Lisboa Card Review | It’s Worth It and Here’s Why
I was gifted the Lisboa City Card. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Lisbon (Portuguese: Lisboa), the capital city of Portugal, is a wonderful and hilly coastal city. The city is known for its stunning architecture, unique historical center, colourful azulejos (ceramic tiles), and amazing food. It also has a fascinating history! It is absolutely worth visiting. However, being one of the largest European cities, it’s also very popular destination and relatively expensive. City cards are a great way to save some money, if you were planning to spend it already! Read on for a full Lisboa Card Review and find out if it is right for you!
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Lisboa Card Review
City cards can be great, but it’s also a good idea to do a little bit of research to find out if it’s right for you. City cards help you save money if you’re already planning on spending money. The Lisboa Card is sold by hours, instead of days, which gives fantastic flexibility on it’s use. If you activate a 1-day city card at 3 pm on a Thursday, the card is valid until 3 pm on Friday!
It’s important to note that there are a ton of attractions around Lisbon, and many of them are worth it! All Lisboa Cards include free public transportation for the duration of your card: subways/buses/trams/funiculars included. It also give you free transport on the CP Train to Sintra, Cascais and the south margin of Tagus River.
The card includes free entrance to 35 places, discount vouchers for tours and shopping, and more! To maximize your savings, you’ll definitely want to plan out where you visit and when. But, I’ll break that down for you at the end of this post.
Click here to purchase a card in advance of your upcoming trip to Lisbon. You’ll receive a voucher and can then pick up the card when you arrive in Lisbon.
Adult ticket prices: 24 h €21 euro; 48 h €35; 72 h €44
Places to Visit with the Lisboa Card
There are 35 attractions with free admission using the Lisboa Card. As found above, you can find the complete map and list of discounts here. Here are some of the most popular attractions. Note: some of these places are closed Mondays, and are free the first Sunday of the month so plan accordingly!
Belem Tower
An iconic tower that is free to see the outside of, but worth it to buy a ticket to go inside. It was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. It’s one of the best places in the city to see the sunset! The line might not be long to head inside, but there is likely a line to go up the tower.
Santa Justa Elevator
The Santa Justa Elevator was designed by Raul Mesnier de Ponsard, a student of Gustave Eiffel. You’ll find a lot of structures in Lisbon were inspired by, or designed by, Gustave Eiffel. It has the distinctive wrought-iron neo-gothic design. Note: you do need to pay to go up, or you can access the structure from a second storey level from the back. However, admission is included in the Lisboa Card if you’re interested in riding the elevator.
National Pantheon
Originally a church it was converted into the National Pantheon and can be found in the Alfama neighbourhood. It’s a beautiful Pantheon and well worth the visit both inside and outside!
Jerónimos Monastery
One of the most beautiful places I’ve been is the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém. Trust me: waiting in line is worth it! Tickets are included in the Lisboa Card, but there is no “skip the line”. During the busy season, the line starts before the monastery opens so your best bet is to head there early, or later in the afternoon.
National Coach Museum
Another attraction with free admission using the Lisboa Card includes the National Coach Museum. It is a museum with an important horse-drawn carriage collection. It is close to the Monastery, and worth spending about 1-2 hours here.
Tram 28/Elevador da Bica
Tram 28 is a tram that connects Martim Moniz with Campo Ourique, and travels through the popular districts of Alfama, Baixa, Estrela and Graca. During the busy season, you’re best shot at getting on the tram is at one of the two ends: it’s probably packed in between and you might not be allowed on. I suggest heading to Elevador da Bica (Bica Funicular) and you can also get the iconic shot shown below by heading to one of the cross streets. All transit, including the funiculars, are included in the Lisboa Card.
National Tile Museum
Portugal is famous for it’s Azulejo (tiles), so the National Tile Museum is naturally the best place to learn about them! The collection ranges from 15th century till present day. Admission is free with the Lisboa Card.
Pena Palace
I couldn’t figure out how to get the 10% discount when purchasing tickets online, but you could head to Sintra in the morning and try to grab a ticket at the gate. Make sure to give yourself time to explore the gardens! If you’re looking for photos without people, you’ll have to make sure to be one of the first people in, or one of the last people out. Otherwise, it’s a very busy and popular destination!
Breakdown of Costs for Lisboa Card Savings
Here is a breakdown of some of the savings for the Lisboa Card, including time it takes to visit! This gives a better sense of what you can do in a day and how much you can realistically save. All prices are for a single adult. Some places have senior/student/children discounts which are not accounted for here!
- Belem Tower: free admission, save €9
- National Coach Museum: free admission, save €8
- Santa Justa Elevator free admission, save €5.30 (return ticket)
- National Pantheon: free admission, save €4
- Jeronimos Monastery: free admission, save €10
- Tram 28: free ride, save €3
- National Tile Museum: free admission, save €5
- Public transit: free
- CP Train to Sintra and Pena Palace: Free ride to Sintra and back, 10% discount at palace: save €3
Unfortunately, you can’t do all of these things in one day! I suggest grouping together attractions that are close to one another to really get the most out of the card. You could get a 48 hour pass and try to do the following:
Day 1: take the public transit to the Belem Tower, Jeronimos Monastery and the National Coach Museum.
Day 2: Santa Justa Elevator, Tram 28, and National Pantheon and National Tile Museum.
Morning 3: Head to Sintra by CP Train. I couldn’t figure out how to use the pass to save on tickets to the Pena Palace, unless you head to Sintra and pay in person and risk not getting a ticket in!
I think the best bang for your buck is the 48 h Lisboa Card for €35. Following the timings above, you spend €35 to save €42.50 PLUS free transit, and additional discounts not accounted for here.
Lisboa Card Review: Is It Worth It?
Yes! Many of the top attractions have free admission with the Lisboa Card. That makes it highly worth it, if you plan to stop at those attractions anyways! Even if you grab a 24 hour card and pack as much in one day as possible, it’s worth it.
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