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Getting around Lisbon is made easy primarily by the excellent Lisbon Metro which can whisk you swiftly and efficiently between Lisbon Districts. That's not all though on the Lisbon Public transport front - you've excellent rail links into Lisbon from its immediate suburbs like Setubal to the South and Cascais to the West, and longer rail routes upto Porto. You've also Lisbon's atmospheric trams and funicular elevators which criss-cross the city. Take an open top bus sightseeing tour (usually from central Praca do Comercio), a great way to get your bearings in Lisbon. There's also a choice of walking tours and boat tours on the water. If you want to save money, pick up a great value pass or Bilhete Turistico at the Elevador Santa Justa just down from Rossio. This pass allows you unlimited travel on buses, trams, elevadores and the metro for one day (usually around 3 euros). Alternatively pick up longer 2, 3 or 5 day passes. Check with the welcome centre on Praca do Comercio for details. Intensive Cartao Lisboa passes are available from most tourist info offices as well as Lisbon Airport.
Topping this, you can also hook into tourist boat trips and ferries taking you on scenic cruises up the River Tejo, or across to the Sul do Tejo area. You've no particular need to be driving around Lisbon, unless you're coming in from other locations in Portugal. In fact, you're well advised to avoid driving in Lisbon, which is basically a nightmare - this is a city where public transport reigns supreme, and three cheers to that. See weblinks right for the Lisbon Metro, Lisbon rail links, Lisbon trams and ferries and pre-plan your weekend city break in Lisbon or your longer holiday there. All public transport is cheap here, including rail journies out to historic hotspots like Sintra in the Lisbon suburbs!
Put simply, the Lisbon Metro is one of the most efficient metros out there. (see weblink right for routes). It's the best way to zip about the city of Lisbon, and most of the key tourist Lisbon attractions are served by nearby metro links, for example it's just a short walk from the Oriente Metro Station to the Pacque dos Nacoes complex.
Lisbon metro trains run pretty regularly too, about every few minutes so you'll rarely board a metro train that's full to the brim. And that's not all, it's cheap too - not much over 1 euro for return journeys within the city or pick up special passes if you're going to be moving around Lisbon city centre for several days! Details are via the Lisbon Metro weblink.
Some of the Lisbon Metro stations have stunning examples of contemporary azulejo tilework. Checkout Olivais, Cais de Sodre and the Oriente metro stations for examples!
The Lisbon Metro has several lines criss-crossing the city, all of which are colour coded, eg. The Oriente is Red, the Caravela line is green, the Gaivota line is blue and the Girassol line is yellow. Hook into main railline routes at Oriente (for Coimbra and Porto north), Cais Do Sodre (for Belem, Estoril and Cascais) and Santa Apolonia for routes north to Porto, but also to hook into rail routes to Benfica and Sintra beyond. See the Lisbon Rail Route details below for more information. Hook into fast trains from Areeiro all the way to Setubal on the Sul do Tejo South.
Carris (weblink right) is the main Lisbon company operating the many trams, buses and elevators around Lisbon. The Lisbon Metro tends to be quicker than the Lisbon buses, but there's some good bus route you might want to use including the No.1 Cais do Sodre to Charneca bus route which runs via central Baixa. If you're based up around Marques de Pombal, or looking for a quick link to the Belem suburb of Lisbon hop on the No.27 bus. Also if you're sampling the nightlife to the west either around Alcantara or Belem, the No201 night bus runs from Cais do Sodre to Belem right upt until 5am in the morning.
The Lisbon Trams or electricos run along 5 routes across Lisbon, many of which transgress up some of the steepest roads you'll find in any city worldwide! Take the journey just for the experience of that, and many do. The number 28 tram ride is a favourite, lurching as it does from Graca all the way through historic Alfama to the central Baixa district. Check the Carris weblink right for route tram time table details.
Checkout the Carris weblink too for details on Lisbon's 4 spectacular funiculars around the city including the Bica Funicular, Gloria Funicular, Lavra Funicular and the Saint Justa Lift.
A selection of companies, for example City Line (see weblink right) run open top bus Lisbon sightseeing tours. There good these early on in your visit, to really get your bearings in sprawling Lisbon. They cover considerable ground, taking you out to the Belem suburb, around Parque Eduardo VII and even as far north as Lisbon Zoo. Pick ups are usually just to the north of Parque Eduardo VII, or around Praca do Comercio on the central Baixa waterfront.
You've not just excellent public transport in the form of the Lisbon Metro, trams and buses within the city, you've also excellent mainline rail links in and out of Lisbon (check Lisbon Mainline Rail weblink right for details!).
The five main railway lines in and out of Lisbon are the Azembuja Line, the Cascais Line, the Sintra Line and the Sado Line. Hook into the Azambuja Line (colour coded red) from Alcantara-Mar or Santa Apolonia, or indeed Entrecampos or Areerio, both the latter of which also have metro stations.
Head for Cais do Sodre (easily reached via the metro link if you're based say in North Lisbon). This line runs along the waterfront, stopping at historic Belem then on stopping at Carcavelos, Estoril and finally Cascais. The Sintra line is equally easily to hook into via the Oriente, Areeiro or Entrecampos - all of which also have Lisbon metro stations.
For rail links down to Setubal and the Sul do Tejo hop aboard the Sado Line from Terreiro do Paco. This line calls in at Setubal. For maps of all the lines, and for longer rail journeys down to the Algarve, across to Evora or north to Porto, see the Lisbon Mainline Rail weblink right.
If you fancy taking a boat trip along the Tagus and Tejo Rivers off Lisbon Waterfront there's plenty of choice. Transtejo offer a choice o boat trips (see weblink right) including a full 2 hour boat trip tour of the River Tagus. You can hop aboard this from the docks just to the east of Praco do Comercio in the Baixa district. Other boat tours depart from Terreiro do Paco from April to October (see the Cityrama weblink right for details.
River tours of the Tagus from Terreiro do Paco usually run during the peak tourist season from 1 April to 30 September.
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