Getting Around Lisbon: Metro, Trams or Car?

The Metro: Fast, Cheap and Mainly for the Centre

The Lisboa Metro is the workhorse of the city. Four lines — Azul, Amarela, Verde and Vermelha — connect Baixa-Chiado, Rossio, Marquês de Pombal, Saldanha, Alameda and Oriente, where the airport bus and train hub sit. Fares are low by Western European standards: a single journey is around €1.85 on a rechargeable Viva Viagem card, with a 24-hour pass in the region of €6.80 and a rechargeable card costing €0.50. Trains run roughly 06:30 to 01:00, and station platforms are tiled and easy to navigate, though some interchanges involve long underground walks.

Where the Metro falls short is the historic centre. It will not take you up to Alfama, Graça or the upper slopes of Bairro Alto, and there is no stop in Belém. If your hotel sits near a Metro entrance — Parque, São Sebastião, Anjos, Arroios — you can build a whole trip around it. If your hotel is in Alfama or on the Estrela side, the Metro becomes a supplement rather than a backbone, and you will walk more than you expect.

Trams: Scenic, Slow, and Not Always Worth the Queue

Tram 28 is the famous one, looping from Martim Moniz through Graça, Alfama, Baixa, Chiado and up to Estrela and Campo de Ourique. It is genuinely useful and genuinely crowded: in July and August the queue at Martim Moniz can swallow an hour, and pickpocketing on board is a known issue. Tram 15 to Belém is a better bet for sightseeing, running along the river from Praça da Figueira to the monastery and past the Torre de Belém. Trams use the same Viva Viagem card at around €3.10 for a single trip.

My recommendation: ride the 28 once, early, ideally before 08:30 from Rua da Graça rather than at the terminus, and then treat the hills as walking territory. The Carris funiculars — Glória, Bica, Lavra — cover the steepest climbs for a single fare and save your legs for the miradouros. In low season, November through February, the 28 is far more pleasant and you can actually see out of the windows.

Driving: Mostly a Liability Inside the City

A car makes sense for Sintra, Cascais, Óbidos or the Alentejo coast — Sintra is around 40 minutes from central Lisbon outside rush hour. Inside the city it is a different story. Parking in Alfama, Bairro Alto and Chiado is scarce and expensive; expect €20–€30 a day in a central garage. The historic streets are narrow, one-way and often pedestrianised, and the tolls on the A5 and A2 add up. Central hotels that advertise parking usually mean a commercial garage several minutes' walk away.

If you are spending three days or fewer in Lisbon and heading home from Humberto Delgado Airport, skip the rental car entirely. The Metro's Vermelha line reaches Oriente in ten minutes and the airport in around twenty from the centre. Take the car only for a dedicated day trip out of the city, and pick it up from a downtown office on the morning you leave rather than at the airport on arrival.

Where to Stay, and What I Would Book

Your hotel location should decide your transport mix. For a first visit, I would book in Chiado, Baixa or Príncipe Real — walkable to most sights, near Metro stops at Baixa-Chiado and Rossio, and close to the 28 and 15. If budget is tighter, look at Arroios, Anjos or Alameda on the Verde line: quieter, cheaper, still fifteen minutes from the centre. Avoid hotels deep in Alfama if you have mobility concerns; the cobbles and stairs are relentless.

Practical notes: buy the Viva Viagem card on day one at any Metro station machine, top it up rather than buying singles, and keep it separate from your wallet. April to June and September to October are the sweet spot for weather and crowds. Skip the tram 28 in peak August if you can, skip driving in the centre altogether, and let the Metro do the heavy lifting while you walk the rest.