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LisTransferLisbon travel guide by GetVoolo

What still runs during a strike in Lisbon

Facts checked by Roshid on 9 October 2026

Strikes on Lisbon's public transport are announced in advance and follow the same pattern every time. Here is what usually stops, what keeps running, and how to plan a day around one. For the strikes coming up, see our strike list.

How much notice you get

By law, unions must give at least five working days' notice of a strike, and ten working days for essential services, which include passenger transport. So a transport strike is normally known a week or two ahead.

Strikes are sometimes called off at the last minute: a Lisbon Metro strike planned for 14 April 2026 was called off the day before. Check again the evening before.

Minimum services

For essential services, a minimum level of service ("serviços mínimos") is set before the strike. For Lisbon's Metro, Carris, CP and the Tagus ferries this is usually decided by an arbitration tribunal at the Economic and Social Council (CES), which publishes its decisions a few days before the strike.

Minimum services can be very thin. For the general strike of 11 December 2025, for example:

  • Metro de Lisboa: no minimum services for trains, so the Metro did not run.
  • CP trains: only a list of named trains. The tribunal accepted CP's proposed list but cut trains from it, including 33 Lisbon urban trains.
  • Carris: 12 bus lines. None of them was a tram line.
  • Transtejo/Soflusa ferries: 25% of crossings between 06:00 and 09:30 and between 18:30 and 20:00.

What to expect, service by service

Metro de Lisboa

A full-day Metro strike often means no trains at all, and the shutdown can start the night before. For the general strike of 3 June 2026, the Metro stopped at 23:00 on 2 June. Some strikes cover only part of the day, so check the hours.

CP trains (Sintra, Cascais and Azambuja lines, intercity)

Only the trains on the minimum-services list are sure to run, and cancellations can start the day before: on 2 June 2026, CP had already cancelled 235 of the 1,061 trains it had scheduled up to 19:00.

Carris buses and trams

Minimum services keep a handful of bus lines running, and buses that do run are very full. Don't count on the historic trams, including Tram 28.

Airlines and airports

A strike by one airline's crew affects only that airline. During the easyJet cabin crew strike of 2–6 October 2026, most easyJet flights crewed from Lisbon, Porto and Faro were cancelled in advance, while other airlines flew normally. A general strike is different: on 11 December 2025 the cabin crew union said about 400 flights were cancelled. If your flight is cancelled, EU rules let you choose between a refund and a new flight.

What keeps running

  • Taxis, ride-hailing apps and private transfers are not part of public-transport strikes. With the Metro and trains down, demand jumps, so expect longer waits and higher app prices at peak times, and heavier traffic.
  • Walking: the Baixa, Chiado, Alfama and the riverside are close together. Comfortable shoes cover a lot of central Lisbon.

How to plan the day

  1. The evening before, check the operator's own site for the minimum services and hours: Metro, CP, Carris, Transtejo/Soflusa.
  2. For a flight or a cruise departure, leave much earlier than usual and book any ride in advance.
  3. Plan sightseeing on foot, close to where you are staying.

Sources