Fares shown are modelled estimates, not live quotes.
Prices shown are estimates. Search Google Flights for current options and pricing.
Watch LAX to LIS
Add your email and we will watch Los Angeles to Lisbon for you, plus the cheapest fares out of LAX.
No account needed. We will use LAX as your home airport. Unsubscribe anytime. Fare emails begin once the rebuilt feed is live.
Use your real quote
Build a LAX–LIS price target
Enter a round-trip quote you found and the price you would book. Wildly does not invent a live fare here: the worksheet uses only your numbers, then carries the airport pair and target into the alert form.
Dates and trip type are completed on the next screen. Fare reviews remain paused during the provider migration. See free and Pro limits.
From LAX airport to Lisbon
Reaching Los Angeles International
LAX Automated People Mover (new, opens summer 2025): $2.50 from Downtown LA/Civic Center Station, connects to Green Line. Travel time: 35-40 min total, runs every 4-6 minutes. Best for budget travelers without luggage issues. Uber/Lyft from Downtown: $28-45 depending on surge pricing, 25-35 min off-peak, avoid rush hours (3-7 PM adds 20+ min). Silver Line bus (dedicated lane) from Downtown: $2.50, theoretically 30 min but often 45-60 min due to traffic bottlenecks. Skip unless you're traveling with no luggage. Rental car/parking: $20-35 daily at off-airport lots near Inglewood, 10-min shuttle to terminals. Best value if staying 4+ days.
Getting from LIS into Lisbon
The Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) is just 4 miles from the city center, which makes transit options genuinely excellent. Metro (Red Line): The fastest and cheapest option at €1.85 per trip with a reloadable Viva Viagem card (€0.50 for the card itself) — buy it at the airport station kiosk, ride directly to Baixa-Chiado or Marquês de Pombal in about 20 minutes. This is the move 90% of the time. Taxi/Rideshare: Uber and Bolt both operate reliably from arrivals; expect €8-14 to central Lisbon in normal traffic, €15-20 during rush hour — dramatically cheaper than most European capitals. Official taxis (green and black) are metered and also reasonable but slightly pricier than Uber. Aerobus (Bus 1): An express shuttle that runs two lines covering major hotel areas including Marquês de Pombal, Restauradores, and Praça do Comércio for €4 one-way; slower than metro during traffic but drops you closer to many hotel front doors.
Planning Los Angeles to Lisbon
Lisbon is the city Europeans have been quietly obsessed with for a decade while Americans were still fixated on Paris and Rome — and now the secret is fully out. Built across seven hills above the Tagus River, it has the architectural bones of a great imperial capital (which it was), the weathered beauty of a city that took centuries to rebuild after a catastrophic 1755 earthquake, and a food scene that punches far above its weight class. The light here is genuinely different — softer, more golden than anywhere else in Europe — and the city's famous miradouros (hilltop viewpoints) make that light impossible to ignore. Flights from the US East Coast land you here in 6-7 hours nonstop, making it one of the most time-efficient European capitals you can reach.
Local basics
Best-month weather in Lisbon
May
57–71°F · 7 rain daysMay is arguably Lisbon's best month: warm enough for outdoor dining every night, light until 9pm, and the city is buzzing without being overwhelmed. Rain becomes rare by late May.
June
62–77°F · 4 rain daysThe Festa de Santo António on June 12-13 fills every street in Alfama with sardines, paper streamers, and dancing until dawn — genuinely one of Europe's best street festivals.
The destination guide flags July and August as the least favorable months.
Two areas to consider
Alfama
mid-rangeThe oldest and most photographed neighborhood in Lisbon, draped in azulejo tiles and fado music spilling from restaurant windows. Staying here is atmospheric but increasingly expensive and chaotic — narrow streets mean no Uber access and heavy tourist traffic. Best specific hotel: the Santiago de Alfama boutique hotel for mid-range splurge. Eat at A Cevicheria's Alfama outpost or the no-name tasca at the corner of Rua dos Remédios and Rua do Vigário.
Bairro Alto
mid-rangeLisbon's traditional bohemian quarter and nightlife epicenter — restaurants and wine bars in the day, packed bars and clubs at night. The neighborhood has gentrified but still has more grit and authenticity than Chiado. Stay here if you want to walk out your door and immediately start bar-hopping. Book at the Bairro Alto Hotel if budget allows — the rooftop bar has the best views in this price range.
Local planning tip
Buy a Viva Viagem reloadable transit card at the airport Metro station on arrival (€0.50 for the card) and load it with €10-15 — it covers all Metro, bus, and tram rides at €1.85 flat, and critically, you can use it to ride the commuter rail to Cascais (€2.35 each way) and Sintra (€2.45 each way). Most tourists don't realize this and either pay cash per ride at a premium or buy separate tickets. The same card also covers the cross-Tagus ferry to Cacilhas (€1.30) — a 10-minute boat ride that gives you the best possible skyline view of Lisbon for basically free, plus access to one of the city's best seafood restaurants, A Tasca do Chico, which only locals seem to visit.
Visa and entry notes for US travelers
US passport holders enter Portugal (and the entire Schengen Area) visa-free for up to 90 days within any 180-day period — no application required, no fee. As of 2025, the EU's ETIAS pre-travel authorization system for Americans is in effect; registration costs €7 and is valid for 3 years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. Apply at the official ETIAS website before departure — takes about 10 minutes and approval is typically instant or within a few hours. If you're planning to stay in Portugal longer than 90 days, the D8 Digital Nomad Visa allows remote workers earning at least €3,480/month to live and work legally — application through Portugal's AIMA agency. Your US passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure date from the Schengen Area.