Stu & Mariana

By Plane

Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO) is Portos only airport and is located in Maia, at about 20mins drive from the centre of Town.

It’s a great airport, big clean and has everything you need.

It has flights to and from a number of international destinations, direct flights from London Airports are widely available and there’s also the occasional direct flight from Manchester.

However, there are currently no direct flights to and from any Scottish Airports to Porto. Connections can be made from Madrid and Amsterdam.

It is also worth noting that the budget airlines will only be releasing their flights in September. You can always set up price alerts on Skyscanner and just wait comfortably till there are cheaper flights available.

The airport is served by Line E of the Porto Metro.

The service links the airport to Porto city centre, and by transfer to other urban centres of Greater Porto. Trains to and from the airport are every 30 minutes, so if you don’t like waiting, just take a cab, it won’t cost more than €25, max.

By Car

Driving in Porto is a great way to get around, the city streets range from wide modern avenues to narrow side streets and pokey corners (which are easily avoided).

There is ample parking in town but traffic can be an issue, so try to avoid rush hour!

Car hire is at the airport with many of the major vendors available. Vehicle hire vendors offer a shuttle service to and from their car depots located next to the airport.

Please remember that it’s cheaper to hire the car and GPS from the same airline you book your flights with. A GPS is vital as directions road signs are not at all well placed.

If you’re driving outside of Porto be aware that there are toll roads, “Auto Estradas”. It’s much easier if your car is fitted with a “Via Verde”, so speak to your rental vendor about this.

When Stu first saw how people drive in Porto he was intimidated but it’s really easy, just be prepared for people to park anywhere… and I mean anywhere.

Visit the RAC website to make sure you’re prepared for driving in Porto

By Metro

Porto has a newly developed, safe, clean and modern metro system that operates roughly between the hours of 6am to 1am and is split into several zones.

Tickets are based on number of journeys you make over the number of zones you cross. There are also all day and three day travel cards that give you access to all zones. We advise asking a Metro worker for help when buying your first ticekts and be prepared to pay in cash, as foreign bank cards will not work on the ticket machines.

The metro is not as frequent as the London Underground, it doesn’t access all areas, but it’s big, bright, air conditioned and you get phone reception.

Just touch in touch out and remember to keep your Andante card with you.

More information on the Porto Metro can be found here

By Taxi

Taxis in Porto are cheap, but always ask how much it will be before you get in the car! They are safe and reliable but have a tendency to drive fast, so fasten your seatbelt.

Uber is the cheapest way to get around in Porto, however don’t get one to or from the Campanhã, Praça da Batalha or HF Ipanema Park Hotel as there is still a dispute between traditional taxi companies and Uber.

Porto’s local cabs:
Raditaxi
00351 22 5073 900

RadiTaxi website

Taxis Invicta
00351 225 076 400

Taxis Invicta

By Bus

Buses in Porto are good, if you know where you are and where you’re going.
They are run by STCP, although their website can be a little hard to use. It’s always best to check with the locals at the bus stop for advice, most people will be happy to help!

Click here to see the bus map

By Train

Porto has two excellent trains stations, São Bento and Campanhã, with trains constantly departing to various destinations.The train to Lisbon leaves from Campanhã. The fastest train is the AP (Alfa Pendular), which takes 2h 45m to Lisbon Santa Apolónia. A return ticket costs around €40 and the journey is usually pretty comfortable.

When traveling, just remember to keep an eye on your bags.