September 2022
Arriving in Lisbon
Getting to Lisbon from the East Coast of the U. S. is surprisingly easy and hassle free. A quick seven hour flight from Dulles (IAD) Airport just west of Washington D. C. touches down at Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) a mere 4 miles from center city . Humberto Delgado Airport is a modern, well run airport equipped with electronic passport control which uses facial recognition to match your face to the picture contained in your passport. Passports from the United States are accepted and the process is easy. Just place your passport barcode into a scanner and when prompted, look into a camera to allow for facial recognition. A quick stop at the control desk completes the process. For my flight, the time from touchdown to clearing customs and hitting the street was approximately 45 minutes.
The airport is connected to the City by Metro trains, busses, and taxi’s. Pickup a Viva Viagem card at the kiosks located in any Metro station. To find the Airport Metro Station, follow the signs in the arrival terminal and purchase a Viva Viagem card at the Kiosk before entering. You can choose from different options including a 24 hour pass for roughly € 6 .40 or a one ride pass for € 1.50. If you are visiting Lisbon for multiple days, you can also load the card with whatever amount you want by using the “zapping” option. This is a good option, particularly if you plan on heading to the nearby, picturesque town of Sintra, as the metro trains will take you there. There is a nominal fee for the card itself of € 0.50. You will need the card to both enter and exit the Metro stations so keep it in a handy place while you travel. The Viva Viagem card covers the Metro trains, busses, trolleys, and funiculars in Lisbon. If you’d rather skip the hustle and bustle of the Metro trains and busses, the Taxi’s in Lisbon are cheap relative to other big cities and you can nearly always find one available. From the Airport, you can also take the Aerobus into City Center which is also an inexpensive option.
For a fun change of pace, hail a Tuk-Tuk for a quick ride around town. You’ll see them parked in touristy areas, on central streets and around the many squares and Praca’s in Lisbon. You can also arrange for a tour of the city in a Tuk-Tuk. For a good orientation of the city consider buying a ticket on the Hop on- Hop off buses you’ll see around town. Yellow Bus offers many different routes that take you by the most popular sites in the city with the luxury of being able to get on and off the bus at any time.
