Minneapolis to Lisbon Flights (MSP to LIS): Connections, Flight Time and Arrival Guide

Minneapolis to Lisbon is a one-stop trip

As of recent schedules there is no nonstop between Minneapolis and Lisbon. TAP Air Portugal's US gateways are on the coasts and in Chicago, and Delta's Lisbon flights leave from its eastern hubs, so travellers from the Twin Cities connect once. The routings fall into two groups.

Through Europe, with Delta's Minneapolis nonstops first:

• Via Amsterdam with Delta and KLM: Delta flies Minneapolis to Amsterdam, and KLM has several daily flights on to Lisbon. Usually the shortest total.
• Via Paris with Delta or Air France, with a two and a half hour hop to Lisbon.
• Via London Heathrow with Delta, Virgin Atlantic or British Airways, with TAP or British Airways on to Lisbon.
• Via Dublin with Aer Lingus, seasonal from Minneapolis, with Aer Lingus or TAP on to Lisbon and US preclearance on the way home.
• Via Reykjavik with Icelandair, seasonal from Minneapolis; check whether Lisbon is on Icelandair's schedule for your dates.

Through a US hub, with the transatlantic flight second:

• Via Newark, Chicago or Washington Dulles with United or TAP: TAP flies to Lisbon from all three and United from Newark and Washington; the Minneapolis leg is on United.
• Via Boston, New York JFK or Atlanta with Delta or TAP: Delta flies to Lisbon from New York and seasonally from Boston and Atlanta, and TAP from Boston and New York.
• Via Philadelphia with American, seasonal in recent years.

Total journey times eastbound are typically 12 to 16 hours.

Flight time and distance

The great-circle distance from MSP to LIS is about 4,300 miles (6,950 km). A nonstop would take around eight and a half hours. The Minneapolis to Amsterdam or Paris leg takes about 8 to 8.5 hours; from Newark or Boston to Lisbon it is 6.5 to 7 hours, one of the shortest transatlantic crossings. Westbound legs run about an hour longer because of headwinds.

Eastbound you leave Minneapolis in the late afternoon or evening and land in Europe the next morning, reaching Lisbon by midday or early afternoon. Westbound you leave Lisbon in the morning or midday and get home to Minneapolis the same evening.

Leaving from MSP

Minneapolis-Saint Paul has two terminals that are not connected inside security. Terminal 1 (Lindbergh) is the big one and handles Delta, KLM, Air France, United, American, Aer Lingus and Icelandair; Terminal 2 (Humphrey) is for Sun Country, Southwest and a few others and will not be your departure point for this trip. The light rail Blue Line connects both terminals with each other and with downtown Minneapolis in about 25 minutes, and it is the most reliable way to the airport in winter.

Security at Terminal 1 is slowest in the early morning and late afternoon. For an evening transatlantic departure, two and a half to three hours ahead is sensible with checked bags. In winter, allow extra time for the drive and for de-icing delays that can shorten a connection.

Arriving at Humberto Delgado and getting into Lisbon

Lisbon's airport has two terminals. Terminal 1 handles all arrivals and most departures; Terminal 2 is departures only for a few low-cost carriers, and the two are linked by a shuttle bus. Arrivals from Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt or any other Schengen airport walk straight out; arrivals from London, Dublin or the US go through passport control, which can be slow when several flights land together in the early afternoon.

The airport is unusually close to the city, about 7 km from the centre:

• Metro red line: from the station outside Terminal 1 to Saldanha and Alameda in about 20 minutes, with changes to the green and blue lines for Baixa, Chiado and Rossio. Buy a Viva Viagem card at the machine and load it.
• Taxi or ride-hail: 15 to 30 minutes to the centre depending on traffic. Ride-hail apps are widely used and pick up from a signed area; licensed taxis queue at the rank.
• Aerobus services have come and gone, so check whether a dedicated airport coach is running on your dates rather than relying on older advice.

Lisbon is hilly and cobbled; a taxi door-to-door can be worth it with heavy bags even over this short distance.

When to fly and when to book

Lisbon's peak is June to September, with July and August hot, crowded and most expensive from Minneapolis. The Santo Antonio festival in mid-June fills the city for a week, and Easter is a shorter spike. May and October are the sweet spots: warm, sunny and noticeably quieter. November to March is mild and often sunny between rainy spells, with the lowest fares and hotel rates; it is a comfortable time for a city trip, though the Algarve beaches are not swimming weather.

Book summer travel three to five months ahead; off-season trips can usually be booked six to ten weeks out.

Entry requirements and documents

Portugal is in the Schengen Area. As of recent rules, US passport holders can visit for short stays without a visa, with a passport valid for at least three months beyond the date you leave Schengen. The EU's Entry/Exit System now takes fingerprints and a facial photo from most non-EU visitors at their first Schengen border, and the ETIAS travel authorisation has been delayed more than once, so check the official EU travel pages before you fly. Other nationalities should check with the Portuguese consulate.

If you connect in Amsterdam, Paris or another Schengen airport, passport control happens there, so build time for it into that connection.

Time zones and jet lag

Lisbon is six hours ahead of Minneapolis for most of the year; Portugal runs on the same clock as the UK and Ireland, not the rest of Western Europe. Both sides observe daylight saving time on slightly different dates, so the gap is five hours for a few weeks in March and in late October and early November. An overnight flight lands you in Lisbon around midday on short sleep; a walk along the river, an early dinner and a full night usually resets most people in two days. The return is easier, landing in Minneapolis in the evening.

What travellers on this route get wrong

The first mistake is forgetting that Lisbon is an hour behind Spain and the rest of mainland Europe, which bites on a connection out of Madrid or on a day trip. The second is a tight connection at Heathrow, where a terminal change and passport control eat time. The third is assuming the airport is far from town and paying for a transfer when the metro is right outside the terminal.