Porto airport to the citymetro line E, night bus, taxi, and direct buses to Braga, Guimarães, Aveiro and Matosinhos

Checked on 10 October 2026. Times and fares below come from the operators’ own timetables and price lists, with the date of each. Where we could not verify a figure, such as a taxi fare, the page says so instead of guessing; journey times that combine two legs are our estimates. Timetables change: check before you go.

Short answer: for the centre, take metro line E from the airport: 27 to 32 minutes to Trindade, roughly every 15 minutes in the daytime, first train about 06:00 and last at 00:42 [2][3]. Buy a Z4 ticket on an Andante card, €2.30 plus €0.60 for the card [4][5]. After midnight, the 3M night bus runs to Avenida dos Aliados until 05:30 [8]. For Braga and Guimarães, a Getbus coach goes direct from the arrivals floor in 40 to 45 minutes, from €9 [11][12][13]. For Aveiro, take the metro to Campanhã and a CP train [3][14]. Leça da Palmeira is on bus 601; Matosinhos is one metro change away [3][9]. Landing late with children and big cases, a taxi or a pre-booked transfer saves a change and a wait.

The options at a glance

To	Public transport	Time on board (timetable)	Fare we could verify
Porto centre (Trindade, Aliados)	Metro line E	27–32 min to Trindade [3]	Z4 €2.30 + €0.60 card [4]
Porto at night	STCP bus 3M, 00:30–05:30	28 min to Av. Aliados [8]	€2.50 from the driver [10]
Braga	Getbus, direct	45 min [11]	From €9 [13]
Guimarães	Getbus, direct	40 min [12]	From €9 [13]
Aveiro	Metro E to Campanhã, then CP urban train	33–34 min + 53–68 min on the urban train, plus the change [3][14][27]	Metro: check the zone; train €3.95 [15]
Leça da Palmeira	STCP bus 601	Stops in Leça on the way to Porto [9]	€2.50 from the driver [10]
Matosinhos	Metro E, change at Senhora da Hora to line A	14–19 min + 14–18 min, plus the change [3]	Check the zone

By road the centre is about 16 km, Matosinhos 11 km, Leça 8 km, Braga and Guimarães about 53–54 km and Aveiro 87 km from the airport [17][18][19][20][21][22]; those are routing-model figures without traffic, not measured journeys.

Metro line E: airport to the centre

Line E (violet) starts at the airport (Aeroporto station) and runs through the centre to Campanhã and Estádio do Dragão [1]. It is the default for most arrivals.

• Journey time: 27 to 32 minutes to Trindade, the central interchange; through trains reach Campanhã (the main railway station) in 33 to 34 minutes [3].
• How often: in the timetable valid from 7 September 2026, roughly every 15 minutes between 07:00 and 20:00 and about every 20 minutes in the evening [2]. After 23:00 the airport departures are 23:27, 00:09 and 00:42 [3]. The airport’s own page still says “every 20 or 30 minutes” [1].
• First and last train from the airport: 06:06 on weekdays, 05:58 on Saturdays, 05:57 on Sundays; the last is 00:42 every day [3].
• Through to Campanhã or not: in the daytime every other train ends at Trindade. On weekdays the trains leaving the airport at about :11 and :41 past the hour stop there; the others continue to Campanhã and Estádio do Dragão [3]. If yours ends at Trindade, change there to any train towards Campanhã: lines A, B, C, E and F all run that stretch [3]. From about 20:00 every line E train runs through [3].

Tickets:

1. Buy a blue Andante card (€0.60, reusable) at the ticket machines; every metro station has them [4][5].
2. Load a Z4 single for €2.30. Metro do Porto names Aeroporto to Trindade as a Z4 journey [5]. A Z4 is valid for 1 hour 15 minutes from the first validation, and validating again within that time, for example when you change trains, does not use another ticket [4][5].
3. Validate before you board, and again when you change.
4. One card per person: an Andante card can be used by only one passenger at a time, so a family needs one card each [10].

Staying a few days? The Andante Tour 1 costs €7.75 for 24 hours of unlimited travel on the whole Andante network, airport included, which is less than the Andante 24 for Z4 at €8.55. Tour 3 costs €16.55 for 72 hours. Tour cards are not reloadable [4].

Contactless bank card: Andante runs a pilot that lets you tap a contactless bank card when boarding at Aeroporto, Senhora da Hora, Casa da Música, Trindade and the central stations, on marked validators only. The pilot page says each trip is charged as a Z4, valid for 1 hour 15 minutes on the metro and STCP buses, with a daily cap of €7.00 [6]. The same page still shows the Z4 at €2.15, against €2.30 on Metro do Porto’s 2026 price list [4][6], so treat the amounts as unconfirmed; the Andante card above is the predictable option.

More on zones, monthly passes and trains north: getting around Porto.

Landing late: the night bus and the last connections

• Last metro: 00:42 from the airport, reaching Trindade at 01:09 and Campanhã at 01:15 [3].

• Night bus 3M: STCP’s night line runs from the airport to Avenida dos Aliados in the centre, via Trindade [8]. In the October 2026 schedule it left the airport at 00:30, 01:30, 02:30, 03:30, 04:00, 04:30, 05:00 and 05:30, every night of the week, timed at 28 minutes [8]. STCP’s overview page describes it as hourly between 00:30 and 05:30 [7]; the schedule itself is hourly until 03:30 and every 30 minutes after that [8].

• Paying on the bus: a ticket from the driver costs €2.50, in cash, MB WAY or contactless, and is valid only for that trip [10]. An Andante card works too.

• Day buses: STCP’s overview says lines 601 and 602 run from the airport to Cordoaria in the centre from about 05:30 to 00:30 [7], and the published schedules differ from that. We recounted STCP’s own timetable data on 26 October 2026 [26]: the 601 leaves the airport from 05:30, and the last bus that reaches the centre leaves at 00:20 (Cordoaria 00:54). There is a later departure at 01:10, but it is signed Rot. AEP and terminates at Rotunda A.E.P. in Leça after 21 minutes — it does not go into Porto. That pattern is identical on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays, with 35, 26 and 27 departures towards the city. The 602 runs only from 06:00 to about 20:45 [9][25]. Both are slower than the metro; the 601’s daytime frequency is in the Leça section below.

  Caveat on the 601: STCP’s open timetable data covers only 1–23 September 2026 and contains no school-term weekday service, so treat these as the September pattern. STCP’s own line page still said “last 01:10” when we read it [9], which is true of the bus but not of the journey into Porto.

• Braga and Guimarães: Getbus leaves at 00:45 for both every night; miss it and the next coach is at 05:00 [11][12].

• Aveiro: CP trains leave Campanhã for Aveiro until 01:08 every night (arriving 02:12) [14]; see the Aveiro section for the metro you need.

After the last metro, the 601 at 00:20 and then the 3M are the STCP options into Porto that we found [8][26]. With tired children at that hour, a booked transfer or a taxi is worth pricing in advance.

Taxi, Bolt, Uber and transfers

• Taxi: taxis run around the clock, wait at taxi ranks and usually carry up to 4 passengers; a larger car can be ordered by phone [1]. The fare is metered. The airport notes that tolls on the route are added and that a luggage supplement applies to items larger than 55 x 35 x 20 cm [1]. We found no official price to the centre or anywhere else, so ask the driver for an estimate before you set off. The centre is about 16 km by road [17].
• Bolt and Uber: Bolt says its pick-up points at Porto airport are shown in the app and that there are ride-hailing signs in the terminal; the price appears in the app before you book [16]. We did not check fares or the exact pick-up area.
• Pre-booked transfer: a driver waiting in arrivals removes the metro change and the timetable, which counts most with small children or a landing after the last metro. When you book, confirm the number of seats, child seats, room for your luggage and what happens if the flight is late. We did not compare operators or prices for this page.
• Hire car: not worth it for the city, useful for the Douro and the coast. The six desks in the terminal, the toll device and the A28 and A41 gantries are in Porto airport car hire.

Porto airport to Braga

Getbus runs a direct, non-stop coach between the airport and Braga bus station (platform 20), every day including holidays [11][23].

• From the airport: 00:45, 05:00, 07:00, 08:30, then hourly from 09:30 to 16:30, 17:45, 19:00, 20:30 and 23:00 [11]. Between 00:45 and 05:00 there is nothing.
• Journey: 45 minutes [11]. By road it is about 54 km [20].
• Where: bay P8, arrivals floor at the airport [11][13].
• Fare: from €9 one way on the Getbus website [13]; we did not check child fares. Tickets are sold online, in the Getbus app, at Getbus desks or by the driver, in cash or by card [11][23].
• Luggage: per passenger, two pieces of luggage up to 32 kg, a carry-on and a small bag; the driver may charge for more [23].
• Flight delayed? The bus cannot wait, but your ticket is valid on the next departure at no extra cost [23]. After 00:45 the next one is at 05:00.

Without the coach, the alternative is the metro to Campanhã and a CP urban train to Braga; trains and times are in Braga and Guimarães from Porto. Braga itself: Braga.

Porto airport to Guimarães

Getbus also runs direct to Guimarães bus station (platform 8), daily, in about 40 minutes [12][23].

• From the airport: 00:45, 05:00, 09:00, 10:30, 13:00, 14:15, 15:30, 16:30, 17:45, 19:30, 20:45 and 23:00 [12].
• Fare: from €9 one way [13]. Same bay P8 [13]; the luggage allowance and the next-departure rule above are in Getbus’s general terms [23].
• Gaps: nothing between 00:45 and 05:00, and the longest daytime gap is 05:00 to 09:00 [12]. On an early-morning landing, check whether the Braga coach or the train via Campanhã fits better.

What to see once you are there: Guimarães.

Porto airport to Aveiro

We could not confirm a direct airport bus to Aveiro. The usual route is two legs:

1. Metro line E to Campanhã, 33 to 34 minutes on a through train [3]. On a train that ends at Trindade, change there for Campanhã. Metro do Porto only states the zone for Aeroporto–Trindade (Z4) [5], so check the zone to Campanhã on the ticket machine.

2. CP urban train, Aveiro line, from Campanhã. Recounted from CP’s own timetable data on 26 October 2026 [27]: the urban trains take 53 to 68 minutes (the common pattern is 57, for example Campanhã 11:10, Aveiro 12:07; the early-morning and late-evening trains are the 65–68 minute ones). Southbound there are 30 urban trains on a weekday, 16 on a Saturday and 19 to 20 on a Sunday; northbound from Aveiro, 27, 16 and 17 to 19. Late departures from Campanhã run daily at 22:10, 23:00 and 00:00, and a train at 01:08 every night, arriving 02:12 — a regional train Monday to Saturday, an urban one on Sundays from 8 November, and it did not run on Sunday 1 November, a public holiday [27].

   The same stretch is also served by Alfa Pendular (34–36 minutes) and Intercidades (38–40 minutes), about 11 and 7 of them a day [27]. Those are long-distance trains: a reserved seat and a separate, higher fare, not the €3.95 urban ticket below. Fares and booking: trains in Portugal.

Fare: Campanhã to Aveiro is 9 zones on CP’s Porto urban network: €3.95 one way, €2.00 half price [15]. Children aged 4 to 12 pay half; under-4s travel free with an adult if they do not take a seat [24]. This is a CP ticket, separate from the Andante card used on the metro. Long-distance CP trains and their fares: trains in Portugal.

Matching the metro to the train (our reading of both timetables):

• For the 23:00, the 22:17 metro reaches Campanhã at 22:50, only 10 minutes before, and you still need a CP ticket; with children, take the 21:57 (Campanhã 22:30) [3][14].
• For the 00:00, the 23:27 metro arrives at 00:00, too late; take the 22:57 (Campanhã 23:30) [3][14].
• For the 01:08, the 00:09 metro reaches Campanhã at 00:42 [3][14]. The last metro, 00:42, arrives at 01:15 and misses it.

We did not check how long the walk is from the metro platform to the CP platforms at Campanhã.

Waiting at Campanhã with children in the daytime: there is a small playground at the Campanhã intermodal terminal (we have not verified its hours). What to do in Aveiro and how to reach the striped houses of Costa Nova: Aveiro and Costa Nova from Porto.

Porto airport to Leça da Palmeira and Matosinhos

Leça da Palmeira and Matosinhos are the closest seaside towns to the airport: about 8 km and 11 km by road [19][18]. They face each other across the port of Leixões, and the two public-transport options serve different sides.

• Leça da Palmeira: bus 601 (STCP). It goes from the airport through Leça (stops include MAR Shopping–IKEA, Rotunda da Exponor, Igreja de Leça and Cais 6) and on into Porto [9]. In the October 2026 schedule the first bus leaves the airport at 05:30; in the daytime it runs about every 30 to 35 minutes on weekdays and every 40 to 50 minutes at weekends [9]. STCP’s overview page gives “about every 25 minutes” [7], so check the day’s times. A ticket from the driver costs €2.50 [10].
• Matosinhos: metro. Line E to Senhora da Hora (14 to 19 minutes), then line A towards Senhor de Matosinhos: Matosinhos Sul is 14 minutes and Mercado 18 minutes further [3]. Line A runs every 12 to 15 minutes on weekdays [2]. On board that is 28 to 37 minutes, plus the wait at Senhora da Hora. We could not confirm the Andante zone for this trip, so check it on the machine.
• Taxi or Bolt: with luggage, the short distance makes a car worth considering. We have no verified fare.

The beaches: Praia de Matosinhos and Praia de Leça da Palmeira; the town: Matosinhos.

With children and luggage

• One Andante card per person [10]. On CP trains to Aveiro, children aged 4 to 12 pay half and under-4s without a seat travel free [24].
• Big suitcases: Getbus takes two pieces up to 32 kg per passenger [23]; taxis charge extra for items above 55 x 35 x 20 cm [1]. We found no luggage limit for the metro in the sources we read.
• The quiet hours: between the last metro (00:42) and about 05:30, the 601 at 00:20 and the 3M night bus (hourly until 03:30, then every 30 minutes) are the STCP options into Porto [3][8][26]. The 601 at 01:10 stops in Leça and does not reach the centre [26]. With tired children, price a taxi or a transfer before you fly.

Related

• Getting around Porto and the north: Andante zones, monthly passes, trains to Braga, Guimarães and the Douro
• Flights to Porto: who flies direct and when fares are lowest
• Porto airport car hire
• Where to stay in Porto
• Braga and Guimarães from Porto
• Aveiro and Costa Nova from Porto

Sources

Listed in the source list on this page and numbered as in the [n] references above. Read on 10 October 2026; the airport page from an archived copy (20 August 2026) because the live site blocks automated access.