Lisbon's metro is the backbone of local public transport and the most transparent form of travel for tourists.
Find out how much metro tickets cost, how often trains run and where to find official information.
Find a hotel near a metro station
Lisbon's metro company "Metro Lisboa", as opposed to surface transport, which is operated by Carris. For an overview of the official website, see the following addresses:
- Metro Lisboa: metrolisboa.pt
- Carris (buses, trams, cable cars): carris.pt
Map and lines of Metro Lisboa
The Lisbon metro network has a total of 44 km of lines and 4 lines. The transport system is very reliable and takes passengers to all long-distance transport hubs, the airport and the city centre.
The official metro map can be found on the website: metrolisboa.pt/diagrams-and-maps.
Metro lines are divided by colour.
- Red - connects LIS Airport, Oriente Station and the northern part of the city centre, where you can change to the other three metro lines in the direction of Lisbon's core
- Blue - connects Santa Apolonio station, Rossio station (city centre) and Sete Rios station and continues on to the suburb of Amadora
- Green - the busiest central line runs from Cais do Sodré below the historic centre to the northern outskirts of Lisbon
- Yellow - runs from the western part of the centre to the northern suburb of Odivelas
Metro tickets
The same fares apply for the metro as for trams or Carris buses.
The fare system is described in more detail in the Transport chapter.
How much does it cost to take the metro?
If you only travel by metro once and don't want to buy multi-day tickets, you just need to attach your own payment card to the turnstile when entering and leaving the station. It will be charged 1,80 eur and you can travel for up to 60 minutes, including as many changes as you like.
To buy a multi-day ticket, you first need to purchase a reloadable "Navegante" card. The card itself costs 0,50 eur and can be used to top up individual tickets or as a cash credit from which fares will be deducted by 'zapping'.
If you choose zapping, you will pay for each individual ride or 60-minute segment. You load credit onto your card, not specific tickets. This will be charged gradually.
With zapping, there are no daily limits, so you will pay for all the rides you take that day. If you travel more than 4 times a day, it is worth buying a ticket instead of zapping.
- 1,80 eur - a 60-minute ticket (any number of transfers, including a transfer to a tram or Carris bus)
- 1,61 eur - 60-minute zapping fare
- 6,80 eur - 24 hours on metro + Carris
- 9,80 eur - 24 hours on metro + Carris + Transtejo ferries
- 10,80 eur - 24 hours on metro + Carris + trains towards Sintra or Cascais
How to use the ticket?
You go through turnstiles when entering and exiting the station.
Simply place your ticket on the reader and the turnstile will release. Ideally, keep your ticket handy to avoid unnecessary queues.
Is the Lisbon metro open 24/7
None of the metro lines run around the clock.
The Lisbon metro runs at the same frequency every day. Don't be surprised, perhaps on your way to the airport or train station, to find that the metro trains are very late getting on the line compared to other cities.
- First trains from termini - 6:30
- Last trains from termini - 1:00
The frequency between trains varies between 5 and 8 minutes on weekdays and between 7 and 11 minutes on weekends.
Detailed timetables and connection searches can be found on the website: metrolisboa.pt/timetables.