Lisbon has four main public transportations: bus (includes trams, funiculars and the Santa Justa Elevator), metro, train and ferry. Moving around the capital of Portugal never was so easy! There are various options of tickets, choose the one that suits you the best. Are you coming to Lisbon and you want to know where to buy a ticket, what’s the best ticket option for you and how to use public transportation?
Metro journey with a contactless bank card
Now you can pay for your ride at the fare gates using a bank card. Remove the card from your wallet to validate it and make sure you have the correct card to avoid duplicate payments. Lisboa Metropolitan, in partnership with Visa, Indra, Cybersource, Littlepay and Unicre, is now offering contactless payments on validation channels at all stations as part of a project that aims to revolutionize the lives of occasional metro users. From now on, anyone who wants to travel by metro will be able to do so by simply tapping their card, mobile phone or smartwatch for contactless payments on the validator and continuing their journey. Thanks to the contactless system, Lisbon metro passengers no longer have to buy tickets in advance from machines or enter codes to pay for their ride. Just present your card to the validator and the payment will be made automatically. This technology ensures fast, safe and seamless service, facilitating flow at stations and reducing waiting times. With this new payment method, journeys have a cost of 1,85 € (valid for the entire network).
Rechargeable card Navegante
Rechargeable magnetic paper travel card Navegante is the cheapest way to get around Lisbon. Navegante card costs €0.50 and is valid for one year. You can buy this travel card in any metro station (vending machines or ticket office), newspaper stands or Carris’ points of sale and top it up whenever you need it.
Types of tickets in Lisbon
You can charge your Navegante card with different types of tickets:
– A single ticket with the Navegante card for the Carris network (trams, buses and funiculars) and the metro costs 1,85 €
24 h ticket:
7 € for trams, metro, lifts, buses
10 € for trams, metro, lifts, buses and ferry Transtejo to Cacilhas
11 € for trams, metro, lifts, buses and trains CP to Sintra, Cascais, Azambuja and Sado
What is Zapping?
Zapping is a prepaid travel credit that can be used on various operators. You can use it to pay-as-you-go on Lisbon’s buses, trains, trams, funiculars, the metro and ferries. Charge your Navegante card (minimum 3 €, maximum 40 €).
Costs of Zapping:
1,66 € one metro ticket (www.metrolisboa.pt)
1,66 € one ticket for bus, lift or tram (www.carris.pt)
2,45 € train to Sintra or Cascais from Lisbon (www.cp.pt)
1,45 € – 3,20 € Ferry to Caclihas, Seixal, Trafaria (www.ttsl.pt/)
1,85 € do 5,50 € Fertagus trains (to Palmela, Setubal, etc.)
0,85 € one ticket Metro Sul do Tejo (trams in Almada)
Costs of tickets bought from the bus driver (tarifa de bordo):
2,20 € Bus
3,20 € Tram
4,20 € Funiculars: Bica, Glória, Lavra
6,10 € Elevador de Santa Justa (+access to the view point)
Each time you travel by public transport in Lisbon, you validate the card by swiping it across a sensor and the cost of one journey gets debited.
Monthly pass in Lisbon
Monthly pass (passe) Navegante is the ideal, magnetic plastic card for frequent public transport users. It can be topped up with travel passes or money (pay as you go ‘zapping’ credit). It is a personal card that can only be used by its user. The card costs 7 € (10 days waiting for the card) or 12 € (you get the card next day) and you can get it in some metro stations (Colégio Militar, Marquês de Pombal). It’s valid for 5 years.
Navegante Municipal valid only for Lisbon’s municipality or Amadora’s municipality or Odivelas’ municipality. Costs 30 € per month.
Navegante Metropolitano valid for whole Lisbon’s Metropolitan Area (includes Lisbon, Amadora and Oeiras). Costs 40 € per month.
There are more options, please check: https://www.metrolisboa.pt/en/buy/
Useful info about Lisbon public transaportation
– get into the bus or tram by the first door, next to the driver.
– on the bus/ tram stops people stand in the queue.
– trams and busses do not stop on each stop, if you want ot get out you need to push the button “parar” (stop), and if you want to enter the bus / tram you should wave your hand to the driver.
– the Lisbon Metro opens at 6:30 am and closes at 1 am. However, note that some stations close before this time.
Lisboa Card – is it worth buying it?
If you are planning intensive sightseeing and visiting most tourist attractions and museums – it is worth buying the Lisboa Card. The card guarantees the holder free use of public transport (metro, trams, buses, lifts, trains, including those to Sintra), and access to over 30 museums and tourist attractions, including the Torre de Belém, the Jeronimos Monastery and the Santa Justa elevator. The advantage of the Lisboa Card is convenience: you don’t have to buy separate tickets for each attraction. This card is the easiest way to make your trip cheaper, simpler, more comfortable and certainly much more memorable. The Lisboa Card is a 3-in-1 transportation, skip-the-line museum entry and discount card.
bret brett
Well done, nice overview, the issue I have personally, is that I cannot find a guide of how to work the machine to provide the EXACT Navegante card – (I want a zapping one)… and I am IT literate but I can see that there are many options such as municipal and Metropolitano, plus the different card types… looks like a nightmare. Perhaps you could consider doing a simple guide for the selections on the machine? Kind Regards bb
The Lisboner
Hi Bret. First you have to choose a card in the machine and “Navigate” is the one where you can charge zapping or simply buy a single ticket. After choosing the Navegante card should appear an option how do you want to charge it and zapping should be there. Good idea to make a short guide, video should be fine. Cheers!