Lisbon Trams and Funiculars: A Guide to the City's Iconic Rides

This post is a companion to our Lisbon Itinerary Guide. If you’re planning your days in the city, start there — this post goes deeper on the transport that makes Lisbon feel like Lisbon.

Lisbon is a city built on hills, and one of the best ways to experience it is by riding the historic trams and funiculars that have been carrying people up and down its steep streets for over a century.

At home in Vancouver, we don’t have anything like this. No little yellow cars clattering around corners on tracks embedded in cobblestones. No hillside funiculars tucked into narrow alleys, waiting at what looks like an ordinary bus stop. The first time you walk past one of Lisbon’s funicular stations — a small platform, a simple awning, a pair of rails disappearing steeply uphill — and realize you can just get on, it feels genuinely delightful. Like the city is offering you a small gift.

These aren’t just tourist attractions, though they’ve certainly become that too. Lisbon’s geography made them necessary: the steep hills, tight medieval streets, and dense older neighbourhoods couldn’t be served by modern buses or metros. The small, agile trams and funiculars were — and in many places still are — the most practical way to get around. What started as infrastructure became identity.

Important Update — September 2025

At the time of updating this guide, some of Lisbon’s historic funiculars are temporarily out of service due to restoration work following an accident. The city’s iconic trams remain one of the best ways to explore Lisbon, and I’ll continue updating this guide as services return. Please check the current status before visiting — the situation may have changed since this post was published. The Carris website (carris.pt) has the most up-to-date information.

What this covers	Trams, Funiculars, and the Santa Justa Elevator
Personally ridden	Tram 28, Ascensor da Bica, Ascensor da Glória, Santa Justa Elevator
Cost	€1.70/ride with Viva Viagem card; free with Lisboa Card
Best time to ride	Early morning or late afternoon — avoid midday crowds especially on Tram 28
Good to know	Hold onto your belongings on busy routes; Lisboa Card covers most rides

A Brief History

Lisbon’s tram system dates to 1873, when the first cars were pulled by horses through the city’s streets. By the early 1900s, the network was electrified and rapidly expanded, becoming one of the primary ways the city moved. At its peak, there were dozens of routes.

Today, only a handful remain — but they’ve endured precisely because the geography that created them hasn’t changed. The narrow lanes of Alfama and Graça are still too tight for modern vehicles. The hills are still too steep for easy walking. The trams and funiculars remained not out of sentimentality but because nothing else works as well.

The funiculars operate on the same principle as San Francisco’s famous cable cars: an underground cable rotates continuously beneath the tracks, and each car latches onto it to move. When the two cars on a line pass each other mid-journey — one descending as the other ascends on parallel tracks — it’s one of those small, mechanical pleasures that’s worth watching for. You can walk alongside the tracks as they go, which gives you a different perspective on how the system actually works.

The Trams

Tram 28 — The One You’ve Seen in Every Lisbon Photo

Tram 28 is the most famous tram route in Lisbon — and one of the most scenic in Europe. It winds through Graça, Alfama, Baixa, and Estrela, passing major landmarks, viewpoints, and streets so narrow that the tram seems to fill them entirely. Corners that look physically impossible are navigated with practiced ease. At certain points on the route, you genuinely wonder how a vehicle this size fits between the buildings on either side.

The trams themselves are the classic yellow and white cars you’ll have seen in every Lisbon photograph: compact, slightly rattling, polished wood on the interior and standing room for most passengers because everyone gravitates toward the front window for the view. They’re not particularly fast, but speed isn’t the point.

We rode it early morning and off-season, which made a significant difference — it felt more like actual city transport than a tourist experience. In peak season and midday, Tram 28 is crowded and the lines can be long. The ride is still worth doing, but timing matters.

The section through Alfama is the highlight — the tram moves through lanes that feel impossibly tight, and the views between buildings occasionally open to reveal the river or a tiled façade that makes you wish the car would slow down.

Practical notes:

Boards at Martim Moniz heading toward Campo Ourique (or vice versa)
Passes the Cathedral, São Jorge Castle area, and multiple miradouros
Busy from mid-morning onward — aim for before 9 am or after 5 pm
Watch your belongings on crowded departures

Tram 12 — The Quieter Alternative

Tram 12 runs a smaller loop through Alfama, covering similar territory to Tram 28 with considerably fewer people. If you want the experience of a historic tram through the old city without the intensity of the 28, this is the one to take. Same charm, different crowd.

Tram 15E — The Practical One

Tram 15E uses modern trams rather than the historic yellow cars, and connects the city centre to Belém — making it the most useful line for visitors heading to Jerónimos Monastery, the Monument to the Discoveries, and Belém Tower. Less atmospheric than the others, but reliable and efficient.

Tram 18 — The Local Experience

Often overlooked, Tram 18 doesn’t hit the major tourist highlights — which is precisely its appeal. Fewer crowds, a more neighbourhood feel, a glimpse of the Lisbon that residents actually use. Worth riding if you want to step briefly off the tourist circuit.

The Funiculars (Ascensores)

Lisbon’s three historic funiculars were built in the late 1800s to connect the lower city to the upper neighbourhoods on its steepest hills. Each is a short ride — three to five minutes — but each has its own character. At €1.70 with a Viva Viagem card (or free with the Lisboa Card), they’re also one of the better value-for-experience ratios in the city.

Ascensor da Bica — The Postcard One (Currently Closed)

Note: The Bica is currently closed pending safety review following the September 2025 accident. No confirmed reopening date as of May 2026.

The Bica is the most photographed funicular in Lisbon, and the reason is immediately obvious: it runs down a narrow lane lined with pastel-coloured buildings, small shops, and the kind of visual composition that makes photographers stop walking. At the bottom, through the gap between the buildings, a glimpse of the Tagus River appears — framed by the alley, the colour of the facades, the tracks running down the middle of it all.

It opened in 1892 and climbs at gradients of up to 20% over 245 metres. The ride takes about five minutes.

What I love about the funiculars generally — and the Bica specifically — is the novelty of the experience. Walking past a small station tucked into a hillside street, stepping onto a vehicle that then moves you steeply up or down through the city, and emerging somewhere entirely different at the other end. It’s the kind of transport that makes you aware you’re in a particular place rather than just moving through it.

The Bica feels more curated and manicured than the Glória — the street is pretty in a deliberate way, and the tourist presence reflects that. Worth riding, worth photographing, worth doing early when the light on the coloured buildings is best.

Key facts:

Opened: June 28, 1892
Length: 245 m
Gradient: Up to 20%
Travel time: ~5 minutes
Hours: Mon–Sat 7:00–21:00, Sun 9:00–21:00

Ascensor da Glória — The Neighbourhood One (Currently Closed)

Note: The Glória funicular is closed indefinitely following the September 2025 accident. This section reflects the experience of riding it before the closure and is preserved for historical context and for when it eventually reopens.

The Glória is the funicular I’d send someone to if they wanted to understand what these things actually mean to the city, rather than just photograph them.

The stop at the bottom looks like a regular bus stop — a small awning, nothing particularly remarkable, on the busy Praça dos Restauradores. The cars are mostly painted the iconic yellow and white, but some have been covered in street art, which gives the line a more lived-in, contemporary feel. The street it climbs is a neighbourhood in character: less manicured than the Bica lane, more honest, more local. People use this one to get somewhere rather than to take pictures of it.

The ride itself is shorter than the Bica — impressive how quickly you move from the main street level up into Bairro Alto — and ends at the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, one of the best viewpoints in Lisbon. On a warm evening, there’s often live music at the miradouro, and the view over the lower city and toward the river is exactly what you’d hope for from a Lisbon sunset spot.

One moment worth watching for on any funicular: the passing of the two cars. As one descends and the other ascends, they pass each other on parallel tracks in the middle of the route. It’s a small mechanical ballet that happens every few minutes and never quite gets old to watch, especially if you’re walking alongside the tracks as it happens.

Key facts:

Opened: October 24, 1885
Length: 265 m
Gradient: 18% average
Travel time: 3–4 minutes
Status: National Monument (since 2002)
Hours: Mon–Thu 7:15–23:55, Fri–Sat 7:15–00:25, Sun 9:15–23:55

Ascensor do Lavra — The Hidden One (Currently Closed)

Note: The Lavra is currently closed pending safety review following the September 2025 accident. No confirmed reopening date as of May 2026.

The oldest of the three funiculars — opened April 19, 1884 — and the least visited, which is recommendation enough. Set in a quieter neighbourhood away from the main tourist circuit, the Lavra feels more like a discovery than a destination. Originally powered by a water counterbalance system, then converted to steam in 1898, and electrified in 1915 — it’s been climbing this hill in one form or another for over 140 years.

If you’ve done the Bica and the Glória and want the full set, or if you simply prefer your Lisbon experiences with fewer other tourists in them, the Lavra is the one to seek out — once it reopens.

Key facts:

Opened: April 19, 1884
Length: ~188 m
Gradient: 22.9% average — the steepest of the three
Travel time: 3–5 minutes
Hours: Mon–Fri 7:00–20:30, Weekends 9:00–19:55 (suspended as of September 2025)

Funicular da Graça — The New One (Open as of April 2026)

The Graça funicular is not one of Lisbon’s historic trio — it’s a brand new addition, inaugurated in March 2024 after a construction process that took fifteen years from start to finish. It connects Mouraria (Rua dos Lagares) to the Miradouro da Graça viewpoint above, painted yellow to match the historic vehicles but operating as a fully modern system.

Following the Glória accident in September 2025, the Graça was also suspended as a precaution. It was the first to reopen, on 30 April 2026, after a technical inspection confirmed its safety. Currently operating daily 9 am–5 pm, with hours to be extended.

At just 78 metres and a journey time of about 90 seconds, it’s the shortest ride of all — but it delivers you to one of Lisbon’s better viewpoints, with panoramic views over the castle, the Alfama rooftops, and the Tagus in the distance. A good practical option while the historic funiculars remain closed.

Key facts:

Opened: March 12, 2024 (reopened April 30, 2026)
Length: 78 m
Travel time: ~90 seconds
Capacity: 14 passengers
Fare: €4.30 (covers two trips — up and back)
Hours: Daily 9 am–5 pm (as of May 2026; being extended)

The Santa Justa Elevator — Not a Funicular, But Essential

Strictly speaking, the Santa Justa is an elevator rather than a funicular — it moves vertically rather than along an incline — but it belongs in any conversation about Lisbon’s historic transport.

Built in 1902 and designed by Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard (a student of Gustave Eiffel), it connects the Baixa district below to the Carmo area above. The ironwork is extraordinary — ornate and detailed in a way that Eiffel’s own tower isn’t, closer to Art Deco than industrial. Standing at the base looking up at it, or riding to the platform at the top and looking out over Lisbon’s tiled rooftops and red chimneys, it’s one of those structures that earns its place on every highlight reel.

The platform view is the main event rather than the elevator itself — tiled streets below, the castle on the hill, the river in the distance. The queues build quickly on busy days; arriving early is the standard advice, and it’s good advice.

Free with the Lisboa Card. A small additional fee for access to the very top viewing platform.

Practical Guide: Riding Lisbon’s Trams and Funiculars

What to pay

Single ride: €1.70 with a rechargeable Viva Viagem card (buy at metro stations)
Lisboa Card: covers all trams, funiculars, and the Santa Justa — worth it if you’re riding multiple times across several days
Avoid buying tickets on board where possible — the card is significantly cheaper

When to ride: Early morning (before 9 am) or late afternoon (after 5 pm) for Tram 28 specifically. The funiculars are less dramatically affected by crowds but follow the same general principle — earlier and later is calmer.

Watch your belongings. Tram 28 in particular is known for pickpocketing, especially in crowded conditions. Keep bags in front of you and phones in a secure pocket rather than in hand.

Walking alongside, you can walk alongside the funicular tracks as the cars move — a good way to watch the cars pass each other mid-journey and understand how the cable system works. Worth doing at least once, especially on the Glória, where the street is wide enough to be comfortable.

The Lisboa Card. If you’re spending three or more days in Lisbon and planning to use public transport regularly, the Lisboa Card pays for itself quickly. Covers all trams, funiculars, the Santa Justa, metro, suburban trains, and entry to many major sights. Buy online before you go or at the airport on arrival.