Porto Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport to City Centre (Trindade / Aliados)
Central Porto is about 18 km by road from the airport. The cheapest way in is metro line E to Trindade: about 30–35 minutes for a €2.30 Z4 fare. A taxi takes around 25 minutes and costs roughly €25–35.
Most people landing in Porto are heading for the same few streets: Trindade, Avenida dos Aliados, Bolhão and the hotels around them. The violet metro line runs from outside the terminal straight to Trindade for €2.30, and it beats a taxi at rush hour. This guide explains when the metro is the obvious choice, when a taxi or transfer makes more sense, and how to handle an arrival after the last train.
How far is City Centre (Trindade / Aliados) from Porto Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport?
City Centre (Trindade / Aliados) is 18 km (11 miles) from Porto Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport by road, about 25 min by car outside rush hour. In a straight line it is 12 km. By public transport, Metro do Porto line E (violet) takes about 32 min and costs €2.3.
Every way to get there
Our verdict: Metro do Porto line E (violet) is the one to take: €2.3 with no change, and only about 7 minutes slower than going by car. Timetable: about 06:00–00:40 from Aeroporto (timetable from 7 Sep 2026).
What it costs for your group
The metro is charged per person, while a private transfer is one price for the whole car — so the more of you there are, the better door-to-door value looks.
| Group | Metro (per person) | Private transfer (per car) | Best value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo · 1 traveller | €2.3 | €24 | Metro |
| Couple · 2 travellers | €4.6 | €24 | Metro |
| Family of 4 · 4 travellers | €9.2 | €24 | Metro |
Which option should you choose?
| If your priority is… | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | Metro do Porto line E (violet) | From €2.3, about 32 min, no change needed. |
| Speed | Licensed Porto taxis | 25 min and door-to-door, from €25. |
| A group of 4 | Metro do Porto line E (violet) | Four tickets still come to about €9.2 — less than a car. |
| A late-night arrival | Taxi or pre-booked transfer | Metro do Porto line E (violet) stops overnight — timetable: about 06:00–00:40 from Aeroporto (timetable from 7 Sep 2026). |
By transport mode
Metro
Z4 Andante fare €2.30 (+€0.60 for a new Andante Azul card), or tap a contactless bank card. Direct to Trindade; change to line D for Aliados or São Bento within the 1 h 15 validity.
Where to catch it: Aeroporto metro station, directly outside the terminal
Times: about 06:00–00:40 from Aeroporto (timetable from 7 Sep 2026)
Best for budget travellers near a stationBus / shuttle
Ends at Cordoaria near Clérigos. Andante Z4 valid; on-board single ticket €2.50. Slower than the metro because it runs in road traffic.
Where to catch it: STCP stop outside the arrivals level
Times: about 05:30–00:00; night line 3M to Aliados hourly 00:30–05:30
Best for solo & budget travellersTaxi
Metered. Old tariff still in force: flag fall about €3.25, €1.60 per bulky bag, higher rate at night, weekends and holidays.
Where to catch it: Official taxi rank outside arrivals
Times: 24/7
Best for small groups in a hurryPrivate transfer
Price fixed at booking: sedan (3 pax) about €24, MPV about €29, 7-seat minivan about €40. Flight monitoring and up to an hour's wait included.
Where to catch it: Driver meets you in the arrivals hall at the agreed time
Times: 24/7
Best for families, groups & late arrivalsCity Centre (Trindade / Aliados) & Porto in photos
Buying tickets in Porto
Andante is the shared ticket for the Porto metropolitan area. It covers the metro, STCP buses and CP urban trains within the zones you pay for. The paper Andante Azul card costs €0.60, is rechargeable, and can only be used by one person per journey. Buy and top it up at the ticket machines in Aeroporto metro station, just outside the terminal. Each person in a group needs their own card.
2026 single fares (Metro do Porto): Z2 €1.40 (valid 1 h), Z3 €1.85 (1 h), Z4 €2.30 (1 h 15), Z5 €2.80 (1 h 30). You can load from 1 to 30 trips of the same type. A 10-trip Z4 load costs €23.00. An Andante 24 Z4 costs €8.55 for 24 hours, and the tourist Andante Tour 1 and Tour 3 cost €7.75 and €16.55. Central Porto (Trindade, Aliados, São Bento, Campanhã) needs a Z4 from the airport. For other destinations, check the destination list posted in the station.
Contactless bank cards work on the marked validators at Aeroporto, Senhora da Hora, Casa da Música, Trindade and the central stations. Each tap is charged as a Z4 (€2.30) and is valid for 1 h 15, with a daily cap of €7.75. Validate every time you board or change line, at most 10 minutes before you travel. On STCP buses the driver sells a single-journey ticket for €2.50.
CP trains to Braga, Guimarães and Aveiro run outside the Andante area, so buy a CP ticket at Campanhã (from a machine, the ticket office or the CP app). GetBus coach tickets are sold online, in the GetBus app, at the GetBus counter in the terminal (daily 09:00–13:00 and 14:00–18:00) or from the driver.
Taxi scams & safety in Porto
Take taxis only from the official rank outside arrivals. Licensed Porto taxis are black with a green roof or beige, and they carry a meter and a roof sign. Portugal's new national taxi tariff, published in June 2026, has been postponed. Until it takes effect, the meter runs on the old structure: a flag fall of about €3.25, a €1.60 supplement for each bag larger than 55×35×20 cm, a higher rate at night, at weekends and on holidays, and any tolls added on top. Expect roughly €25–35 to central Porto. Ask for the receipt (recibo), which shows the licence number.
Ignore anyone in the hall offering a ride. Unlicensed drivers do approach arriving passengers, and their prices are whatever they decide. App rides (Uber, Bolt) are legal in Portugal and pick up in the designated area, not at the taxi rank.
On the metro, the risk is a fine, not a scam. You must validate the Andante card every time you board or change, even inside your time window. Inspectors check line E regularly, and an unvalidated card counts as travelling without a ticket.
Step-free access in Porto
Porto Airport runs MyWay, a free assistance service for passengers with a disability or reduced mobility, on departure, in transit and on arrival. Request it from your airline or travel agent when you book, or at least 48 hours before the published departure time.
- On arrival, the airline notifies MyWay, and staff assist from your aircraft seat to your next point of departure.
- When you arrive for a flight, use the MyWay phone at the marked Designated Point of Arrival to call for help with check-in, security, border control and boarding.
- A companion can stay with you throughout if you cannot travel without one.
- Reserved spaces for cars with the reduced-mobility badge are available in all the airport car parks, near the exits.
Getting from OPO to City Centre (Trindade / Aliados)
The short version
Walk out of arrivals and follow the metro signs to Aeroporto station, the terminus of line E (violet). Buy an Andante card, ride to Trindade and you are in the centre of town. The journey takes roughly half an hour and costs €2.30 for the fare plus €0.60 for the card. It is cheap, fairly frequent and unaffected by traffic on the A28 and VCI. Most visitors do not need anything else.
The rest of this guide covers the cases where that answer changes: a family with four large suitcases, a landing after midnight, or a hotel that is not near a metro station.
Line E, stop by stop
Line E runs on a dedicated track through Botica, Verdes, Custóias and Senhora da Hora. At Senhora da Hora it joins the trunk line that carries lines A, B, C and F into Porto. It then passes Casa da Música, Carolina Michaëlis and Lapa before reaching Trindade. Under the September 2026 timetable, the first train leaves the airport at about 06:00 and the last at around 00:40. Trains run every 15 minutes on weekday daytimes and every 20 to 30 minutes early in the morning, in the evening and at weekends. The airport's own page simply says "every 20 or 30 minutes", so allow for the longer wait if your connection is tight.
Not every train stops at Trindade. Some continue through Bolhão, Campo 24 de Agosto and Campanhã to Estádio do Dragão. Either way, Trindade is the stop for the Aliados end of town. Aliados is one stop south on line D, the yellow line, and São Bento is two. A Z4 fare covers that change if you make it within the 1 h 15 validity.
Paying: three ways that work
- Andante Azul card + Z4 trip: €0.60 for the card, then €2.30 per trip. The card is reusable, so keep it for the rest of your stay.
- Contactless bank card: tap on the marked validator at Aeroporto. Each tap is charged at the Z4 rate, with a daily cap of €7.75. This is the easiest option for a short visit, but it only works at stations with marked validators.
- Andante Tour 1 or Tour 3 (€7.75 / €16.55): unlimited travel for one or three days, if you plan to use the metro and buses a lot.
Whatever you choose, validate before you go down to the platform. A card that has not been validated counts as no ticket.
The bus alternative
STCP line 601 runs from the airport to Cordoaria, beside the Clérigos tower, and line 602 runs there via Padrão de Moreira. Both operate from about 05:30 until midnight, roughly every 25 minutes. They are slower than the metro because they use ordinary roads, but they are useful if your hotel is around Cordoaria or Clérigos rather than Trindade. The Andante Z4 fare is valid. Without one, the driver sells a single ticket for €2.50.
When the trains have stopped
After the last metro, STCP night line 3M runs hourly between the airport and Avenida dos Aliados from about 00:30 to 05:30. It is cheap but slow. If your flight lands at 01:15 and you are tired, a taxi from the rank directly outside arrivals is the realistic choice.
Taxi and transfer prices
Porto taxis run on the meter. The national tariff reform announced in June 2026 has been postponed, so the meter still uses the old structure. The flag fall is about €3.25, each piece of luggage over 55×35×20 cm adds €1.60, and fares are higher at night and at weekends. Reckon on €25–35 to Aliados depending on the time of day and your bags. The drive takes about 25 minutes when the VCI is clear and much longer at the evening peak.
A pre-booked sedan for up to three people is quoted at around €24, an MPV at about €29 and a seven-seat minivan at roughly €40. The price is agreed in advance, so traffic jams and night tariffs do not change it. For two or three people with bags arriving late, that is often cheaper than a taxi.
Who should take what
Solo or couple, light luggage, daytime: the metro, without question. Hotel on the Clérigos side: bus 601 or 602 saves a walk uphill. Family of four with prams: the metro works, because trains are step-free and have space for luggage, but a pre-booked MPV is easier. Arriving after 00:40: taxi, transfer or the hourly 3M.
One practical point: the streets around Aliados and Trindade are steep and paved with cobbles. If your hotel is down towards the river, the last few hundred metres with a heavy suitcase take longer than the metro ride suggests. Plan the final stretch before you leave the airport.
OPO to City Centre (Trindade / Aliados) — FAQ
How far is Porto Airport from the city centre?
What is the cheapest way from Porto Airport to the city centre?
What is the fastest way?
How much is a taxi from Porto Airport to the centre?
When is the last metro from the airport?
I land after midnight. What are my options?
Can I pay for the metro with my bank card?
Sources
Fares and times on this page were last held against their official sources on 21 October 2026. Operators change prices without notice — if you spot a difference, the operator’s own page is the authority. How we check fares.
- Metro do Porto – Andante occasional fares 2026 (Z2–Z9, Andante 24, Tour) · checked 2026-10-21
- Metro do Porto – frequencies valid from 7 September 2026 (PDF) · checked 2026-10-21
- Porto Airport (ANA) – public transport, buses, shuttles and taxi · checked 2026-10-21
- Andante – contactless Visa/Mastercard payment (Z4 €2.30, daily cap €7.75) · checked 2026-10-21
- STCP – airport connection lines 601, 602, 604 and night line 3M · checked 2026-10-21
- STCP – tariffs (Andante card €0.60, on-board ticket €2.50) · checked 2026-10-21
- e-konomista – current taxi tariff (€3.25 flag fall, €1.60 luggage) and the new AMT regulation · checked 2026-10-21
- Observador – new taxi tariff rules postponed (3 Aug 2026) · checked 2026-10-21
- AirportsTaxiTransfers – Porto Airport to Porto City Centre quotes (for 23 Oct 2026) · checked 2026-10-21
Other destinations from Porto Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport
