Lisbon eSIM
In Lisbon you connect to MEO or Vodafone, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 74 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- MEO and Vodafone
- Typical speed in Portugal
- 74 Mbps typical, 20 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- yes, non standalone
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Lisbon
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $5.89 | $5.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $2.63 | $7.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $1.98 | $9.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $1.49 | $14.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $1.19 | $23.89 | |
| 50 GB | Never expires | $1.16 | $57.89 |
How Portugal compares across Europe
- Regional typical speed
- 71 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, MEO, Vodafone
- 5G
- Yes, non standalone
- Next fastest nearby
- Belgium, 77 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Slovenia, 74 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 4: Lisbon, Porto, Madeira, Algarve
Landing at Humberto Delgado Airport (Lisbon Airport) (LIS)
- Airport
- LIS / LPPT
- Distance
- 7 km from the centre of Lisbon
- Wifi on arrival
- Free wifi in the terminalANA and VINCI Airports describe the airport wifi as free and unlimited, reached through a very short form with no software to download.
Getting into Lisbon
- Lisbon Metro Red Line from Aeroporto station to downtown (LIS), about 20 minutes
- Carris city buses to major squares and train stations (LIS)
- Taxi, available 24 hours (LIS), about 15 minutes
Underground and on the metro
Metro de Lisboa runs 4 lines. It opened in 1959. The operator does not publish whether the tunnels carry a mobile signal, so we do not claim either way.
Worth knowing about Lisbon
- Lisbon's airport is only 7 km from the historic centre and has its own metro station on the Red Line, about 20 minutes to downtown.
- The Aerobus airport shuttle was discontinued in 2023, leaving the metro, Carris buses and taxis.
- The Red Line was extended from Oriente to the airport only on 17 July 2012.
- The Lisbon Metro is not entirely underground: Campo Grande and several later stations are elevated.
- ANA describes the wifi at its Portuguese airports as free and unlimited, deployed with VINCI Airports and operated with Nomosphere, using a very short connection form and no software download.
- Lisbon's buses and trams carry a network called CARRIS WI-FI. Carris says access is free, there is no password, and you only have to accept the terms and conditions.
- The CARRISway app shows where every bus and tram is in real time and tops up a navegante pass by MBWay or card, so it needs a working connection to be useful.
- The navegante ocasional card costs 0.50 euros, stays valid for a year of top ups, and is individual: it cannot be used by a group even when loaded with several tickets.
- Metro de Lisboa accepts contactless bank cards at the gates across the whole network at 1.92 euros a ride, taking VISA, VPAY, Electron and Mastercard plus Apple Pay and Google Pay.
- One card per passenger is mandatory on the metro. A card or phone can only be used by one person per ride, so a couple cannot tap the same card twice.
- Metro de Lisboa lists a single journey at 1.72 euros on zapping credit and a 24 hour Carris and Metro ticket at 7.25 euros from first validation.
- Metro de Lisboa announced in July 2023 that MEO had put 5G on the Red Line, the line that serves the airport, with dedicated coverage along the tunnels as well as in stations.
- The same announcement said the modernisation of the remaining metro lines would be completed by 2025, so the airport line was upgraded first.
- The metro is small by capital city standards: Metro de Lisboa gives 44.5 km of route and 56 stations across four lines.
- The airport extension added only 3.3 km and three stations to the network, Moscavide, Encarnacao and Aeroporto, when it opened in July 2012.
- The Lisbon metro runs from 6.30am to 1am every day, weekends and holidays included. Anyone who passes the gates by 1am is guaranteed a train to any station on that line.
- The Lisboa Card gives unlimited rides on the metro, buses, trams and trains for 24, 48 or 72 hours. The clock starts at first use rather than at purchase, and the card is personal and cannot be shared.