Getting around Lisbon: the essential transport guide

At first glance, Lisbon's transport network looks like a puzzle: metro, buses, trams, funiculars, trains and ferries, each with its own operator and its own website. In practice, almost everything runs on a single card and a handful of simple rules. This guide covers the essentials, whether you're visiting for a weekend or have just moved here.

One note before we start: you won't find prices in this article. Fares change often enough that any figure we printed would soon be wrong. Always check the official operator sites for current tariffs.

The navegante card and the zapping concept

The ticketing system for the whole metropolitan area is branded navegante. For visitors, the card that matters is the navegante ocasional: a reusable paper card sold at metro ticket machines and counters, which you can top up as many times as you like while it remains valid.

You can load it two ways. With fixed tickets (single journey, day pass) or with zapping, the concept worth remembering: you load a euro balance and the system deducts the cost of each journey as you tap in. Zapping works on the metro, on Carris buses and trams, on CP's suburban trains and on the Tagus ferries. For short stays it's almost always the most flexible option.

Two rules trip people up. Each traveller needs their own card — you can't tap two people through on one — and the card can't mix zapping with certain ticket types at the same time. If you're moving to Lisbon, apply for the navegante personalizado, the named card with a photo, which takes monthly passes. Details and current fares at navegante.pt and metrolisboa.pt.

The metro: four lines, quickly read

The metro is the fastest way across town. There are four colour-coded lines: Blue, Yellow, Green and Red. The Red line links the airport to the centre, with interchanges to the other three. The Green line serves the Baixa and Cais do Sodré, and the Yellow line runs up the Avenidas Novas axis. Note that the metro does not reach Belém; for that you'll want the train or the 15E tram.

Service ends around 1am and restarts in the early morning. Exact timetables and engineering notices are at metrolisboa.pt.

Buses: there are two Carris, and they're not the same thing

This is the most common point of confusion. Carris runs the buses and trams inside the city of Lisbon. Carris Metropolitana, despite the near-identical name, is a different operator: it runs the buses in the surrounding municipalities and the connections between them and Lisbon. Heading to Almada, Cascais or Loures by bus? The site you want is carrismetropolitana.pt. Within the city, it's carris.pt. Both have journey planners and real-time departures.

Trams: the 28 and its alternatives

The famous 28E tram runs from Martim Moniz to Campo de Ourique, threading through Graça, Alfama, the Baixa and Estrela. It's beautiful, it's historic, and for most of the day it's a sardine tin with a queue at the door. The narrow route can't take bigger vehicles, and tourist demand fills every seat within the first few stops.

Three honest alternatives:

• Ride the 28 first thing in the morning, or in the opposite direction from the Campo de Ourique end, where the queue is shorter.
• The 24E tram, between Praça Luís de Camões and Campolide, uses the same vintage carriages and climbs through Príncipe Real with a fraction of the crowd.
• The 15E, a modern articulated tram, is the practical way to reach Belém from Praça da Figueira or Cais do Sodré.

On any crowded tram, keep a hand on your phone and wallet: Lisbon's pickpockets know the 28's route better than most tour guides do.

Funiculars and the Santa Justa lift

Lisbon has three hillside funiculars (Glória, Bica and Lavra), the Graça funicular and the Santa Justa lift, which connects the Baixa to Largo do Carmo. After the Glória funicular accident in September 2025, the funiculars were suspended for safety works; Graça was the first to reopen, in spring 2026. Before building any of them into your plans, check the current operating status at carris.pt.

A queue-saving tip that works in any scenario: the viewpoint at the top of Santa Justa can also be reached on foot, entering from Largo do Carmo beside the ruined convent.

Trains to Cascais and Sintra

Two classic day trips by rail. The Cascais line leaves from Cais do Sodré and hugs the river, calling at Belém, Estoril and Cascais. The Sintra line departs from Rossio, a station worth seeing for its façade alone, with additional departures from Oriente. Navegante zapping works on both. Timetables at cp.pt; on summer days and weekends, arrive early, especially for Sintra.

Cais do Sodré is also where the ferries to Cacilhas leave from — the quickest crossing to the south bank and its riverside seafood restaurants.

Lisbon at night

When the metro closes, you have three options. Carris runs a dedicated network of night buses covering the city's main corridors; Carris Metropolitana has strengthened overnight service across the wider metro area; and ride-hailing apps (Uber, Bolt) work well and are the simplest fallback in the small hours. Night routes change fairly often, so check the official sites before relying on one for the trip home.

Practical notes

• Always tap your card, including at interchanges; inspections are frequent and the fine isn't worth it.
• Keep the navegante ocasional away from other contactless cards to avoid reader errors.
• Lisbon is a city of hills: the best connection between two points is often simply walking downhill.
• Official sites to bookmark: metrolisboa.pt, carris.pt, carrismetropolitana.pt and cp.pt.