Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport to Cascais
Lisbon Airport to Cascais is about 30 km; take the Metro to Cais do Sodré and the coastal CP train, or a direct transfer.
Cascais, LisbonJorge Franganillo / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0A refined seaside resort on the Atlantic coast, once the summer retreat of Portuguese royalty and now known for its beaches, marina and easy-going charm — the endpoint of a scenic coastal railway.
Every way to get there
Our verdict: for Cascais, a private transfer is the easiest door-to-door option (from €45).
What it costs for your group
The bus is charged per person, while a taxi or private transfer is one price for the whole car — so the more of you there are, the better door-to-door value looks.
| Group | Private transfer | Best value |
|---|---|---|
| Solo · 1 traveller | €45 | Private transfer |
| Couple · 2 travellers | €45 | Private transfer |
| Family of 4 · 4 travellers | €45 | Private transfer |
Which option should you choose?
| If your priority is… | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | Cheapest fare | From €4, though slower with a change in the city. |
| Speed & comfort | Private transfer | Door-to-door, fixed price, a driver waiting for you. |
| A group of 3–4 | Transfer or taxi | One flat fare splits cheaper than several bus tickets. |
| A late-night arrival | Transfer or taxi | Both run 24/7 when buses and the tram have stopped. |
By transport mode
Train
Metro to Cais do Sodré (change at Alameda), then the scenic coastal CP train to Cascais (~40 min, ~€2.40); the train fare is separate.
Where to catch it: Aeroporto Metro station, changing to CP at Cais do Sodré.
Best for budget travellers near a stationPrivate transfer
Direct door-to-door to the resort — the simplest arrival with luggage.
Where to catch it: Driver meets you in arrivals.
Best for families, groups & late arrivalsTaxi
Metered over ~30 km; agree an estimate first.
Where to catch it: Taxi rank outside Arrivals.
Best for small groups in a hurryCar rental
Per day; a scenic coastal drive, though parking in Cascais is paid.
Where to catch it: Car-rental centre at T1.
Best for travellers who want to exploreCascais & Lisbon in photos
Buying tickets in Lisbon
The red metro line runs directly from the airport (Aeroporto station) into the city. Fares load onto a reusable travel card, historically the Viva Viagem but being replaced through 2026 by the Navegante card (about €0.50 to buy), sold at station machines. A single metro trip is around €1.90, or slightly less using pre-loaded "zapping" credit. Note the old Aerobús shuttle was discontinued in 2022, so the metro or a taxi are the practical options. Machines accept cash and cards.
Taxi scams & safety in Lisbon
Take taxis only from the official rank outside arrivals, where cars are metered; anyone approaching you inside the terminal with a handwritten sign or a verbal offer is almost never legitimate and can overcharge badly. Ask for the meter and expect a modest fare into the centre, more at night and with luggage. Uber and Bolt are both legal in Lisbon and often cheaper and clearer on price; book in the app and meet the driver at the signed ride-hail pickup area, not the taxi rank.
Getting from LIS to Cascais
There is a moment, somewhere along the last stretch of the Cascais line, when the buildings fall away and the whole Atlantic opens up beside your window — silver in the morning, gold by late afternoon, with the surf close enough that you half expect spray on the glass. That view is the reward waiting at the end of your journey from Lisbon Airport, and it explains why so many of us fall for this old royal resort. Cascais sits about 30 km west of the terminals, a former summer bolthole of Portuguese kings that has grown into a sunny, salt-air town of beaches, a busy marina and the sort of unhurried charm that makes you slow your walk. Getting there is genuinely half the fun, so let me talk you through the ways down to the coast.
Chasing the shoreline by rail
If you have any romance in you at all, take the train. It is not the fastest route — plan on around 70 minutes all told — but it is far and away the loveliest, and it barely dents your wallet at roughly €4–5. Start on the Metro at Aeroporto station and ride it in towards the river, changing once at Alameda, then carry on to the terminus at Cais do Sodré. That riverside station is where the magic begins: it is the head of the coastal CP Cascais line, and the platforms there send trains west every 20 minutes or so.
The CP leg runs about 40 minutes and costs roughly €2.40 on top of your Metro fare — the two tickets are separate, so keep a little change handy. Try, if you can, to grab a seat on the left-hand side as you face forward. Once the train clears the city it hugs the water almost the whole way, threading past Belém, the estuary mouth and a string of beaches before rolling into Cascais itself. It is a proper scenic railway, and on a bright day it feels less like transport and more like a slow, cheap boat trip along the Riviera. The only real catch is luggage: you will be hauling your bags up and down between the Metro and the CP at Cais do Sodré, so this is a route best loved by light travellers.
When you would rather someone else did the driving
Arriving with a heavy case, a tired child or simply no appetite for platform changes? Book a private transfer and let the coast come to you. There's no rank to queue at — you walk out of arrivals to a waiting car, the driver loads the boot and delivers you straight to your hotel door in around 35 minutes. It is the most effortless way to start a seaside holiday — no tickets, no stairs, no second-guessing your stop. Expect somewhere between €45 and €75, and because these are pre-booked around the clock, even a late-night landing has a car ready and waiting.
A licensed metered taxi from the rank outside arrivals does much the same job for a touch less, generally €40–60 over the 30-odd kilometres, and they run 24/7 on demand. My one bit of easy-going advice: the meter is fine, but ask the driver for a rough estimate before you set off so the fare down to the coast holds no surprises.
Your own key to the coast road
There is a case for hiring a car, and it is a scenic one. The rental desks — Europcar, Avis, Sixt and the rest — sit in the car-rental centre at T1, and prices start around €25–45 per day. The drive out is a genuine pleasure, curling along the shoreline with the ocean on your right, and having wheels lets you carry on beyond the town to the wilder capes and beaches whenever the mood takes you. Just bear in mind that parking in Cascais is paid, and in high summer spaces near the marina and the sand fill fast, so a car is more a touring companion than a daily convenience once you have arrived.
Reading the coast before you go
My honest steer: if you are travelling light and in no great rush, take the rail route for the sheer joy of that coastal run and the change at Cais do Sodré — it sets the holiday mood before you even reach the marina. Save the door-to-door transfer or taxi for the days you land heavy or weary, when a stairs-free, ticket-free arrival counts for more than the saving. However you come, Cascais will be waiting with its royal-resort ease, its bobbing harbour and a great deal of Atlantic sunshine. Pack light, sit on the sea side, and let the shoreline do the rest.
