Public transport in Porto is very good and cost effective. There are a few main options:
Metro system
Trams
Bus
More details are below as well as how to get to and from the airport.
Public transport in Porto is very good and cost effective. There are a few main options:
Metro system
Trams
Bus
More details are below as well as how to get to and from the airport.
⚠️ Making things cheaper with Andante card!
The metro is fairly inexpensive for singles (approx €2,25 to get to the hostel from the airport), but it might be that if you're planning on using the Metro a lot during the tour (especially if you're coming on the beach trip!) that you choose to get an Andante Tour card.
What is an Andante Tour card?
An Andante card is sort of like a one-time use Oyster card for short tourist visits, which allows you unlimited travel on all public transport within Porto for certain lengths of time.
How long can they be active for?
Andante Tour cards can be active either for 24h, 48h or 72h. It's best to go for the 72h one and do most of your transport in those three days (which would leave you just having to pay for the odd trip and airport transport there and back on the outside days).
Where can I go, and how?
The card gives you:
unlimited access to the entire metro system
unlimited access to all inner city buses
some access to urban trains (though it's unlikely you'd need these!)
How much do they cost?
24h cards cost €7,50; 72h cards cost €16,00.
More details available online - here.
Note: you cannot buy beyond a 24h ticket for the Andante card at a normal kiosk (there are only options for a single trip card that can be recharged, or a daily pass). You can purchase beyond 24h tickets available at selected places incl. the airport and city centre.
📍 Getting to the Hostel from Airport
Recommended way - by metro 🚇
The best way to get between the airport and the hostel is taking one or two different metro trains (depending on how far you want to walk) on the following two lines.
Line E from Aeroporto > Trinidade (25 minutes)
This departs every 15 minutes between 07:00-20:00; 20 minutes between 20:00-23:00; 30 minutes after 23:00 (last service will leave at approximately 01:00).
Line F from Trinidade > São Bento (5 minutes) or 12-minute walk from Trinidade
This departs every 12 minutes between 07:00-10:00 & 16:00-20:00; 15 minutes between 10:00-16:00 & 20:00-22:00; 30 minutes after 22:00 (last service will leave at approximately 01:00).
This train costs €2,25 and an additional €1,40 if you opt for the second train instead of walking.
Alternative routes - by bus or coach 🚌
I wouldn't recommend this, but if for any reason the metro isn't working or anything, the bus is another fairly cost-effective way to get into the centre from the airport.
with Rede Expressos - details an be found on their website
Cost: €2,95 (may vary during peak times)
Note that this coach will take you to Porto (Campanhã) which is the bus station, and this is about an hours' walk from the centre.
with FlixBus - details an be found on their website
Cost: £3.99-£4.99 (may vary during peak times)
with BUS 601 towards Cordoaira - details an be found on Google Maps
For all of these options, ensure that you check the timetables so that you are not stranded!
Alternative routes - by Uber or Bolt
If you are in a group and think it might be easier just to get a cab or Bolt/Uber, this might work out reasonably cheap if you split it 4 or 5 ways so worth considering, especially for later flights!
with Bolt - often cheaper than Uber - you can expect this to cost you between €15 and €17 normally.
with Uber - you can expect the same ride to cost you about €20 normally.
ℹ️ More useful information
Whilst in Porto, it's useful to have access to the following links: