Sleeping in Porto Airport

Whether your situation calls for a short nap or an overnight slumber, this sleep guide will give you the essential information needed to prepare you for sleeping in Porto Airport.

Our guide is updated with the help of airport sleepers who tell us about their experiences at Porto Airport. If you have a tip to share, write a review to help us keep this sleep guide up-to-date!

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Sleeping in Porto Airport

Locations & Seating

Porto Airport sleepers — Landside (Photo courtesy of Pignol / 26Aug2009)

Seating is sufficient for this airport, though most seats are made of metal and equipped with armrests, making a decent nap a little tougher. Spread out on the floor, but bring an extra layer or travel mat to provide some cushion on the hard ground. By night, try your luck on the couches and soft seating in the cafes that are closed till morning.

Here are good sleep spots that travellers have reported:

Look for the lounges located near the boarding gates’ windows.
The upstairs level seems to have somewhat private sleep nooks because the lights are shut off for a few hours overnight.

Rest Zones

Porto Airport offers unofficial rest areas, equipped with lounge chairs near the windows at the boarding gates.

Temperature

Plan for cold temperatures, especially overnight as air conditioning continues to run and fewer people are inside. Arrive prepared with a blanket or even a sleeping bag. A hoodie provides extra warmth if the terminal gets even colder.

Lighting

It seems that in several areas of the airport, overhead lights are dimmed for a few hours overnight. Arrive prepared with eyeshades or something else to cover your eyes, such as a shirt or towel.

Noise

Daytime sleepers can expect to hear typical airport noise, like announcements and music playing overhead and travellers and workers chatting. By night, the airport quiets down, with far fewer travellers milling about. The cleaning crew may make some noise, but seem to move through quickly. As a precaution, come prepared with earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones.

Showers

Freshen up (and loosen those stiff muscles) with a shower before your flight. Free shower facilities are located near the boarding gates.

Food & Drink

As no 24-hour food concessions are available, be sure to stock up on food and water before eateries and convenience stores close for the night.

Hotels

If you prefer the privacy and comfort of a hotel room, you have a few options. The Park Hotel Porto Aeroporto is located opposite the airport terminal. A few more hotels are located within a 12-minute drive, though only some offer shuttle service, for a fee. See the hotel section in our Airport Guide for locations or visit Tripadvisor to find hotels deals at Porto Airport.

Lounges

While Porto Airport has one lounge, none have designated sleep rooms or rest areas. If you just want to relax in a comfortable seat, check out the pay-to-use lounge details in our Porto Airport Guide.

Security & Safety

Airport staff seem to be quite tolerant of airport sleepers and overnight campers. At the time of this update, we have no reports from travellers commenting on safety issues at Porto Airport. As a precaution, here are a few tips to ensure you have a safe airport sleeping experience:

Know Where Security is Located. Whether you are sleeping in the airport alone or with friends, it is good to know where security is. Know where their office is located and look for video cameras where you decide to stay the night. Ask security where it is safe to spend the night. They’ve probably seen many airport sleepers before you, and they will direct you to a safe spot.
Don’t Seclude Yourself. If you are travelling alone, we recommend that you sleep near other travellers or close to security.
Hide Your Valuables. Don’t leave all your mobile devices out in plain view. We have received reports from people who woke up with only earphones and a laptop bag strap, but without the iPods or laptops that were attached. The same goes for important documents and money. Keep these secure on your body so no one can get them without waking you up.
Secure Your Bags. If you are a deep sleeper, you may want to padlock your bag to something. If your bags have zippers turn the bag upside down (zippers to the floor) or sleep with your bag up against the wall so that it would be hard for someone to access it.
Choose to Stay Alert. If you don’t feel safe, drink coffee, stay alert, and stay awake. You can always sleep on the plane!

Pro-tip: If you are sleeping in the public zone, don’t be surprised if you receive an early morning wake-up call. Security is known to make the rounds waking people up as travellers begin to arrive for morning flights.