Public transport in Lisbon

Lisbon’s public transport system has a reputation for being modern, clean and punctual. The most comfortable means of transport from a tourist point of view is certainly the metro. You can also use trams, buses, trains or lifts such as the Elevador da Glória or the Elevador de Santa Justa.

Free public transport in Lisbon

Pour en savoir plus, vous pouvez consulter le guide Lisboa Card sur ce site ou cliquer sur la carte ci-dessous pour l’acheter directement en ligne.

If you come to visit the Portuguese capital for several days then you will surely use public transport a lot but also enjoy many guided tours of Lisbon. In this case I think the most interesting thing to do is to buy the Lisboa Card. This card is valid for 24h, 48h or 72h depending on the model you choose and will allow you to take all public transport in Lisbon for free.

Of course the card is not free but it also gives you access to a lot of discounts or free entries to different monuments of Lisbon such as the Monastery of Jerónimos, the Tower of Belem, Tramway 28 and many others.

To find out more, you can consult the Lisboa Card guide on this site or click on the map below to buy it directly online.

Click on the Lisboa Card to order it online

Lisbon transport map: Viva and 7 hills

If you wish to use the metro services, you must buy a special prepaid card: Viva Viagem or 7 colinas. The card costs €0.50 and can be bought in vending machines. You can pay in cash at the machines or by card, but be careful, I advise you to pay in hope, your foreign card might not work: don’t take the risk.

Before you can use your card, you have to reload it. What is important is that the card can work in single ticket mode (exact amount of the trip), in day ticket mode and in zapping mode.

• Single ticket: allows you to use Lisbon’s public transport for 60 minutes from the moment of purchase, with the possibility of changing transport (Be careful, you can’t find yourself twice at the same stop, so a change in the metro is only possible if the stations are connected to each other).
• Day ticket: allows you to use all means of transport in Lisbon for 24 hours from the moment of purchase (including lifts). A day ticket seems to be the most cost-effective option if you visit Lisbon. If you want to buy a ticket for several days, all you have to do is buy as many day tickets as there are days to use the card.
• Zapping: this method consists of recharging your transport card from 3€ to 40€. It will be debited after each use of public transport in Lisbon. By using this formula, you will be charged for each use according to the price of the transport. This transport card also allows you to take the train to Sintra and Cascais.

You can only have one mode or type of ticket active at a time on your Lisbon transport card. You pay when you reload the card and can only change mode after resetting the status on the transport card or using its contents.

In theory, you can change mode on the card at the information points but you will lose money. I think that for a tourist visit to Lisbon, the best thing to do is to choose the unlimited transport card for one or more days.

Lisbon public transport prices with maps and options

• One way by bus, tram, lift or metro – 1,50 €.
• 24-hour ticket for tram, metro, lifts, buses – cost: 6.40 €.
• 24-hour ticket for tram, metro, lifts, buses and ferries from Transtejo to Cacilhas – cost €9.50.
• 24-hour ticket for trams, metro, lifts, buses and trains from CP lines Sintra, Cascais, Azambuja and Sado – cost 10.55 €.
• Zapping option (surcharge from 3 to 40 €): valid for suburban trains, lifts, buses, subways, ferries, trams and Fertagus and MTS – Metro Sul to Tejo connections. The cost of a single journey in this case is € 1.35 by bus, lift or tram / € 1.33 by metro € 1.90 for a journey to Sintra or Cascais from Lisbon / ferries from € 1.19 to € 2.76 depending on the route chosen / Fertagus link from € 1.40 to € 4.35 depending on the route / metro Sul to Tejo € 0.85 per journey.

Where to buy public transport tickets in Lisbon

Tickets for all public transport in Lisbon can be purchased in the most popular public transport locations: in the yellow boxes marked with the Carris company stamp, in some post offices, in all underground stations and train stations, as well as at kiosks and service points (blue sign on white background).

It is also possible to buy a transport ticket in Lisbon directly from the driver, in some means of transport but the ticket will usually be more expensive. Tickets for a specific rail link are bought at stations, the same applies to ferry crossings.

• With the driver: you can buy tickets for buses, trams and ski lifts but they are more expensive.
• At each metro station in Lisbon: you can buy individual tickets for the metro, bus, tram or lift, as well as 24-hour tickets with or without the “Zapping” option. Tickets can be purchased from special blue or yellow machines and at the ticket office.
• In the points marked with “MOB” you can buy individual journeys by metro, bus, lift and tram. Tickets with the option of “Zapping” and 24-hour tickets. Such points can be found for example under the Santa Justa lift, near the Santa Apolonia station or in the kiosks of Cais de Sodre.
• In the stations: you can buy single train journeys or season tickets there. Tickets can be purchased from special green vending machines and at the ticket office.
• At the ferry stations: here you will find tickets with the “Zapping” option or single tickets for ferry crossings. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office or from special vending machines.
• On tram 15, in special machines.

Means of transport in Lisbon

Carris is the company responsible for bus, lift and tram services in Lisbon. For these means of transport, you can buy a more expensive ticket on board or use a prepaid card. You enter the bus through the first door, the front door. In the case of the Santa Justa lift, you can buy a ticket for both directions directly at the ticket office. The official Carris website provides a lot of updated information that will help you plan your transportation.

If you plan to go to Sintra and Cascais, you can buy a train and bus ticket, which allows you to travel 24 hours a day to Lisbon and use the changes to : Sintra, Cascais, Azambuja and Sado. Before buying your ticket, it is best to do your calculations to calculate the best price.

You will be able to consult the timetables on the official CP website which manages train transport around Lisbon.

Metro in Lisbon

The metro, as is usually the case in large cities, is one of the most popular and convenient means of transport in Lisbon. The different lines of the Lisbon metro are marked in yellow, green, blue and red (each has its own name but it is the use of the names of the colors that has become more popular and most convenient for visitors).

Many subway stations in Lisbon are beautiful enough to be pleasant to visit: decorations, references to history, azulejos :

• Green line – Linha Verde
• Blue line – Linha Azul
• Yellow line – Linha Amarela
• Red line – Linha Vermelha

Elevators in Lisbon

A popular means of public transportation among tourists are elevators. Many do not know it when they come to visit Lisbon but the elevator is indeed a means of transport in the Portuguese capital used every day by the Portuguese, just like the tramway 28.

You will find below the prices and schedules of the different lifts in Lisbon :

• Elevador de Santa Justa: the only vertical lift in Lisbon, it operates every day in summer (March-October) from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm and in winter (November-February) from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm. The return ticket costs €5.15. The Miradouro at the top of the Santa Justa lift is open from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm (9:00 pm in winter).
• Elevador da Glória: cable car in service since 1885, open daily Monday to Thursday from 7.15 am to 11.55 pm, Friday from 7.15 am to 00.25 am, Saturday from 8.45 am to 00.25 am and Sunday and public holidays from 9.15 am to 11.55 am. The price of the ticket is 3,70€.
• Elevador da Bica: in service since 1892, it can be used Monday to Saturday from 7:00 to 21:00 and Sundays and holidays from 9:00 to 21:00. The ticket will cost you 3,70€.
• Elevador à Lavra: in service since 1884, it operates every day from Monday to Saturday from 7.50 am to 7.55 pm and on Sundays and public holidays from 9.00 am to 7.55 pm, the ticket costs €3.70 (as for the two previous lifts in Lisbon).

Lisbon’s historic tramways

Lisbon’s Tramway 28 is probably the most common symbol in photos and postcards of the Portuguese capital. Lisbon trams appeared as early as 1873, when they were pulled on the rails by horses.

In 1901 the trams were connected to the electricity grid and just over 50 years later the city operates almost 30 tram lines. The development of the metro slowly diminished the importance of Lisbon’s tram network until most of the lines were closed.

There are now 5 tramway lines in Lisbon, most of which are operated by small historic trams called Remodelado and serve more as tourist attractions. This does not mean that they are not used every day as a means of transport by the people of Lisbon, some of them have never left!

The most famous historical tramway line is line 28, which will take you through many historical districts such as Alfama, Estrela, Sao Bento and Graca. The tram passes in front of the cathedral and crosses Portas Square to Sol, from where you can walk to the Castle of Saint George. The Remodelado trams are original. Only some of their mechanisms, such as the brakes, have been improved.

When you get on the Lisbon trams, remember to hold on tightly. The seats are uncomfortable but this does not spoil the charm and quality of the ride. During the summer, you will have very little chance of finding a seat.

Tramway line 28 starts at 5 am and ends at 11 pm. In the middle of the day, the trams run several times an hour.

Other tramway lines in Lisbon

• Tramway 12: a four-kilometre tramway line running around Alfama and Baix. The tramway has part of the route in common with tram 28 and the whole journey takes about 20 minutes. This line is often less busy and you can find a seat before entering Alfama, one of Lisbon’s districts.
• Tramway 15: line served by modern low-floor trams. It runs through the waterfront from the centre of Lisbon to the Belém district.
• Tram 18: Tram number 18 runs from Cais station in Sodré to the Ajuda district, where the National Palace of Ajuda and the Botanical Garden (Jardim Botânico da Ajuda) are located.
• Tram 25 runs on the road between Campo Ourique (Prazeres) – Martim Moniz.

Les tickets peuvent être achetés dans le tramway auprès du conducteur (ils sont plus chers) ou en utilisant les fonds de votre carte prépayée. Dans le cas d’un tram se rendant à Belém, il est possible d’acheter des tickets dans le distributeur automatique. Dans un tramway bondé, méfiez-vous des pickpockets !

Lisbon transport: some advice and information

• For buses and trams, enter through the first door next to the driver. The exception is tram 15, where this rule does not apply.
• The ticket is validated when the green light comes on. When the red light comes on, it means that the ticket has not been validated and you have to pass the card back through the reader. Place the card on the red dot and wait for a moment.
• Buses and trams do not stop at stops if the driver is not informed of your intention to leave the vehicle (by pressing the “Parar” button).
• In some railway stations (e.g. St Apolonia or Estoril), the ticket must be validated before boarding the platform.
• Public transport in Lisbon is efficient and serves the city well. It is preferable to use it rather than a car.
• The metro runs from 6:30 am to 1:00 am.
• Fines here are high and can reach 100 to 150 times the ticket price. I therefore do not advise you to travel around Lisbon without a valid ticket.
• Carris trams and buses can only carry hand luggage.
• Beware of pickpockets in Lisbon.
• Cais do Sodre is a central transport hub in Lisbon: you will find buses, metro, trains, trams and ferries.
• Taxis in Lisbon are more accessible than in other European capitals and in some cases can be a good alternative.