Every ride, included.
Metro, buses, trams, funiculars, the Santa Justa lift, CP suburban trains to Sintra and Cascais, and FERTAGUS across the bridge to Setúbal. What's free, which routes matter for tourists, and the seven things nobody tells you before you board Tram 28.
Included with your card — the full list
Unlimited rides for the duration of your Lisboa Card. No per-trip charge, no top-up, no daily cap.
| Mode | Coverage | How to use |
|---|---|---|
| METRO | All 4 lines — Red (airport), Blue, Green, Yellow | Tap the card at the yellow gate reader on entry and exit |
| CARRIS buses | Full city network — day and night lines across Lisbon | Tap the yellow reader when boarding via the front door |
| CARRIS trams (incl. Tram 28) | Historic lines 12, 15, 18, 24, 25, 28E | Tap the reader by the driver — same as buses |
| Funiculars | Elevador da Glória · Bica · Lavra — check current status, some may be closed for repair | Tap the reader inside; no separate €4 ticket needed |
| Santa Justa lift | Baixa ↔ Chiado | Tap at the ground-floor entrance |
| CP suburban trains | Rossio → Sintra · Cais do Sodré → Cascais · Santa Apolónia → Azambuja | Tap at the station gates on entry and exit |
| FERTAGUS | Roma-Areeiro → Setúbal via the 25 de Abril bridge | Tap at station gates — card valid for the full journey |
What's not included
- Tuk-tuks and Ubers — obviously.
- Ferries to Cacilhas, Trafaria and Porto Brandão — Transtejo, separate ticket.
- Sintra local buses 434 and 435 (to Pena Palace, Moorish Castle and the western Sintra palaces) — separate ticket, about €15.20 for the 24 h combined pass.
- Fast trains beyond Lisbon (to Porto, Coimbra, Faro) — CP long-distance is not covered.
The routes that matter for tourists
Airport → Downtown
Metro Red Line from Aeroporto. Change at Alameda to the Green Line for Rossio/Baixa-Chiado. About 30 minutes end-to-end. Trains every 5–8 minutes from 06:30 to 01:00. Escalators throughout — luggage friendly, and included in your card once activated.
Tram 28 — the iconic route
Estrela → Chiado → Baixa → Alfama → Graça. Board at Martim Moniz (start) or Estrela (other terminus) before 09:00 for the classic historic-tram experience with a seat. From 10:00 it's standing-room-only and pickpocket-heavy. If you get on mid-route in Baixa, you may need to wait for two or three trams to squeeze in. Free with your card, but walking Alfama on foot beats the tram after midday — you'll cover more ground and see more.
Lisbon → Sintra
Take CP from Rossio station — 40 minutes, direct. Free with the card. Frequency is every 20 minutes in rush hour, 30–60 minutes otherwise. The station is under the Rossio metro stop; walk down two escalators. In Sintra, the 434 bus (Praça da República → Moorish Castle → Pena → Sintra Palace) and 435 (palaces west of town) are not included with the card — about €15.20 for the 24 h combined pass, or walk 30 minutes uphill to Pena from central Sintra. Sintra Mitos e Lendas is right at the tourist office in central Sintra and included with the card.
Lisbon → Cascais
CP from Cais do Sodré, 40 minutes along the coast. Free with the card. The line hugs the river and then the Atlantic — take a seat on the left side going out. Cascais itself is walkable from the station; the beach starts a 10-minute walk south, the Boca do Inferno (blowhole cliff) is a 20-minute walk west along the coast path.
Lisbon → Belém
Three included options: Tram 15 from Praça da Figueira (about 25 min, but often packed); bus 728 from the same area (about 35 min, quieter); or CP from Cais do Sodré, get off at Belém station (about 7 minutes — the fastest option, and the most under-used). Any of them stops within a 3-minute walk of Jerónimos. Belém Tower is a 15-minute riverfront walk further west from the monastery.
Lisbon → Setúbal
FERTAGUS from Roma-Areeiro (northern terminus; also stops at Entrecampos, Sete Rios and Campolide) — about 55–60 minutes over the 25 de Abril bridge to Setúbal. Free with your card. Setúbal itself is a fishing town with excellent seafood; combine with a bus to the Arrábida cliffs or a walk on Portinho beach (both outside the card's scope but easy to reach on foot from Setúbal station).
Practical: how you actually use the card
- Sign and date-stamp the card at pickup (or first use). Write your name, the first-use date and the time on the back. Unsigned cards can be refused by inspectors.
- Tap on entry. Yellow reader at Metro gates, driver's reader on buses and trams, gate reader at CP stations. Wait for the beep before walking through — a red light means try again.
- Tap on exit at CP stations. Metro: tap on entry and exit (no exit tap = fine). Buses and trams: no exit tap — just get off.
- The clock is elapsed time from first tap. 24 h means 24 hours from that first tap — not "until midnight of that calendar day", not "the next day at 23:59". Card issued at 09:15 on Tuesday runs until 09:15 on Wednesday.
- Keep the card handy. Inspectors on trams and buses do check tickets. An unstamped Lisboa Card counts as no ticket, and fines can run to several times the price of the card.
Seven things nobody tells you about Tram 28
- The historic yellow cars are original 1920s–30s Remodelado models with historic body and chassis, modernised in the 1990s with new drives and electronics. The wooden benches are original. They rattle.
- The suffix "E" simply stands for eléctrico — Portuguese for "electric tram". It's used on every Carris tram line (12E, 15E, 18E, 24E, 25E, 28E), not a tourist marker.
- The steep hairpin at Graça is where the tram tilts noticeably — hold on.
- Pickpocket alert is legitimate on this line, especially in Alfama and at the Sé stop. Bag in front, hand on zipper.
- Line 12 covers a similar Alfama loop and is almost always emptier — try it instead.
- The Miradouro da Senhora do Monte stop (Graça end) is the best free viewpoint in Lisbon after Castelo.
- If you're only after the ride and not the view: the Cascais line hugs the coast for 40 minutes and is far more scenic per minute.