Currency exchange

Rates in Terminal 1 tend to beat city-center ATMs

The Currency exchange in Porto Airport sits airside in Terminal 1, after security and before most of the non-Schengen gates. It usually opens early morning with the first departures and stays open into the late-night wave, roughly aligning with Ryanair and TAP Portugal schedules. You’ll see it near the main duty-free area, so you can swap cash on the way to gates like 24 and 26 without doubling back.

Fees and spreads change by day, but regulars report that exchanging around €100–€200 at the airport doesn’t move the needle much compared with many Portuguese bank ATMs that layer on €1–€3 access fees. Rates on USD, GBP, and CHF tend to be sharper than on more obscure currencies like SEK or MXN. Staff usually handle basic swaps in under five minutes, even when there are three or four people ahead of you in line.

This counter handles standard buy/sell currency transactions, small-denomination euro requests, and sometimes basic travel money card reloads with minimums around €50. They usually keep €5 notes and €1 coins on hand, useful for metro tickets from Trindade or a €2.50 espresso and pastry in town. Bring your passport for larger exchanges above roughly €1,000, as they may ask for ID in line with EU rules.

One practical move: if you’re landing at OPO, pull just enough euros here for the €2.60–€3.50 metro fare plus a snack, then use fee-free ATMs or cards in Porto city for any bigger amounts.