Taxis in Lisbon

This is a controversial subject, but unfortunately, no one wants to discuss it seriously, and almost every day we are confronted by guests claiming they were overcharged, an old problem with no apparent solution.

It is our understanding that this is a problem common to all main European cities and that needs a strong intervention from the authorities.                                

It is not only about the obvious, the crime of stealing and deceiving, it is about the image that those people give of our country to the many tourists that arrive, sometimes for the first time, to a strange country and look for a warm welcome. 

The number of visitors is increasing every day, arriving from the Airport or from the Port, and although Lisbon has many new features, it still has a lot of old "diseases", and sometimes, not always, the hotel takes the "blame" for this bad experience, because after such a "welcome" the guest arrives much more nervous and the probability of a complaint increases.

We don't want to make the mistake of putting every Taxi driver in the same "basket", of course, there are many good and honest people working on the taxi service, but there are those unlucky tourists that face the dishonest ones.

At the Avenida Palace we try, whenever possible, to inform the guests about the average tariffs (between 10€ to 15€) and to pay only what is in the meter, and also how to proceed in case the tourist feels that he is being ripped off (alert the police).

We still consider the Taxi to be the fastest and easiest way to get to the hotel, but due to the problem mentioned above and due to the long queues that take place at the Airport, before taking a Taxi you may consider alternative means of transportation.

The Aerobus is a valid option, in our case, there is a stop right next door, the subway, also with a stop next door and another one is the private transfer a little more expensive but much more comfortable.

It is also possible to seek information in the Airport’s Tourism Office.

Our hope is that the tourist, in the event that this problem occurs, doesn't misjudge our country because of a few dishonest people.