Okay folks, grab a coffee, because today was one of those “simple task turns into an adventure” days. My mission? Figure out exactly where the lounges and decent shops are hiding inside Lisbon Airport’s Terminal 1 before my own trip next week. Seriously, I hate scrambling around with luggage.
Step one was obvious: find an official map. I grabbed my laptop and fired up the search engine. Typed in stuff like “lisbon airport terminal 1 layout”, “terminal 1 lisbon map shops lounges”. You know, the basics. Got a bunch of hits, but guess what? A lot were these super generic, zoomed-out pictures. Like, cool, I see the building shape… but where’s the freakin’ Relay newsstand or the ANA lounge entrance? Exactly. Useless.
After maybe 10 minutes of clicking around feeling annoyed, I finally hit gold. Found what looked like a proper, detailed PDF map directly from the airport folks themselves. Downloaded it faster than you can say “gate closing”. Opened it up. YES! This was it – proper detail, levels separated, gates marked, little icons for everything. Relief washed over me like finding water in a desert.
Diving Into the Map Jungle
Alright, time to decode this thing. Terminal 1 has basically two main areas after security:
- Airside Departures (where you wander before your flight)
- And then boarding Gates with their own mini-zones (A, B, C I think).
My eyes went straight to the lounge symbols first. I knew about the ANA Lounge – reviews are decent. Scanned the map… there! Right in the middle-ish area of the main Departures Hall after security. Easy to find if you know to look for it. But wait… is there another one? Zoomed in. Oh yeah! Looks like a Priority Pass lounge near gate A18 or somewhere around that end. Useful backup if the main one’s packed.
Shop ‘Til Your Flight Boards (or Not)
Now, shops were scattered like confetti. The map was way better than those generic pics. I started circling stuff mentally:
- Duty Free? Obviously big and upfront after security, can’t miss it.
- Need water or a snack fast? Spotted those little Relay mini-shops dotted around, especially near gates. Lifesavers.
- Got Euros to burn? Saw the signs for places selling perfume, liquor, chocolate. Mostly clustered after security and near the central walking area.
- Forgot your phone charger? Thank goodness, saw an electronics shop icon further along towards the gates.
- Souvenirs? Yep, saw a couple dedicated shops marked, probably near the gates again.
Honestly, the key thing the map showed me was concentration. After security bulk of stuff, then thinner spread near gates. Good to know!
The Verdict & Why Bother?
Spending that 20-ish minutes saved my future self a world of stress. Instead of hauling my suitcase around looking like a lost puppy, I’ll walk in knowing: head through security, scan for the ANA Lounge sign above, grab a coffee there. If it’s rammed, trek towards Gate A area for the other lounge. Duty Free? Right there if I need it. Need last-minute stuff? Glance at map on phone or look for those Relay signs near gates.
It seems small, I know. Who cares about a map? But trust me, when you’re jet-lagged, hungry, and dragging luggage, knowing exactly where to go for that espresso or where the closest plug socket shop is makes the whole airport experience less like torture. Definitely downloading that PDF to my phone right now for next week. Practice what I preach, folks!
