flights to Madeira, so we were extremely glad, when realized that the old city center of Lisbon is just around 30 minutes’ drive with the city metro. In our case 6 hours long layover ment around 3 hours for exploration, taking into account the transportation time and getting through all the custom checks.
We bought the metro tickets from the vending machines and decided to stop for a cup of coffee at the Praça do Comércio square. The square is probably one of the best known among tourists in Lisbon and we now know why. After the heavy earthquake in 1755, the square was beautifully renovated and it will still charm you with its beauty today.
We first decided to find a local cafe for a snack, as we came there just in time for lunch. As soon as we stepped into the coffee shop we saw some typical snacks. The salty fried snack filed with shrimps was good, but only until we tasted the typical Portuguese pastry – Pasteis de Belém. The vanilla-egg cream was to die for and everything tasted even better with extra cinnamon on top. Yummy!! If for nothing else, I know exactly, why I’ll be back to Portugal.
After the quick bite we explored the famous Praça do Comércio square. We just walked around, taking photos, sat under the warm Portuguese sun and enjoyed the vibes of the city.
We have to admit, that this quick visit to Lisbon was far from enough, but due to the 6 hours layover we were still able to get the first impression of Lisbon – the city is nice indeed.
How to reach Praça do Comércio during the layover at Lisbon airport?
- Metro
Buy the rechargeable electronic card Viva Viagem from the vending machines at the metro station. It costs 0,50€ and you can use it up to a year. You will need to upload some money on it. We loaded 2,50€/pp, what was enough to reach the city from the airport and coming back as well. Just make sure to have enough coins or pay with Visa or Mastercard.
- Which metro line to use?
Starting your journey at the Lisbon airport, you will only have one line available – the red one. Drive on it until the end (Sao Sebastiano stop) and then change it to the blue line via Terreiro do Paco. The Terreiro do Paco is also the final stop of the blue metro line, what is also your final destination – Praça do Comércio square.
Lisbon is such a wonderful city to wander, so whenever you will have few hours long layover in Lisbon, make sure to grab it, as walking around among its historical buildings, sure sounds much better than waiting at the airport for the connected flight.
Hi. I’m so glad i’ve found your entry about this short trip to lisbon portugal. I will have my europe trip at the end of this january and im so excited. Also, i will have six hours transit from malaga, spain before boarding to nice, france. Your entry is all what i need. Thanks! Can i ask something, is it okay for me to travel alone? I’m a muslim, is it possible to find halal food for muslim? Perhaps if your know. Thanks for your tips????
Hi Aqmar,
glad to see this post about Lisbon will be useful.
Traveling alone is definitely possible and safe. Unfortunately I cannot help you with the information for halal food, but I am sure it can be found in Lisbon too. 🙂
Enjoy Lisbon!
I’ve been there last week. Thanks a lot for your post, it really helped me! Looking forward for your updates????
Hi Aqmar, glad you enjoyed Lisbon! 🙂 All the best, Nina
Hey! I have a 6 hour layover in Lisbon as well going from Boston -> Paris. How long should I plan for customs and security in this airport? Should I plan to be back at the airport 3 hours before my flight or can I slim that down to maybe 2 hours? Thanks for the info!
Hi Mike,
hmmm, you might need more for the customs and security ans not coming from EU. We did not need more than 5 minutes, as the connection was also in the EU. But for the following flight to paris, I think you can slim everything down to 2 hours. What time is your flight? Enjoy Lisbon, such a beautiful city.
Cheers, Nina
Hi Nina!
Thanks for your post. I have a layover in Lisbon arriving at 10:30 am and then flying to Paris at 7:25 PM.
I’m traveling alone and (sadly) do not speak ANY other language than English. I plan to follow your trip guidelines. Any tips since I will not have a companion to help me?? Do you think it’s crazy for me to travel to Lisbon alone?? Did you leave your bags at the airport or bring them with you?
Thank you!
Hi Katy,
you will be totally safe and don’t worry. English is more than enough… we also don’t speak any Portuguese and we were fine. As for traveling alone, Lisbon is safe and you will have a blast for sure.
We left our bags at the airport as we had a conected flight, what sure was helpful, as we did not to worry about that.
Have a great time in Lisbon and don’t forget to taste that yummy pastry – Pastel de Nata. 🙂
Hi! We are coming from the stares going to Ghana and we have what looks to be an 11 hour layover in Lisbon. The flight will arrive early morning. I am sure that’s more than enough time to see something. I really would like breathe fresh air, eat something and take a few pics. Thanks for posting!
Hey Angie, 11 hours is great layover time for Lisbon. Enjoy – it sure is a nice city to wander around. 🙂
Cheers, Nina
I am looking into a flight from Toronto that has a layover of 11 hours in Lisbon and then goes to Malaga. I am a woman traveling alone. This is such great information thanks. If I take this route I can save myself about $400 I was not going to take it because of the layover but it would be nice to stretch my legs get some air and have a nice Portuguese meal
Hey Vera, I would definitely recommend you to take the flight with the layover in Lisbon. Not just because it saves you 400 $, but also because Lisbon is great even if you only have few hours to spend there. And yes – a meal and a visit to the square should definitely do the trick to plan your next trip to Portugal ;). Enjoy your time there and I hope you’ll like it as much I did. 🙂 Safe travels, Nina
Hello, I am from Morocco. I traveled to Moscow several times through direct flights, but it was very expensive. Now I want to travel to Moscow via a five-hour stopover in Lisbon. Do I really need a transit visa? .. or I can stay in the international area at the airport without problems .. Thank you
Hi Abdelillah, the best is that you ask your foreign affairs about the visa situation when doing a transfer for Portugal.
Safe traveling, Nina