Porto Airport to City Centre: Metro, Bus, Taxi & Transfer Prices 2026

The cheapest way from Porto Airport to the city centre is the metro: line E (violet) leaves from just outside the terminal and reaches Trindade in about half an hour. A Z4 ticket costs €2.30, plus €0.60 for the reusable Andante card. A taxi takes around 20–30 minutes and usually costs roughly €25–35 to the centre. Uber and Bolt are often cheaper. For a fixed price and a driver waiting at Arrivals, compare operators on our Porto Airport transfers page.

Porto Airport to city centre: quick comparison

Option	Price	Journey time	Runs	Best for
Metro line E (violet)	€2.30 (Z4) + €0.60 Andante card	About 30 min to Trindade	About 06:00 to after midnight, every 20–30 min	Most travellers, Trindade, Bolhão, Aliados
STCP bus 601 / 602	€2.50 on board, or Andante fare	Around 45–60 min	About 05:30–24:00, roughly every 25 min	Cordoaria / Clérigos, light luggage
Night bus 3M	€2.50 on board	Around 30–40 min	00:30–05:30, hourly	Late arrivals on a budget
Taxi (metered)	Around €25–35	20–30 min	24 hours, rank at Arrivals	Door-to-door, luggage
Uber / Bolt (TVDE)	Varies with demand	20–30 min	24 hours	App users, card payment
Pre-booked private transfer	Fixed price per vehicle	20–30 min; longer to the Douro	24 hours	Families, groups, Douro Valley, Braga

Porto Airport (OPO), officially Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, lies about 11 km north of the city centre in Maia. It has a single passenger terminal. The metro station, bus stops, taxi rank and ride-hailing pick-up zone are all a short walk from Arrivals.

Porto Airport metro line E (violet) to the city centre

For most visitors the metro is the easiest way from Porto Airport to the city centre. The Aeroporto station is the end of line E, shown in violet on the metro map. Follow the “Metro” signs from Arrivals to reach the platform, which is next to the terminal. Line E runs through Matosinhos and the northern suburbs and meets the main trunk line into Trindade, Porto’s central interchange. From Trindade, Bolhão is one stop further on the same line and Aliados is one stop on line D (yellow).

• Ticket: the airport to Trindade journey crosses four zones, so you need a Z4 ticket. On the blue Andante card a single Z4 trip costs €2.30 (fares in force since 1 January 2026), and the card itself costs €0.60 and can be topped up. A 10+1 pack of Z4 trips costs €23.00.
• Day tickets: Andante 24 Z4 costs €8.55. The Andante Tour card costs €7.75 for 24 hours or €16.55 for 72 hours and covers metro, STCP buses and CP urban trains in the network.
• Where to buy: at the ticket machines at Aeroporto station. Validate the card on the reader before you board, as travelling without a validated ticket can mean a fine.
• Journey time: about 30 minutes to Trindade.
• Hours and frequency: trains run from about 06:00 until after midnight. During the day they come every 20 minutes, and every 30 minutes early in the morning and late at night.

Each traveller needs their own Andante card. Metro trains have step-free access and room for suitcases, although they get crowded at peak times. Fares are listed on the Metro do Porto fares page.

Trindade, São Bento or Campanhã?

Trindade is the stop for the Aliados and Bolhão area. For São Bento station and the Ribeira, change at Trindade to line D (yellow) southbound for São Bento, two stops away. For Campanhã, the station for long-distance trains to Lisbon and the Douro, change at Trindade to any line heading east.

Metro or taxi: which is better?

If you are travelling alone or as a couple with cabin bags or one suitcase each, the metro is the obvious choice. It is cheap, it avoids the traffic on the A28 and VCI, and it drops you in the centre. For three or four people the sums change: four Z4 tickets plus four cards cost about €11.60, and a taxi to the door is not much more and saves the walk up or down Porto’s steep streets. The same goes for anyone staying in the Ribeira, Miragaia or Foz, where the nearest metro station is a long, hilly walk from many hotels.

Porto Airport bus: STCP 601, 602, 604 and night bus 3M

STCP city buses stop outside the Arrivals level. They are slower than the metro but reach the old centre directly:

• 601 and 602: airport to Cordoaria, beside the Clérigos Tower. They run from about 05:30 to midnight, roughly every 25 minutes, with hours that vary by season.
• 604: airport to São João Hospital via Crestins, from about 06:00 to 21:00, roughly every 30 minutes.
• 3M (night network): airport to Avenida dos Aliados, from 00:30 to 05:30, every hour.

A ticket bought on board costs €2.50 and is valid only for that trip. A loaded Andante card is cheaper and also works on the metro. City buses have limited room for big suitcases. Times are on the STCP airport page.

Porto Airport taxi price to the city centre

Licensed Porto taxis are black with a green roof or beige, and they wait at the official rank outside Arrivals. There are no fixed airport fares; taxis use the meter. A trip to the centre (Aliados, Ribeira or Boavista) usually costs around €25–35 and takes 20–30 minutes, depending on traffic and the time of day.

• Night, weekend and holiday tariff: about 20% dearer, from 21:00 to 06:00 and all day on weekends and public holidays.
• Luggage: under the tariff used until recently, €1.60 is added for each suitcase in the boot. Portugal’s new taxi fare rules, with a lower flag fall and no luggage supplement, are being phased in during autumn 2026, so your total may differ slightly.
• Tolls, if any, are added to the fare.

Most taxis are four-seat saloons. For five or more people, or for lots of luggage, book a larger vehicle in advance. Ask for a receipt (recibo) at the end of the trip.

Arriving with children or lots of luggage

Families with pushchairs and several suitcases usually find the metro manageable but tiring at the change at Trindade. A taxi or transfer to the door is easier. Taxis do not normally carry child seats, so if you need one, pre-book a transfer and give your child’s age when booking.

Uber and Bolt at Porto Airport

Uber and Bolt both operate at Porto Airport under Portugal’s TVDE rules. Pick-ups are from a signed TVDE zone along the Arrivals kerb, separate from the taxi rank; follow the app and the signs. Fares to the centre are shown before you book and are often lower than a taxi outside busy periods. At peak times and in bad weather, prices rise and waits get longer.

Pre-booked private transfers from Porto Airport

A private transfer costs more than the metro but gives you a fixed price per vehicle, with luggage included. The driver tracks your flight and waits in Arrivals with your name. Transfers are worth considering for:

• late-night arrivals after the metro has stopped;
• families needing child seats, and groups needing a minivan;
• hotels in the steep, narrow streets of the Ribeira and Miragaia, where a driver who knows the drop-off points helps;
• going straight to the Douro Valley, Braga, Guimarães or the coast.

Operators listed on intransfers.com include Porto City Transfers, RadiTáxis, Porto Transfers, VM Transfers, Douro Táxi and ZT Mobility. Ask each for a written quote that includes waiting time and any tolls, and book directly with the company. All operators are on our Porto Airport transfer companies page, and city-based firms are on Porto transfers.

Getting to popular places from Porto Airport

Porto Airport to the Douro Valley

Peso da Régua, the main town of the wine region, is around 110–120 km east, roughly 1h15–1h30 by road. Pinhão is further up the river, at around 1h45–2h. By public transport, take the metro to Campanhã and then the CP Douro line train, which follows the river to Régua and Pinhão. A transfer or taxi to a quinta saves the change and the walk from the station. See our Douro Valley transfers page.

Porto Airport to Braga and Guimarães

Getbus runs direct coaches from the Arrivals level (stop P8) to Braga’s central bus station, taking about 45 minutes, and to Guimarães in about 40 minutes. Departures run through the day and into the night. Fares are low when booked online at getbus.eu, and the timetable changes between the summer and winter seasons. FlixBus also serves Braga and Guimarães from the airport.

Porto to Lisbon

To continue to the capital, take the metro to Campanhã for trains to Lisbon. Our Lisbon Airport to city centre guide covers onward travel from Lisbon.

Tips for arriving at Porto Airport

• Night arrivals: the last metro leaves the airport shortly after midnight. After that, the choices are night bus 3M (hourly to Aliados), a taxi, Uber/Bolt or a pre-booked transfer.
• Validate your Andante: touch the card on the reader every time you start a metro journey, including after a change of line.
• Use official ranks: ignore anyone offering a ride inside the terminal. Licensed taxis queue at the rank, and app cars use the signed TVDE zone.
• Payment: metro machines accept bank cards. Most taxis take cards, but check before you set off.
• Tipping: not expected. Rounding up for help with luggage is common.
• Traffic: the A28 and VCI ring road are busy at weekday rush hours (around 08:00–09:30 and 17:30–19:30). At those times the metro is often as fast as a car.