Getting Around

Renting a car while in Lisbon is just plain nuts. Residents say traffic is bad (because they've never lived in LA...); parking is scarce; there are food delivery guys on e-bikes zipping all over the place, and it isn't at all necessary.

Viva Viagem

Rather, go into any metro station, look for the big blue ATM-like machines, touch the screen, choose the Great Britain flag for English, and buy a rechargeable "zapping" card, the Viva Viagem.

Viva Viagem is one card that pays for all metro, bus, funicular, and tram rides within the city. Each ride is a little less than €2, so if you put €20 on the card you'll be good for several days.

Then, with Apple Maps, Google Maps, or the Moovit app select the Transit layer, put in your destination, and find the bus, tram, or metro to get you there.

The Lisbon metro is safe, clean, fast, and handy. It runs 

If you're arriving into Lisbon by plane, use the red (Vermelha) line metro to get to where you're staying. 

Zap your Viva Viagem card at the turnstiles going in and out, use the maps on the walls, and enjoy the stations.

Each Metro Station is a Work of Art

Each station has a unique architectural style and each is decorated in a theme. For example, the Parque station on the blue line features azulejos (tile art) by painter Maria Keil (1914-2012) referencing the works of famed Portuguese author Fernando Pessoa, maps of the world, and human rights quotes from the likes of Lao-Tse, Plato, and others.

Learn about the art in other stations here.

The bus system in Lisbon is extensive, and sometimes, depending on where you're going, more convenient than the metro. Plus, you get to actually see the city.

At busy bus stops the buses almost always stop, but if you're the only person there you might want to wave the bus in so the driver knows you're waiting for that line.

Again, scan your Viva Viagem card on entry, but you shouldn't scan it on exit. Enter at the front door and exit either at the middle or rear doors.

The Moovit app is great for letting you know when the next bus is coming.

LIsbon's vintage trams aren't just fun for tourists, they're actually used by locals too.

The 28 Tram is the most famous, but it also is almost always crowded and reputed to be infested with pickpockets. Knock on wood we haven't been pickpocketed yet, but we have stood at the stop while one, two, three, even four #28's sail past without stopping because they're loaded to the gills with people. 

A great - and much less busy - alternative is the 24 Tram, which goes from Praça Comercial (the city's large main square, in the center of the touristy Baixa neighborthood right on the Tejo river) to the funky area called Campo Ourique, where, at the end of the line, is the super interesting Cemitério dos Prazers cemetary.

Lisbon is a hilly town, and after a day of tromping around it sure is nice to ride a funicular up some mega-steep slope.

Ride-share in Lisbon is ubiquitos. We prefer Bolt over Uber, as it is typically a little faster and a little cheaper than Uber. And it is much, much cheaper than ride-shares in the US. 

Taxis still exist in Lisbon but we rarely use one for all the reasons Bolt and Uber exist.

Lisbon sits atop the north side of the Tejo river, which is wide enough to support a whole set of ferries. 

We've used three lines: 

• Belém to Trafaria is great when you've rented an e-bike and want to pedal to the beach area Costa de Caparica, which is a totally fun day adventure.
• Cais do Sodré to Casilhas is cool because from Casilhas it is an interesting walk to the restaurant Ponto Final, which is right on the water and has a great view of the Golden Gate-lookalike 25 de Abril bridge.
• On the south side of the Tejo the Barreiro station is the endpoint of an alternative train route from the Algarve back to Lisbon, and the Terreiro do Paço ferry terminal on the north side, which is just beyond and a little east of Praça Comercial in Lisbon's Baixa, is a beautiful building with stunning azelujos (tile art) depicting major cities in Portugal. Even if you don't take a ferry, dropping in to the Terreiro do Paço station is worthwhile while you're in the area.

Tuk-tuks are these three-wheeled little cart-like things seemingly everywhere there are tourists in Europe. I hate them. The drivers are sometimes pushy to get rides, they sometimes blast music, they zip in and out making traffic more hairy than it already is, and you have to negotiate for price. Yuk. Yuk-yuks.

Again, really, trust us, there is absolutely no reason to rent a car while in Lisbon, or if you're going on the usual day trips to Cascais or Sintra, or if you're traveling anywhere the Comboios de Portugal trains or the Redes Expresso buses go for overnighters. 

But if you're going into the mountains, or exploring the back country, or going to really small towns, we've had multiple good experiences with Europcar and the Europcar app.