The answer
Take Metro line E from the station opposite the terminal exit to Trindade — €2.30 on a Z4 Andante title, loaded onto a €0.60 Andante Azul card. About 25–30 minutes to the central interchange, first train from the airport at 06:06 and the last at 00:42.
Line E starts at the airport, ends at Trindade where every other line meets, and carries no airport supplement — the only thing to get right is the zone you buy.
Staying a day? The Andante Tour 1 at €7.75 covers every zone for 24 hours and includes the airport ride, which beats the Z4 Andante 24 at €8.55.
Landing after 00:42? The metro has stopped — the 3M night bus runs hourly to Cordoaria from 00:30 to 05:30.
⚠️ The traps (walk past these)
A Z2 ticket does not reach the airport
Porto's Andante fares count the zone rings your journey crosses, and the airport sits in the fourth ring: a Z2 single at €1.40 is the everyday city fare and stops short. The airport title is Z4 at €2.30. Inspectors check, and the fine for travelling on the wrong zone is not small.
Do this: buy a Z4 title at the machine — check the zone printed on it before you go down to the platform
The card is a separate purchase from the fare
The fare loads onto an Andante Azul card that costs €0.60 and is not included in the ticket. The first-time total to town is €2.90, and the machines are before the platform, which is where most people find out.
Do this: buy the €0.60 card and the Z4 title in one go at the machine; the card reloads for a year
Some drivers never start the meter
There is no fixed airport rate in Porto. The regulated meter should come to roughly €20–30 to the centre; reports from OPO consistently describe drivers claiming a non-existent 'airport surcharge', taking the long way, or quoting €40–55. The luggage charge (about €1.60) and the 20% night and weekend surcharge are legitimate and printed on the tariff card.
Do this: confirm the meter is running within 30 seconds of leaving, and refuse any flat price that is not on the printed tariff card
The 2026 rise hit Z3 and above — the figures online are last year's
Monthly passes were frozen and Z2 stayed at €1.40, but every occasional title from Z3 up rose on 1 January 2026: Z3 €1.85, Z4 €2.30, Z5 €2.80, Z6 €3.25, Z7 €3.75, Z8 €4.20, Z9 €4.65. Guides quoting a €2.25 or €2.10 airport ticket are quoting 2025.
Do this: trust the price on the machine screen, which carries the 2026 tariff
The metro stops at 00:42
Line E's last departure from the airport is 00:42, and the first is 06:06. Between those hours the only public transport is the hourly 3M night bus to Cordoaria — anything else is a taxi.
Do this: check the 3M times before a late landing, and keep the taxi rank as the fallback