Getting Around Lisbon by Public Transport

Lisbon’s public transport is split among several operators, but one card covers most of them. Metro de Lisboa runs the metro. Carris runs the buses and trams, along with the Glória, Lavra and Bica funiculars and the Santa Justa elevator. TTSL runs the Tagus River ferries, and CP runs the suburban trains. The Navegante card works on most of these services. It was formerly called Viva Viagem, and some older guides still use that name.

Visitors usually choose between two ways to pay. With zapping, you load prepaid credit onto the Navegante card, and the card deducts the fare each time you tap in. Alternatively, you can buy a time-limited pass. Monthly Navegante passes only save money if you stay a month or longer. The prices below are the latest figures available, and they are dated 2026 where the source gives a date. Several official pages show no date, so confirm the fare at the ticket machine or on the operator’s website before you travel.

How the Network Fits Together

Lisbon has no single transport company, so a trip that crosses the city often uses two or three operators. The metro is fast for the central neighborhoods and the airport, while trams and buses fill the gaps between them. The funiculars and the Santa Justa elevator climb the hills between the Baixa and the upper neighborhoods, and the ferries connect the north bank to the south bank across the Tagus. CP trains reach the suburbs on the north and south sides of the river.

The Navegante card lets you move between these operators without buying a separate ticket for each one. You still need to know which operator’s services a pass or single ticket covers, because coverage differs by product, as the sections below explain.

The Metro Lines and Hours

The metro has four lines, Blue, Yellow, Green and Red. The Blue line runs from Reboleira to Santa Apolónia, the Yellow line runs from Odivelas to Rato, the Green line runs from Telheiras to Cais do Sodré, and the Red line runs from the airport to São Sebastião. Airport travelers change once at Alameda to reach the city center. Trip planners and the operator’s own maps show the exact transfer for your starting point, so confirm the route before you leave the airport.

The metro runs daily from about 06:30 to 01:00. The operator’s site is the place to confirm current hours, especially in winter or during holidays, when service can change. Nine metro stations connect to CP suburban trains, which makes the metro useful for reaching the trains without leaving the paid area.

Trams, Buses and Funiculars

Carris runs the yellow trams and most city buses. The tram network includes six numbered routes, among them the 12E, 15E, 18E, 24E, 25E and 28E. The 28E is the route most visitors take through the historic neighborhoods, but check each route number at the stop, because routes change with road works and seasonal demand.

For 2026, Carris charges €2.30 for a bus trip and €3.30 for a tram trip when you pay the driver or validate a card on board. Those figures come from the Metro de Lisboa buy page’s Carris tariff, which it lists alongside the Navegante products, and they went up from €2.20 and €3.20 in 2025. Paying cash to the driver costs more than tapping a card, so the cash fare is the one to avoid for repeat trips.

Carris Metropolitana is a separate operator with its own fares, and it serves areas outside the city. Carris’s city network mainly serves Lisbon, with some lines reaching neighboring municipalities. Check the destination on the vehicle or the operator’s route map before boarding a bus that leaves the city.

The Glória, Lavra and Bica funiculars carry the Carris fare of €4.30 for up to two trips in the 2026 tariff, and the Santa Justa elevator carries €6.20 for up to two trips. Some listings mark the Glória, Lavra and Bica funiculars as suspended, but those listings carry no date. Confirm the status with Carris service notices before you plan a visit around a funicular ride. The official 2026 fare table does not say whether the 24-hour Carris and Metro pass covers the funiculars and the elevator, so confirm that with Carris.

Ferries Across the Tagus

TTSL operates the ferries that link central Lisbon with the south bank. The best-known crossing for visitors is the short trip from Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas, where many people go for seafood and views back across the river. The TTSL single fare to Cacilhas is €1.60.

TTSL lists Barreiro at €1.50, Seixal at €1.45, Montijo at €1.65 and the Trafaria and Porto Brandão crossing at €1.50. Look up the current fare on the TTSL site or at the terminal before you buy. The timetable PDF on the TTSL site dates from 2018, so use the timetable posted at the terminal instead.

Navegante passes are valid on TTSL river crossings according to the TTSL tariff. The Carris, Metro and Transtejo 24-hour pass at €10.35 also covers the Cacilhas crossing, which makes it a practical choice for a day that includes both the metro and a ferry ride.

Suburban Trains and Day Trips

CP suburban trains serve the Lisbon area beyond the metro network. Navegante passes cover CP connections in some products, and the Carris, Metro and CP 24-hour pass costs €11.40 in 2026. The Urban 3rd Age pass, described below, also covers CP connections to Benfica, Belém and Moscavide.

Zone boundaries for CP are not clearly set out in the sources reviewed, so confirm your destination’s coverage before buying a monthly pass. A 24-hour pass that includes CP is the simpler choice for a single day trip, as long as the trip stays within the products’ coverage.

The Navegante Card

The Navegante card comes in two versions. The occasional card suits visitors and people who ride only now and then. It can hold tickets or zapping credit, and it works on all the member operators. The personalized card suits frequent users and carries its holder’s name. Each traveler needs a card of their own, and the card can hold up to four different tickets along with zapping credit.

The blank card costs €0.50, according to the TTSL tariff. You can buy one at Metro stations, at Carris sales points, and at local agents, including Pagaqui, Payshop, CTT and MOB shops. Aerobus and hop-on hop-off tourist buses do not accept the Navegante card, so buy a separate ticket for those services.

Zapping and Single Tickets

Zapping works like a prepaid wallet. You load credit onto the Navegante card at a machine or agent, then tap the card on the validator each time you board. The card deducts a per-trip fare from the balance. Zapping works on buses, trams, funiculars, the metro and ferries. Reloads run from a minimum of €3 to a maximum of €40 in 2026, according to a 2026 guide.

On the metro, a cash single ticket costs €1.90 in 2026 and a zapping trip costs €1.72. The validator displays the fare when you tap in, so check the amount on its screen.

Zapping and contactless payment both charge per trip, and the sources reviewed for this article describe no daily cap for either method. If you take many rides in one day, the 24-hour pass is the only time-limited option.

It is unconfirmed whether a Carris and Metro single ticket allows unlimited trips within 60 minutes, and the €1.90 single may cover only one trip. Ask Metro de Lisboa or check the operator’s terms before you rely on a free transfer.

Monthly Navegante Passes

Monthly passes are the clearest fares on the Metro de Lisboa buy page. The table below lists the main products, and the Metro page covers the reduced versions for social-tariff and pensioner categories. Monthly passes are valid for the full calendar month, and you can get a refund before the covered month begins.

The Urban pass requires a holder aged 65 or over with tax residence in Lisbon. The Metro page also describes the Urban 3rd Age pass as free for Lisbon residents, but its price table lists €15. Plan with the €15 figure, and confirm the free-travel rule with Carris or the Câmara Municipal de Lisboa if it affects you.

A monthly pass rarely pays off for a visit of a week or ten days. It makes sense for a stay of a month or longer, or for a traveler who rides the network every day.

Discounts for Children, Youth and Seniors

Children under four ride free when they travel with an adult who holds a valid ticket. The Navegante 12 product is free for children until the end of the month in which they turn 13, according to TTSL. Children aged four to 12 may qualify for reduced fares, but the reduced rate is not set out here, so ask at a sales point for the current fare.

Older Carris and TTSL pages list free Navegante passes for riders under 18 and under 23, but the current Metro page does not show them. Ask at a sales point before you assume a youth discount applies.

Seniors have the +65 pass at €20 for the Metropolitan Area and the Urban pass at €15 for Lisbon. Holders of these passes should bring identification and any residence documents the sales point requests.

Paying With a Bank Card or Phone

Contactless payment works on the metro gates, Carris trams and buses, and the funiculars. On the metro, a contactless single ride costs slightly more than a Navegante single ticket. On Carris vehicles, each tap charges one adult fare. One payment guide lists Visa and Mastercard, along with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, as accepted methods, and it says bus coverage is not yet universal across the network.

Contactless eligibility is not clear. The payment guide says contactless is open to adults but not to youth, concession or senior card holders, who must use a Navegante card. Check the operator’s contactless rules before you depend on your bank card for a senior or youth fare.

Choosing the Right Payment for Your Trip

For a short trip with a few rides a day, zapping gives the lowest per-trip cost among the options with confirmed figures. A traveler who buys a Navegante card and loads €10 or €20 of zapping credit can cover several days of rides without buying a new ticket each time. At the €1.72 metro zapping figure, four metro trips cost less than the €7.25 Carris and Metro 24-hour pass, and five trips cost more. That comparison excludes bus and tram trips, which have their own fares.

A contactless bank card works best for a traveler who wants no setup and takes only a few rides. The contactless metro fare is slightly higher than zapping, and bus coverage is not universal, so pair the card with a Navegante card for bus routes outside the metro.

A 24-hour pass suits a single day that includes many rides, such as a day that covers the metro, a tram and a ferry crossing to Cacilhas. The Carris and Metro 24-hour pass costs €7.25, the Carris, Metro and Transtejo pass costs €10.35, and the Carris, Metro and CP pass costs €11.40. Each runs for 24 hours from the first validation, not for a calendar day.

Items to Verify Before You Travel

Several points are still open, and they can affect your plans. The status of the Glória, Lavra and Bica funiculars changes often, so check Carris service notices before you go. Confirm whether the 24-hour Carris and Metro pass covers the funiculars, and confirm the metro transfer rule with Metro de Lisboa. Check the TTSL fare for any crossing beyond Cacilhas before you buy a ticket. Contactless eligibility and bus coverage need confirmation with Carris, and the youth and Urban pass rules need confirmation with Carris or the city council.

The Lisboa Card includes unlimited transport for 24, 48 or 72 hours, but its price is not confirmed. Check the card’s current price before you compare it with a 24-hour transit pass.

Recommendations

• Load a Navegante card for most rides: Zapping is the cheapest confirmed way to pay per trip, and each traveler needs a card of their own.
• Validate the card on every boarding: Cash fares on the bus and tram cost more than card fares, and metro transfers under the 60-minute rule are unconfirmed.
• Choose a 24-hour pass for a heavy day: At the €1.72 metro zapping figure, the €7.25 pass beats five metro trips in one day.
• Buy a monthly pass only for a long stay: The €40 Metropolitano pass covers the whole metro area, but it suits a month-long stay better than a week.
• Confirm the funiculars and ferry fares before you go: Funicular operating status and ferry fares beyond Cacilhas remain unresolved, so check the operators’ notices on the day of travel.