Flights to Lisbon

You can fly to Lisbon Airport (LIS) from the UK in just short of three hours. The airport is seven kilometres (four miles) from the city centre, making it quick and easy to reach your hotel when you land.

You can pick up cheap flights to Lisbon from London just about any day of the week. The flying time from the UK capital is two hours and 50 minutes.

Direct flights depart from Heathrow (LHR) with British Airways, easyJet, Finnair or TAP Portugal. EasyJet offers services from Luton (LTN) and Gatwick (LGW), which is the place to look for flights with TAP Portugal. Ryanair offers some of the cheapest flights to Lisbon from Stansted (STN) all year round.

If London isn’t an option, look at Manchester Airport (MAN) or Birmingham Airport (BHX) for year-round flights to Lisbon. You could spend a weekend Christmas shopping in Chiado, eating out in Bairro Alto and still be back in plenty of time to celebrate the big day at home too.

If your heart is set on moonlit rooftop bars and sunny beaches, summer is the season to travel. Happily, that’s when easyJet offers cheap direct flights to Lisbon Airport from Bristol (BRS) and Liverpool (LPL).

As one of Europe’s least expensive cities, Lisbon works a holiday budget like nowhere else, but planning ahead is the best way to bag the best airfares.

Once the sun breaks cover in early spring, it’s pretty much essential to book as soon as possible if you want to get anywhere near the cheapest flights to Lisbon during the peak summer season.

Saint Anthony of Padua is Lisbon’s patron saint and the saint of matchmaking, so it goes without saying that the city he protects is one of the most romantic.

The city is home to seductive hotels, soul-stirring views and the haunting strains of fado music – but the price of love in Lisbon isn’t high and even shoestring budgets can stretch to grand gestures. Again, book ahead for deals and you can afford to be extravagant in other, far more exciting ways.

Time your visit for the Sardine Festival in June and discover the city’s Atlantic beaches instead of the Algarve in summer, or hop over during winter to browse the world’s oldest bookshop, buy goodies at the Time Out Market and treat yourself to an evening of music at the legendary Café Luso.

How you do Lisbon is up to you, but getting there fast and paying less for flights is always possible.