Plane spotting in Lisbon: approaches over the city and the best spots

A quarter past eight in Alvalade. Down on Avenida do Brasil the cars sit in traffic, while above them a TAP A330-900 slides so low over the rooftops that you can count the landing gear doors. A few minutes later a Ryanair jet follows, then an Embraer from Porto. Plane spotting in Lisbon means: the city is your foreground. Hardly any other big European capital airport offers approach shots with building facades, roundabouts and street lamps in the frame – plus a handful of hills and barriers at the fence from which you catch the aircraft touching down.

Plane spotting in Lisbon: the short answer

Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (IATA LIS, ICAO LPPT), still called “Portela” in everyday speech, lies in the north of the city, about seven kilometers from the historic center. It is operated by ANA Aeroportos de Portugal, a subsidiary of VINCI Airports. In 2025 it counted around 36 million passengers – with just one active runway.

For you, that means: all traffic runs over one runway, there is no observation deck, and spotting happens from streets, hills, parks and squares around the grounds. The most important question of the day is whether 02 or 20 is in use. The second: is the sun on your side?

Runway 02/20 and the direction in use

The runway runs roughly from south-southwest to north-northeast. It used to be called 03/21 – the renaming followed the shifting magnetic variation, and nothing has changed on the runway itself. Many photos, forums and older spotter guides therefore still talk about “runway 03”. Why runways are named this way is explained in the article on runway designations. The former crosswind runway 17/35 is closed and no longer plays a role for takeoffs and landings.

Runway direction in use	Landings	Takeoffs	When	Worthwhile spots
Runway 02	from the south over Campo Grande and Alvalade	toward north-northeast	most of the time	city spots, Repsol gas stations, Eixo Central, Prior Velho (takeoffs)
Runway 20	from the north	over the city toward the south	with a south wind, often in rain	spots in the north, Prior Velho (landings), hills in the northeast

According to common spotter guides, most of the traffic runs on 02. Air traffic control switches to 20 when the wind comes from southerly directions – typically when a low-pressure system moves in from the Atlantic. How wind, METAR and runway choice relate is explained in the guide Understanding runway direction in use at airports. For the forecast the evening before, weather maps like those in the article Windy and other weather maps help.

Under the approach: the city spots

Lisbon’s trademark is the landings on 02 over inhabited areas. All city spots work only with runway 02 in use and have their light from morning to about midday, because then you look south to southeast at the approaching aircraft with the sun at your back.

Avenida do Brasil in Alvalade

A classic lies on Rua das Murtas near Avenida do Brasil. From Alvalade metro station it is only a few minutes on foot, according to spotter guides. You stand on public ground, and the aircraft come in over the houses – low enough that a medium telephoto is enough. Nearby supermarkets solve the food problem.

Campo Grande and Entre Campos

At the big roundabout of Campo Grande, reachable via Entre Campos metro station, you shoot the landings with the hustle of city traffic in the foreground. Cafés and restaurants are right nearby. According to spotter guides, a hotel on the square has rooms with a view of the approach – the article Hotels with runway views collects ideas for such accommodations.

Further south: Parque Eduardo VII and shopping center

Even closer to the center, spotters shoot from the terrace at the food court on the upper floor of a large department store near Parque Eduardo VII, or from the elevated northern part of the park itself. Here the aircraft are already higher, so you need 250 to 300 mm, but you get shots with a city panorama. The department store only opens in the late morning, so for the early light you wait outside.

West side at Eixo Central: landings and line-up

The best-known area at the fence lies in the west of the grounds, around the access road to the cargo terminal on the Eixo Central expressway. Here you see landings on 02 from a short distance and aircraft lining up for takeoff on 02. The light comes from the afternoon until sunset.

• At the Repsol gas stations: a little further south, about a 20-minute walk from Campo Grande metro station, are two gas stations that spotters use for landings on 02 – at the northern one also for the line-up. Unlike the other spots on this side, they have morning light. Advantage: restrooms, snacks and fast food right on site. Disadvantage: you partly shoot through the fence.
• Concrete barriers at the cargo terminal: if you follow the signs to the cargo area, you reach a spot with concrete barriers from which you shoot over the fence. Widebody jets often fit in the frame at just 60 to 80 mm.
• Roundabout at the cargo entrance: a few meters further north, the aircraft stand more head-on to you. According to spotter reports, the police ask drivers here to move on very quickly – so don’t park at the roundabout but in designated areas.
• The hill: near the roundabout there is an earth mound. From there you see landings and the line-up from an elevated position. Light poles interfere in places – look for a gap.

According to spotter guides, city buses run to the west side from Campo Grande; alternatively, combine metro and walking. If you want to visit several spots in one afternoon, you are much faster by car or taxi. There is hardly any shade.

North and east: the spots for operations on 20

When the wind turns to the south, the city is empty – then the spots in the north and east are worthwhile.

Viewpoints in the north. North of the Eixo Central spots are places from which you see movements in both runway directions. The light works in the late afternoon, and shade is rare. Spotters report stray dogs here – stay alert.

Residential area in the north. In Bairro de São Francisco you shoot landings and takeoffs on 20, as well as taxiing aircraft, through gaps in a gate fence, also with light in the late afternoon. Small cafés nearby make the wait bearable.

Prior Velho in the east. The Prior Velho district lies on the other side of the runway. From a small park with a playground you see landings on 20; from a wall at a street corner a little further south, the best takeoffs from 02. Here you have morning light until midday, shade from houses and trees and, according to spotter guides, a direct bus connection from Campo Grande and from the airport.

At the fire station. A road leads to the airport fire station at the edge of the Figo Maduro military area. From there you see movements in both runway directions, and the light works from morning to midday. According to spotter reports, the old gate was replaced by a finer-mesh fence in spring 2025, which makes photography harder. Keep the access road clear and don’t go past the barrier.

What you get in front of your lens in Lisbon

Lisbon is the home hub of TAP Air Portugal, a member of Star Alliance. On long-haul, the Airbus A330-900 is the workhorse – to Brazil, Africa and North America. Add A321LRs, which look like an A321neo from the outside, and a large A320 family for Europe. The differences between neo and ceo are explained in A320neo or ceo?. Regional flights under the TAP Express brand are flown by Portugália with the Embraer E190 and E195. TAP’s privatization is under way; whether and how ownership, livery or fleet change is best checked in current news.

Exciting for collectors are Lisbon’s charter and wet-lease specialists: Hi Fly, EuroAtlantic Airways and White Airways often fly for other airlines, sometimes in neutral colors. What is behind that is explained in the article on wet lease. For the islands you see Azores Airlines; low-cost traffic comes mainly from Ryanair and easyJet, both of which have bases in Lisbon.

Among long-haul visitors, the mix is strikingly broad for an airport of this size: Emirates and Qatar Airways from the Gulf, United and other airlines from North America, plus carriers from Brazil and Africa. Which routes are served on your day changes with every schedule – as of October 2026, it is worth a look at the arrivals board before your visit. When long-haul flights typically land in Europe is put in context by When long-haul flights land in Europe.

Which spot fits right now?

Light, heat and gear

The basic rule is simple: east side and city in the morning, west side and north in the afternoon. If you want to cover both sides in one day, start in Alvalade or Prior Velho and switch to Eixo Central after midday. You can calculate the exact windows for each date with Planning the sun position at a photo spot – or directly with the sun position planner in Planetrack on the spot map.

In summer, heat haze is the biggest problem. Warm air rises over asphalt and meadows, and pictures over long distances turn soft – at the spots in the north already at moderate temperatures. Shoot early and late, prefer short distances and hope for wind that pushes the shimmer away. Tips are in Avoiding heat haze. In the winter half-year, Lisbon is more forgiving: mild weather, low sun and clear air.

You get by with little gear. A zoom of about 70 to 300 mm covers almost all spots, and on the west side the short focal length is often enough for widebody jets. Which lenses are worthwhile is explained in Lenses for plane spotting. Also pack water, sun protection and a small ladder – the gear checklist helps with the rest.

Getting there and practical tips

The red metro line ends directly at Terminal 1, and you reach the city spots via the Alvalade, Campo Grande and Entre Campos stations. For the west side and Prior Velho, spotter guides name city bus lines from Campo Grande and from the airport. Lines and schedules change, and on weekends some buses do not run according to spotter reports – check the connection before your visit. A rental car is worthwhile if you want to hit several spots in one day. Park only in designated areas; at the cargo entrance the police are quickly on the scene.

Don’t leave anything visible in the car, take your trash with you and keep a low profile at spots in residential areas. Precisely because Lisbon has no official spotter areas, tolerance depends on everyone behaving considerately.

In the long term, Portela has an expiration date: in May 2024 the government decided to build a new major airport at Alcochete, east of the Tagus. Until then Terminal 1 will be expanded, and construction work can change fences and access. The approaches over the rooftops will remain for a few more years – but not forever.

Lisbon as a spotting destination

On the Iberian Peninsula, Lisbon is smaller than Madrid and Barcelona, but with the city approach it has a real unique selling point. Madrid is the direct competitor for traffic to South America – Lisbon scores with Brazil and Africa. In Portugal itself, Porto Airport as the second TAP base and Faro Airport with leisure traffic on the Algarve are worthwhile. If you like it spectacular, fly on to Madeira.

For a rainy day or a break from the fence, the Museu do Ar at the air force base near Sintra is a good choice, with halls on the history of TAP and Portuguese aviation. How to combine spotting with a city trip is shown in Plane spotting on vacation. More destinations are presented in The best spotting locations in Europe.

Conclusion

Plane spotting in Lisbon is improvisation with a plan. There is no deck, but there is a single runway you quickly figure out, and spots in the city where the aircraft come in over houses and streets. If you check the runway direction, choose the city and east side in the morning and the west side in the afternoon, and stick to fences and access roads, you go home with pictures that exist nowhere else in Europe.