Want to fly to Lisbon (LIS) on a budget? There are flights to Lisbon from airports all over the country. Your best bet for an affordable ticket is from London. Heathrow (LHR), Stansted (STD), Luton (LTN), Gatwick (LGW) or London City (LCY) all have options. We’ll give you everything you need to make the right decision for your itinerary.
There are quite a few possibilities to choose from, London-Lisbon is a popular route. Because of the fierce competition, airlines usually offer tickets for very reasonable prices.
Which airlines fly to Lisbon?
You can choose from a large number of airlines, such as easyJet, Ryanair, TAP Portugal and air Europa. We have a preference for TAP Portugal because they’re pretty relaxed with hand luggage, and because we like the service on board. Besides, it’s nice that you’ll be hearing so much Portuguese around you while still in the airport. Great way to get in the mood!
If you’re only interested in the ticket price, you will usually end up with a low-cost airline, like Ryanair, easyJet and Vueling (the cheaper sister of Iberia). If you choose one of these carriers then Vueling is your best option as far as we are concerned, because they use Terminal 1 at Lisbon Airport. That means you don’t have to get on a 10 minute bus ride at Lisbon Airport for checking in. Very comfortable.
All other low cost airlines fly to and from Terminal 2. While still a decent terminal, the services here are way more sober than Terminal 1. And as we said, you have to take a shuttle bus to and from this terminal. We don’t really like that, especially since we have both suitcases and all the kids stuff to carry (stroller and car seats).
Where should I book?
There are several good sites to book your flights to Lisbon. We always check BudgetAir.co.uk, TAP Portugal and Skyscanner.
BudgetAir.co.uk is a no frills booking site. They have a large amount of flights available and the booking experience is pretty smooth. Also the site works well on your mobile phone. Check out their deals by signing up for their newsletter.
Skyscanner offers an even wider range of flights to Lisbon. The site loads quite fast, which is a plus. We do occasionally see small differences in the search results and the final price you have to pay, please pay attention to that.
What is the cheapest period to travel to Lisbon?
According to Skyscanner, January is the cheapest month to fly to Lisbon overall, and July is the most expensive (source). This is quite similar to our own experiences. We often fly in January and February (the winter in Portugal is wonderful) and usually we pay no more than £ 90 per ticket.
Note that prices will be higher if you want to book at the end of December. The best time to book to Lisbon is a month or three in advance. Skyscanner tells us it’s even more at 19 weeks before departure, but in our experience a week or 10 in advance you can usually find a good deal.
What is the best time to fly to Lisbon?
When should I fly to Lisbon? As with so many things, it depends. Summer in Lisbon is usually quite warm (30+ degrees is no exception), that might scare you off for a city break.
Winter is usually not a time for the beach, expect an average daily temperature of 13-17 degrees in December and January, and sunny afternoons reaching 20 degrees are not impossible. Very nice, especially when there’s snow and rain back home in the UK.
Autumn and spring are our favorite seasons for trips to Lisbon. You can expect temperatures from 19 to 24 degrees, often nice and sunny and relatively few other tourists. We’ve actually been been to the beach in November, especially if the wind is not too strong and the sun is shining.
Read more about the Lisbon weather and when to travel »
How long is the flight time to Lisbon?
The average flight time from London to Lisbon is 2 hours and 45 minutes. With tailwind you can cut 10 minutes off of that time. Headwind? Add 10 minutes. Same goes for flights from Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow or Dublin.
The general rule you can follow is that a flight from anywhere in the UK or Ireland to Lisbon will usually take you no more than 3 hours.
Money back with delay of 3+ hours
Did you know that if your flight lands more than 3 hours later than planned, you can claim £350 per ticket with the airline? We experienced this first hand and got reimbursed for three tickets! We ended up getting more money back than we paid for in the first place. True story!
Check this site for more information.
Arrival airport
In Lisbon you’ll land at Humberto Delgado airport. Until May 2016, the airport’s official name was Lisbon Portela Airport or Aeroporto da Portela. You’ll find that most locals still talk about Portela when referring to the airport. Terminal 1, near the main building, is the terminal for BA, TAP and Vueling, while Ryanair and easyJet connect to Terminal 2. That means a minute or 10 minutes by bus to the main building.
