Walking is the easiest way across central Lisbon’s lower streets, but the climb from Lisbon Cathedral towards Graça changes the calculation. For longer hops, the Metro, CARRIS trams and buses each serve different parts of the city. The ticket you need depends on whether you stay on their networks or cross to a CP train or Transtejo ferry.
Walking the centre and climbing to Graça
| Walk | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Rossio Square → Praça do Comércio | about 700 metres | about 9 minutes |
| Praça do Comércio → Lisbon Cathedral | about 500 metres | about 8 minutes |
| Lisbon Cathedral → Largo da Graça | about 1 km | about 17 minutes |
Yes, Lisbon’s central sights can be explored on foot, especially between Rossio Square (Praça Dom Pedro IV) and the riverside Praça do Comércio. The route then turns towards Lisbon Cathedral, whose position above the waterfront marks the start of a more demanding walk into the historic hills. The three walks together cover about 2.2 km and take about 35 minutes of walking, before any stops.
The final stretch to Largo da Graça climbs towards the neighbourhood above the cathedral. Steep gradients, steps and uneven cobbled paving make this a different proposition from crossing the lower town, and cobbles can be slippery in rain. Take a bus or car instead of planning the climb on foot if steps or luggage are a problem.
Simon Burchell · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
Which transport suits which journey?
| Criterion | Walking | Metro | Tram | Bus | Hill transport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Useful for | Lower-town sights | Airport and longer urban hops | Belém and historic hill streets | Gaps between rail and tram routes | Short steep climbs |
| Limitation | Steep hills and steps | No direct Belém or upper-lane stop | 28E crowds and split service | Direction and arrival vary by stop | Glória, Lavra and Bica suspended; Graça status uncertain |
For luggage, a steep climb or a late return, a taxi or app-booked car may be easier than changing vehicles. CP trains serve specific rail corridors and the Cacilhas ferry crosses the river, but neither is simply another way to travel between the central streets.
Metro lines and useful stations
| Station | Line and direction | Serves |
|---|---|---|
| Aeroporto | Red towards São Sebastião | Lisbon Airport |
| Alameda | Red towards São Sebastião; Green towards Cais do Sodré | Red–Green interchange |
| Rossio | Green towards Cais do Sodré | Rossio Square and Baixa |
At Aeroporto station, the Red Line runs towards Alameda. Change there to the Green Line towards Rossio for the lower town. The Aeroporto–Alameda leg takes about 20 minutes and Alameda–Rossio about 7 minutes. Allow separately for reaching the airport station and walking from Rossio to your destination. Aeroporto has step-free access from Terminal 1 to its platforms.
Rossio puts you near the lower-town streets, not on the upper historic lanes. For Belém or a climb into those lanes, change to a suitable surface service rather than looking for a direct Metro stop.
- Name
- Aeroporto Metro station
- Location
- Lisbon Airport Maps
- Essential fact
- Red Line station at Lisbon Airport.
IngolfBLN · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Edited
Trams for Belém and the historic hills
| Board or alight | Line and direction | Serves |
|---|---|---|
| Cais do Sodré | 15E towards Algés | Belém corridor |
| Belém | 15E towards Algés; return towards Praça da Figueira | Belém sights |
| Martim Moniz | 28E towards Praça Luís de Camões | Historic hill streets |
| Praça Luís de Camões | 28E towards Martim Moniz; replacement bus towards Campo de Ourique | Change between tram and bus |
From Cais do Sodré, take the 15E towards Belém for the riverside district. On the displayed winter holiday timetable it starts at 05:50, with a last listed departure at 01:00. The gaps between departures are roughly 10–17 minutes by day and 14–17 minutes from 21:00. The 28E climbs through historic streets from Martim Moniz, but do not assume a tram will carry you all the way to Campo de Ourique.
The 28E runs daily, but its seasonal departures differ by day and direction. On the displayed Sunday and public-holiday winter timetable, departures in the shown direction run from 06:45 to 22:30. Keep valuables secure when the 28E is crowded. For the individual hillside boarding points and directions, see Lisbon Tram 28E route and stops.
- Name
- Cais do Sodré tram stop
- Location
- Cais do Sodré, Lisbon Maps
- Essential fact
- Board the 15E towards Belém here.
Janko Hoener from Brühl, Germany · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Edited
Buses and late journeys
- Night network
- Daily, 23:30–05:35
- Central night routes
- 201, 202, 203, 206, 207, 208, 210
CARRIS buses fill gaps between Metro stations and tram corridors. Use the route number and destination together at the stop, since a bus going the other way may serve the same road. CARRISway shows where buses and trams are and predicts their arrival at a selected stop, so use that to decide whether to wait or walk.
For a late journey, the night network includes routes from Cais do Sodré towards Linda-a-Velha, Bairro Padre Cruz and Fetais, and route 208 between Martim Moniz and Oriente. A daytime bus route is not automatically an overnight service.
Skye Haynes from Basingstoke, United Kingdom · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
Funiculars and the Santa Justa Lift
Glória, Lavra and Bica are short funicular climbs, rather than cross-city routes, while the Santa Justa Lift connects different levels of the central streets. Graça’s funicular links Rua dos Lagares with the viewpoint above it. These hillside links can spare you a steep ascent when running.
Graça’s published daily uphill departures run from 07:00 to 20:45 and downhill departures from 07:05 to 20:50, but the service may be temporarily closed. If it is not running, take a bus or walk the climb to the viewpoint.
Concierge.2C · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Edited
Belém train and Cacilhas ferry
From Cais do Sodré, the CP Cascais Line stops at Belém, an alternative to the 15E when you want the rail corridor rather than the tram stops. Trains run daily, and the first departure towards Belém is at 05:30. On weekends and public holidays the departure interval is 30 minutes early on, 20 minutes from 08:20 through 19:00, then 30 minutes from 19:30 through 01:30. Choose the train for Belém only if its station suits your destination.
The Transtejo ferry from Cais do Sodré crosses the Tagus to Cacilhas on the south bank, not between Lisbon neighbourhoods. It runs daily on different weekday and weekend schedules, with intervals changing through the day. Weekday departures from Cais do Sodré run from 00:20 to 23:47 and from Cacilhas from 00:05 to 23:35. On weekends and public holidays, the respective last departures are 23:45 and 23:30. An ordinary CARRIS/Metro ticket does not include the CP train or the Cacilhas ferry, so use their own fares or the relevant combined 24-hour product.
Tickets and passes for a short stay
| Product | Fare | Validity and coverage |
|---|---|---|
| CARRIS/Metro single | €1.90 | 60 minutes; CARRIS and Metro; no consecutive Metro entries |
| CARRIS Zapping | €1.72 | One hour on regular CARRIS services |
| 24-hour CARRIS/Metro | €7.25 | 24 hours from first validation; CARRIS and Metro |
| 24-hour CARRIS/Metro/Transtejo | €10.35 | 24 hours; Cais do Sodré–Cacilhas ferry included |
| 24-hour CARRIS/Metro/CP | €11.40 | 24 hours; CP Lisbon urban lines included |
The reloadable Navegante occasional card costs €0.50 and lasts one year after purchase. Choose a single for a short run on CARRIS and Metro, or a 24-hour ticket for repeated trips within its coverage. The single’s hour runs from first to last entry validation: you can make successive CARRIS journeys but cannot enter the Metro twice in succession on that ticket.
Zapping charges a new operator’s fare when you switch from CARRIS to another operator, and the CARRIS validity ends at that change. A cheaper CARRIS validation is therefore not a single through-ticket onto the Metro or ferry. The combined ferry product covers the Cacilhas crossing, while the CP version includes the Cascais, Sintra, Azambuja and Sado urban lines. On CP, only exit is allowed in the final 30 minutes of that product’s validity.
The Lisboa Card is a sightseeing product that also includes Metro, CARRIS, CP and Fertagus travel. Decide whether its attraction access matters to you before treating it as a transport ticket. For the full product breakdown beyond these short-stay choices, see Lisbon public transport tickets and passes.
Buying and validating your ticket
A card alone is not a ticket for your journey. Load a suitable fare or balance before reaching the Metro gate or boarding a CARRIS vehicle. The gate or onboard validator records your entry. Hold on to the card for the rest of the journey, even when you have paid in advance.
Do
- Buy and load a Navegante occasional card at a Metro vending machine or ticket office, or a CARRIS shop or kiosk.
- Use the card at the Metro entry gate; on a CARRIS bus or tram, hold it to the validator on boarding until the green light appears.
- Keep your validated card or other proof of payment available for inspection.
Don’t
- Board a bus or tram without validating just because the card already has a ticket or balance.
- Discard your proof of an onboard or contactless payment before the end of the journey.
- Assume a damaged or unreadable card will suffice without its ticket and receipt.
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: services, fares and charges, and closures.
- General Conditions of Carriage for CARRIS Services
- Serviço CARRIS | Noite de Sto. António
- Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa, E.M., S.A. — service
- 55E | Graça Funicular – Extended Hours
- Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa (CARRIS) — service
- Metropolitano de Lisboa, E.P.E. — service
- 15E | CARRIS
- 28E — Carris
- 28E | Replacement
- CARRIS | Transporte Público de Lisboa
- Metropolitano de Lisboa, EPE — fares and charges
- Metropolitano de Lisboa, E.P.E. — fares and charges
- Occasional journeys
- Prices table 2026
- CP – Comboios de Portugal — fares and charges
- CP – Comboios de Portugal — fares and charges
- Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) — fares and charges
- Visit Lisboa — fares and charges
- Azienda Trasporti Milanesi (ATM) — service
- Validation
- Portuguese law (Law No. 28/2006, as amended by Decree-Law No. 117/2017) — fares and charges
- CARRIS; Metropolitano de Lisboa — closures
- Comboios de Portugal (CP) — service
- Transtejo Soflusa (TTSL) — service
