A Day Trip to Lisbon From the UK, Hour by Hour, From £82.00
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The cheapest day trip to Lisbon from the UK is Stansted on Sunday 13 December, £54.00 return and £82.00 for the whole day, with about 8.6 hours in the city. Edinburgh is £91.00 on Tuesday 10 November.
Lisbon is on the same time as us, which sounds like nothing until you do a day trip there. No hour lost on the way out. You land, and the day is yours.
This is how the cheapest one we found plays out. Ryanair from Stansted on Sunday 13 December, £54.00 return, checked on 28 October 2026.
06:20, Stansted
It's an early one, no way round it. But you'll sleep through most of the flight, and the payoff is a full day.
Mid morning, into town
The red metro line runs from the airport into the city in about 20 minutes. It's €1.90 a go plus €0.50 for the card, and the trip page counts it at £2.00 there and back. By the time most people in London are thinking about Sunday lunch, you're walking down to the river.
Late morning, the big square and the hill
Start at Praça do Comércio, the huge square on the water with the Rua Augusta arch. From there it's uphill, and Lisbon is all hills, so wear proper shoes.
São Jorge castle is €17.00 and gets you the view over the whole city. If you only pay for one thing all day, make it this, and go before lunch while your legs are fresh.
Lunch
We count lunch at £8.00 and dinner at £12.00, which is fair for Lisbon if you eat where locals eat rather than on the main drag.
Afternoon, Alfama or Belém
You've got a choice to make here, because you won't do both properly.
Stay central and wander Alfama, the old tangled streets under the castle, with the trams squeezing past. Or head out west to Belém. Jerónimos monastery is €18.00 and Belém tower €15.00. It's a fair trip out, which is why the trip page adds £6.00 for local transport.
Evening, dinner and back
The flight home is 20:45 and lands at Stansted at 23:35. Give yourself time to get back to the airport, it's the same 20 minutes on the metro but you want an hour and a half in hand.
Add it up and it's £54.00 for the flight and £28.00 on the ground, £82.00 for the whole day, with about 8.6 hours actually in Lisbon. See Lisbon from Stansted on 13 December
From other airports
- Edinburgh Tuesday 10 November, easyJet, £63.00 flight, £91.00 for the day. Out 07:05, home 20:45. See it
- Luton Tuesday 15 December, easyJet, £71.00 flight, £99.00 for the day. Out 07:20, home 19:20. See it
- Manchester Wednesday 25 November, easyJet, £102.00 flight, £130.00 for the day. Out 07:25, home 20:10. See it
- Heathrow Sunday 29 November, £156.00 flight, £184.00 for the day. Out 06:00, home 19:50. See it
Not free on the 13th? Stansted was £59.00 on Friday 11 December and £64.00 on Monday 14 December. Edinburgh was £64.00 on Tuesday 15 December. Luton was £73.00 on Monday 7 December.
Is it worth it for one day?
Honestly, yes, as long as you pick one side of the city and stick to it. People who try to do Belém, the castle, Alfama and a tram ride all in one go spend the day on public transport. Do half of it properly and save the rest for next time.
Want more sun this winter? Our winter sun day trips for December has Lisbon alongside six others.
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Day trips in this article
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