Public Transport in Lisbon - Metro, Trams & Funiculars

Lisbon is built across seven hills, and that shapes how you get around. Much of the city is best explored on foot, but for the steep climbs and longer distances between neighbourhoods, the well-developed public transport network is worth using. Four systems work together, a modern metro, a dense bus and tram network, the historic funiculars and lifts, and ferries across the Tagus. Once you've got the fare system figured out, getting around is cheap and largely traffic-free.

The navegante card, the basis for cheap travel

Almost everything starts with the rechargeable navegante occasional, the transport card previously known as Viva Viagem or 7 Colinas, names still used informally in 2026. The empty card costs a one-off €0.50 and, once bought, can be topped up freely for a year. You can top it up at machines in every metro station, at railway stations, at Multibanco cash machines, or through the Carris and Metro apps.

You can load either a specific ticket or the flexible Zapping credit onto the card:

• Zapping is topped up with €3 to €40 at a time, and the balance stays valid for a year. Each ride is deducted individually, bringing a metro fare down to just €1.72, the cheapest option for occasional travellers.
• If you'd rather not buy a card, you can simply tap a contactless bank card at the metro gates; the fare then costs €1.92, and only one person can pass per card.

One tip worth knowing for buses, buying a single ticket from the driver costs €2.20 instead of €1.90. Loading the navegante card in advance, or paying via Zapping, is clearly the cheaper way to go.

Tickets and fares at a glance

The fare system is straightforward once you know the tiers. These prices apply in 2026 across the combined Carris/metro network:

• Single fare (valid 60 minutes, transfers included): €1.90, or €1.72 on the metro with Zapping.
• 24-hour ticket: €7.25, valid on all buses, trams and the metro, as well as the lifts and funiculars.
• 24-hour ticket including ferries (Transtejo across the Tagus): €10.35.
• 24-hour ticket including CP trains to Sintra and Cascais: €11.40.

The rule of thumb is simple, if you're planning more than about four trips a day, the 24-hour ticket works out cheaper than paying per ride. As of 2026 there's no dedicated weekend or weekly fare product; longer passes are personalised and rarely make sense for a short trip. You can buy tickets at the machines (TVM) in every metro station, including the airport, at railway stations, via the VIVA online portal, or through an app - Carris for buses and trams, Metropolitano de Lisboa for the metro, or the routing app Moovit.

If you're planning to visit a lot of sights, it's also worth checking the Lisboa Card, it covers all public transport including the metro to the airport and CP trains to Sintra and Cascais, plus over 50 admissions. More on that in our guide to the Lisboa Card.

The metro, fast, reliable and traffic-free

The metro is the backbone for longer journeys and runs four lines in 2026:

• Blue Line (Linha Azul): Reboleira - Santa Apolónia
• Yellow Line (Linha Amarela): Odivelas - Rato
• Green Line (Linha Verde): Telheiras - Cais do Sodré
• Red Line (Linha Vermelha): São Sebastião - Aeroporto

A fifth, pink line is planned but not yet in operation in 2026. The airport is served by the red line via Aeroporto station; the ride into the centre takes around 20 to 30 minutes, with trains every 6 to 10 minutes on weekdays. For how that compares with a taxi or bus, see our guide From the airport to the city centre.

The metro runs daily from 6:30 to 1:00, with the same hours on weekends and public holidays; the last trains reach the end stations around 1:30. During the day, trains come every 3 to 6 minutes at peak times and every 6 to 12 minutes otherwise. The government announced a feasibility study into longer operating hours in May 2026, but as of June 2026 this extension has not yet been implemented. On the main north-south and east-west routes, the metro is almost always the fastest and most reliable option, it never gets stuck in traffic.

What the metro doesn't cover are some of the city's most attractive hillside neighbourhoods - Alfama, for instance, has no metro connection, and you can't reach Belém by metro either; you'll need Tram 15E or the train from Cais do Sodré.

Trams and the famous Line 28

The yellow trams are both a mode of transport and a city landmark. For Belém, take the modern, spacious Tram 15E; but the real postcard ride is the historic Tram 28, which creaks its way through the narrow lanes of Alfama, Graça and Estrela, exactly where the metro doesn't go.

Tram 28 runs daily from roughly 5:40 to 23:30, every 10 to 15 minutes; on weekdays the first tram leaves Martim Moniz around 5:40, and on Sundays and public holidays around 6:45. After 21:30, some services terminate early at Estrela instead of continuing to Prazeres. As appealing as the route is, it does have its drawbacks:

• Crowds: between June and September, waiting times at the Martim Moniz terminus often exceed an hour, and the trams are chronically overcrowded. Plan your ride for before 9:00 or after 18:00, and board at the Prazeres end of the line in the opposite direction to start your journey seated.
• Pickpockets: Tram 28 has one of the highest pickpocketing rates in the city, worst between 9:00 and 18:00 when it's busiest. Wear backpacks or bags on your front, don't keep your wallet in a back pocket, and stay especially alert near the doors.

Funiculars and lifts against the hills

To tackle the steep climbs, Lisbon has its own category of transport, the ascensores, run by Carris and small landmarks in their own right. Three funiculars and one vertical lift cover the climbs that would otherwise mean long flights of steps:

• Ascensor da Glória, a funicular linking Praça dos Restauradores with Bairro Alto, runs from around 7:15 until close to midnight.
• The Bica Funicular (Ascensor da Bica) climbs one of the most photogenic lanes in the city, Monday to Saturday 7:00-21:00, Sundays 9:00-21:00.
• Ascensor do Lavra is the oldest and quietest of the three funiculars.
• The vertical Santa Justa Lift connects the lower Baixa district with the higher Carmo square. It has extended summer hours (roughly March to October, 7:00-23:00) and shorter winter hours (roughly November to February, 7:00-21:00).

The practical upside, all four are included in the 24-hour ticket (€7.25) and in the Lisboa Card. With a valid day ticket, you ride them at no extra cost; buying a single ascensor ticket on board, by contrast, is comparatively expensive, so the lifts really pay off with a day ticket or the Lisboa Card.

Getting around at night, and accessibility

Once the metro stops running around 1:00, you're not automatically stuck with a taxi or Uber. Carris runs the Rede da Madrugada night bus network, with lines including 201, 202, 203, 206, 207, 208 and 210, most of which run to and from Cais do Sodré, roughly between midnight and the early morning hours. Services run less frequently than during the day but cover the main routes. If you want a flexible ride with no wait, a taxi, Uber or Bolt is the alternative during this window.

On accessibility, the metro has made real progress in recent years. Following the completion of work at Campo Pequeno and Picoas, around 46 stations now have lifts and are step-free - about 82% of the network; the modernisation programme targets around 93% by 2026. Across the network there are 121 lifts, 234 escalators and 10 travelators in total. In the narrow, cobbled old-town lanes of Alfama and Mouraria, though, the terrain itself remains demanding, here the trams and funiculars help more than any card can.