Getting around in a big city like Lisbon is easier than you think, but those who arrive here don't always know how to do it! And how does our tour service differentiate and fit in after all? This is precisely what I'm going to talk about.
Public services
Lisbon airport is located in the city, about 8km from Baixa, where most hotels are located. You have two options for getting around with shared service. The first is to take a bus operated by CARRIS which is the bus operator throughout the city. Taking the bus is convenient and cheaper than taking a taxi, but it usually takes longer because purchasing tickets on board can be a long process and as Lisbon airport is very busy it may not be the most comfortable or quickest way to travel. But if you don't have heavy luggage and your hotel is in the center of Lisbon it could be a viable option.
The other option is to take the metro (or simply metro) that serves the airport. In this case, you must enter the station lobby and use an automatic machine, buy the Card Navigator and load the card. The card itself, if you don't have one, costs 50 cents. You can top up the card with a value of €3 to €40 in which you pay for each trip, deducting this initial charge as you use it. Each trip costs €1.61 and you can use up to one hour, which is more than enough to get wherever you want; the other option is to buy a one-day ticket, which is valid on buses, metro, lifts and trams for 24 hours and costs €6.80. This version only pays off if you make several trips during that period. This process is all done on the machine and is simple, but there are also purchase counters with someone who will be able to help you if you have any questions.
Private Services
The most common form of private service is to take a taxi as soon as you leave the arrivals terminal. There are usually a lot of taxis available so you won't have any problems getting one. Taxis in Portugal are all metered, but they can charge for bags in the trunk, from 10pm onwards it is more expensive and if your hotel is outside of Lisbon you will be charged a different rate outside the city. The taxi continues to be a comfortable and practical way to get to the center. The other way is to use a service through an application on your phone that follows the same international rules. Finally, you can hire a more exclusive private chauffeur service and there are several companies on the market that provide this type of transport.
And what does Portugal Afora do?
Our service focuses on personalized tours and not transfers. Our tours have been carefully designed to offer a comfortable way to visit some tourist attractions, but it's much more than that. What we actually offer is an entire experience of a travel service, in which we transfer part of our personality to the tour. In fact, traveling with Portugal Afora has very little to do with a classic personalized chauffeur service. Imagine that this is a user-friendly and relaxed transport, in which you get to know the places in a natural way. We don't wear uniforms or uniforms, but we wear a smile and are very knowledgeable about the tours we take. So choose one of the ways above to get to your hotel, walk around Lisbon in places that are only possible on foot and then use our service to comfortably reach other points that are more difficult to access.