Lisbon airport to Cascais, Ericeira and Sintrametro, train, bus, taxi and transfer

Checked on 10–11 October 2026. Every time and fare below has a source and a date. Where we could not verify a figure, such as which bus fare applies to each Ericeira line or a taxi to the coast, the page says so instead of guessing. Timetables change: check before you go.

Short answer: take the metro from the airport (06:30 to 01:00 [2]). For Cascais, ride to Cais do Sodré and take the CP train (40 minutes, 53 departures on a weekday and only 33 on a Sunday; from 8 November 2026 the line runs round the clock, 00:00 to 23:30 [18][19]). For Ericeira, ride to Campo Grande and take a Carris Metropolitana bus; the fast 2801 (about 44 minutes) ran 23 times on our sample Tuesday but only 3 times on each weekend day, so at weekends most runs are on lines taking 56 to 94 minutes [9]. For Sintra, take the train from Rossio or Oriente [8]. Landing late in the evening, with children and big suitcases, or heading to Ericeira on a weekend evening: a taxi or a pre-booked transfer is the simpler choice.

The options at a glance

To	Public transport	Main legs (estimates)	Fare we could verify
Cascais	Metro to Cais do Sodré (change at Alameda), CP train	Train 40 min (33 at weekday rush hour): 53 departures on a weekday 05:30–21:10, 41 on a Saturday, 33 on a Sunday 08:20–19:00. From 8 Nov 2026 00:00–23:30 daily, 62 weekday / 52 weekend trains, ride 41 min (34 at rush hour) [18][19]	Metro €1.92 contactless [3]; CP return €5.10 or Zapping €2.05 [5]
Ericeira	Metro to Campo Grande (change at Alameda), Carris Metropolitana bus	Bus 44 min (2801) to 82–94 min (2751) [9]	Metro €1.92 [3]; bus €1.30–4.65 on board depending on line type [17]: check yours
Sintra	Metro to Oriente or Rossio, CP train	Train about 40 min from Rossio [7]	CP return €5.10 or Zapping €2.05 [5]
Any of them	Taxi, Bolt, Uber or pre-booked transfer	Road: Cascais 36 km, Ericeira 46 km, Sintra 28 km [13][14][15]	Not verified for the coast

Road times in the routing model are about 30 minutes to Cascais, 37 to Ericeira and 27 to Sintra, without traffic [13][14][15]; they are model estimates, not measured journeys.

Metro from the airport

The airport has its own metro station on the red line; the airport puts the ride to the centre at about 20 minutes [1]. The metro runs from 06:30 to 01:00 every day, weekends and holidays included; under normal operation, entering before 01:00 guarantees you transport to the stations of the line [2]. With a change at Alameda, do not cut it fine.

• Contactless bank card: €1.92 per trip on Visa, V Pay or Mastercard [3]. Each passenger needs their own card or phone, and you tap in and out with the same one [3]. A family can’t pay for everyone with one bank card; the alternative is a Navegante card per person.
• Navegante card: the reusable paper card costs €0.50 [5]; load it with Zapping credit and it works on the metro and on CP trains. Each traveller needs their own card.
• Changing lines: the red line meets the green line at Alameda. The green line runs north to Campo Grande (Ericeira buses) and south to Rossio and Cais do Sodré (Sintra and Cascais trains) [4].

The contactless page covers the metro only [3]. We found no official statement that the same card works on CP trains or Carris Metropolitana buses, so for the train plan on a Navegante card with Zapping credit [5], and check the bus fare separately.

Airport to Cascais

1. Metro red line to Alameda, green line to the end at Cais do Sodré [4].
2. CP train on the Cascais line: 40 minutes to Cascais, 33 on the weekday rush-hour trains. Counted from CP’s timetable data on 26 October 2026, per day and direction: 53 departures from Cais do Sodré on a weekday (05:30 to 21:10, every 15 to 30 minutes), 41 on a Saturday (05:30 to 20:00) and 33 on a Sunday, and on Sundays nothing before 08:20 or after 19:00 [18]. CP’s data switches to a new Cascais timetable on 8 November 2026, because of modernisation work at Oeiras station: 00:00 to 23:30 every day, 62 trains on weekdays and 52 at weekends, four of them at night (00:00, 00:30, 01:00, 01:30), and the ride becomes 41 minutes, 34 at rush hour [19]. CP says the overnight replacement buses on the Cascais–Caxias section stay in place even so, so if you land after midnight, check the night departures on the day rather than trusting the data [20].

Fares (CP, in force since 1 January 2026): a Lisbon–Cascais return costs €5.10; Zapping deducts a flat €2.05 per validation on CP urban trains; children aged 4 to 12 pay half fare on single tickets [5]. Staying a calendar month? The Navegante Metropolitano pass (€40) covers metro, trains and buses across the region [11].

We could not read CP’s own Cascais timetable, so the last train of the night is not verified: check it on cp.pt before a late flight.

Airport to Ericeira

1. Metro red line to Alameda, green line north to Campo Grande [4].
2. Carris Metropolitana bus from Campo Grande to the Ericeira bus terminal. Five lines make the run [10][9]:

Line	Route	Ride time	Tue 13 Oct	Sat 17 Oct	Sun 18 Oct
2801	via A21/A8	44–50 min	23 runs, 07:15–19:45	3 runs (10:15, 14:30, 20:45)	3 runs (10:15, 14:30, 20:45)
2803	via Mafra	56–59 min	23 runs, 09:15–20:40	7 runs, 08:45–19:00	6 runs, 08:00–19:00
2740	via A8	68–71 min	22 runs, 10:10–00:25 (after midnight)	15 runs, 08:00–21:45	9 runs, 08:45–22:15
2741	via Freixeira	78–79 min	4 runs, last 22:40	3 runs, last 23:00	1 run (16:00)
2751		82–94 min	8 runs, 06:27–23:55	5 runs, last 23:55	6 runs, last 23:40

Departures from Campo Grande, counted from the Carris Metropolitana timetable data (GTFS feed of 9 October 2026) for three sample days [9]. Other dates can differ: check the line on carrismetropolitana.pt before you travel.

What the table means in practice:

• On the sample weekday, the 2801 is the bus to catch: about 44 minutes, with frequent runs in the late afternoon.
• On the sample weekend days the 2801 ran only three times a day, so most trips are on the 2803 (about an hour) or the 2740 (about 70 minutes).
• Late in the evening the last buses were the 2740 at 00:25 after midnight on the Tuesday, and the slow 2751 at 23:55 on Saturday and 23:40 on Sunday [9].

Fare: the monthly Navegante Metropolitano (€40) covers these buses [11]. Single fares depend on the line’s fare type: TML’s 2026 Carris Metropolitana price list runs from €1.30 to €4.65 on board (Próxima €1.30, Longa €2.70, Rápida €4.65), with lower prices if you prepay on a Navegante card (€0.85 to €3.10) [17]. We could not confirm which fare type each Ericeira line uses, so check the current fare for your line on carrismetropolitana.pt/tarifarios before you go.

Taxi, Bolt, Uber and transfers

• Taxi: there is a rank outside both arrivals and departures. The airport puts a taxi to the city centre at €10–15 including luggage, and advises making sure the meter is on and asking for a receipt [1]. That figure is for the centre only; we found no official price to Cascais, Ericeira or Sintra, so ask for an estimate before you set off.
• Bolt and Uber: pick-up is in a dedicated area at P2, level 2 (arrivals level); the airport warns that these rides are booked in the app, never by someone who approaches you in the terminal [1]. Bolt lists Lisbon among its cities [16]. We did not check fares to the coast.
• Pre-booked transfer: a driver waiting in arrivals takes the metro change and the bus timetable out of the equation, which matters most for Ericeira at weekends and for flights landing late in the evening. We did not compare operators or prices for this page.
• Hire car: worth it if you are based in Ericeira or want the wild beaches; desks, toll devices and bridge tolls are in Lisbon airport car hire.

Landing late

• Metro: last entry at 01:00 [2].
• Ericeira: last bus from Campo Grande 00:25 after midnight on the sample Tuesday (2740) and 23:55 on Saturday or 23:40 on Sunday (2751), on the sample dates [9]. Allow for the metro ride and the change at Alameda before that.
• Cascais and Sintra: we could not verify the last trains. Check cp.pt on the day.
• Once the metro has closed, or you are too late for the last bus or train, the practical options are a taxi, Bolt or Uber (pick-up at P2 [1]), or a transfer booked in advance.

Aerobus: not found in 2026

Older guides describe an Aerobus shuttle from the airport. We could not find it running in October 2026: the airport’s public transport page (archive of 26 December 2025) lists the metro, buses and taxis but no Aerobus [1], and the Aerobus page on the Carris website returns “not found” [12]. That is not proof it has stopped for good: if you see it advertised, confirm with the airport before you rely on it.

Lisbon airport to Sintra

Sintra is the shortest of the three by road, about 28 km [15], and by train it is a single line from central Lisbon.

1. Metro from the airport to Oriente (on the red line, a few stops before the centre) or to Rossio (change to the green line at Alameda) [4]; Rossio railway station is a separate building, a short walk from the metro. Sintra-line trains run from Rossio, Oriente and Entrecampos, according to Parques de Sintra [8].
2. CP train on the Sintra line. In CP’s latest full timetable we found (in force since 30 June 2024), trains leave Rossio at :01 and :31 and reach Sintra 40 minutes later [7]. That timetable is two years old: check the current one on cp.pt.

Fares: a Lisbon–Sintra return is €5.10, or €2.05 per Zapping validation; the Train & Bus day ticket (€14.00) covers the Sintra line plus buses 434 and 435 to the palaces [5]. Private cars can’t drive up to Pena, so a hire car helps less here than on the coast. Which sights to pick with children, and what they cost: Sintra day trip from Lisbon.

With children and luggage

• One card per person: contactless on the metro is one bank card per passenger [3], so a family needs a Navegante card for anyone without their own card [5]. We did not find the metro’s age rules: ask at the ticket office.
• Big suitcases: city buses only take luggage up to 50 x 40 x 20 cm [1]; the metro and trains have no such limit in the sources we read, but stairs and changes at Alameda add up with a stroller.
• Half fares: CP single tickets are half price for children aged 4 to 12 [5].

Related

• Getting around Lisbon and the coast: trains, buses and the monthly pass once you are there
• Cascais vs Ericeira: which beach base to choose
• Flights to Lisbon: who flies direct and when fares are lowest
• Lisbon airport car hire
• Sintra day trip from Lisbon

Sources

Listed in the source list on this page and numbered in the order of the [n] references above. Read on 9–11 October 2026; the airport page from an archived copy because the live site blocks automated access.