Porto's Andante system looks more complicated than it normally is in practice.
You choose enough zones for the journey, load that ticket onto a card and validate whenever you begin a journey or change line or vehicle.
The confusing part is deciding between a normal Blue Andante card, a 24-hour zonal ticket and the tourist-wide Andante Tour. This guide makes that decision explicit.
Which Andante card should a visitor buy?
For occasional journeys, most visitors need the rechargeable Blue Andante card. It costs €0.60 in 2026 and holds simple or 24-hour zonal tickets.
The card is for one person only. A couple cannot load two journeys and pass the same card between them.
- ✓ Blue Andante: best for occasional journeys
- ✓ Andante 24: unlimited travel within selected zones for 24 hours
- ✓ Andante Tour 1 or 3: unlimited travel across the intermodal network for 24 or 72 hours
- ✓ Silver Andante: mainly for monthly passes and regular users
How Porto's transport zones work
The fare is based on rings of zones counted from the place of your first validation. Z2 is the minimum ticket; longer journeys require Z3, Z4 and so on.
You do not need a new ticket merely because you change from metro to bus. You can transfer while the ticket remains valid, provided the selected zones cover the route and you validate again.
Andante prices in 2026
The official 2026 simple fares are €1.40 for Z2, €1.85 for Z3 and €2.30 for Z4. Higher-zone tickets cost more. The Blue Andante card itself costs €0.60.
A simple Z2 or Z3 ticket remains valid for one hour after the first validation; Z4 lasts 1 hour 15 minutes. The time window grows for longer-zone tickets.
Fares can change each January, so use the official Andante fare table if you are reading this after 2026.
Andante Tour 1 and Tour 3
Andante Tour 1 currently costs €7.75 and runs for 24 consecutive hours after the first validation. Tour 3 costs €16.55 and runs for 72 consecutive hours.
They cover the full Andante intermodal network but are not valid on the Guindais Funicular or STCP's historic trams. The Tour card is separate and cannot be recharged.
A Tour pass is convenient when you expect several longer journeys. For a day spent mainly walking in the historic centre, individual tickets may cost less.
Where to buy and top up an Andante card
Ticket machines at metro stations sell and recharge Blue Andante cards. Andante shops, participating CP ticket offices and other official sales points are alternatives.
Keep the card after the first journey. It is rechargeable and remains valid for one year, so buying a new paper card every time is unnecessary.
Always validate, including when you change
Validation is required at the start of a journey and whenever you change line or mode of transport. On metro and urban rail, use station validators; on buses, validate when boarding.
A green light and confirmation sound mean the validation worked. There may be no physical barrier, but a loaded card that was not validated is not a valid journey.
Useful answers
FAQ - Porto andante card
Use a Blue Andante card for occasional zonal journeys or Andante Tour 1 or 3 for unlimited travel across the network for 24 or 72 hours.
