The Lisboa Card includes unlimited transport and access to the most famous sites, museums and monuments in Lisbon. In this article, we’ll talk more about the Lisboa Card, what sights the card covers, how much it costs and whether the Lisbon Card is worth it.
- What is the Lisboa Card?
- What are the advantages of the Lisboa Card?
- What sights and places does the card include?
- What is the price of the Lisboa Card?
- Where to buy and collect the Lisboa Card?
- Is the Lisboa Card worth it?
- When is a card not worth it?
- Best booking resources for visiting Lisbon
- Related articles
Lisbon has plenty of beautiful places to visit, from the Jeronymite Monastery and Torre de Belém to the National Pantheon. The entrance fee adds up so quickly. You can get an idea of the entrance fee from the previous article on what to visit in Lisbon.
Lisbon is very hilly and not all places are in its centre (e.g. the aforementioned Jeronymite Monastery or the Tower of Belém). This means you can’t avoid using public transport.
A popular way to save money on transport and entrance fees in Lisbon is the Lisboa Card. Now let’s take a closer look at it – what sights it includes, where to buy it and what it costs.
What is the Lisboa Card?
Lisboa Card is a travel card that has been designed in collaboration with the sights and transport operators in Lisbon, so you can save or simplify your travel around Lisbon. It works like a contactless card that you scan when you ride public transport or when you enter.
I had the chance to explore tourist cards for Rome, Dubai, London, Barcelona and other cities. Compared to some cards, the Lisbon card really pays off for almost everyone.
What are the advantages of the Lisboa Card?
Free entry to 28 monuments, museums and attractions in and around Lisbon. The Lisbon Card includes the most popular attractions in Lisbon including the Jerome Monastery, the Belém Tower, the Carriage Museum, the National Pantheon and the Santa Justa Elevator.
Discount on other places in Lisbon. Get a discount on entry to the colourful Pena Palace, Camo Monastery or Oceanarium.
Unlimited use of transport in Lisbon. This includes subways, trams, buses and even lifts and cable cars.
Free transport to Sintra or Cascais, saving you an additional €4.60 on the train. You don’t need to buy a Viva Viagem card, which is commonly used for transport in and around Lisbon.
The Lisbon card works on the same principle as the Viva Viagem card – you attach the card to the turnstile on departure and arrival (on the bus you only attach it on boarding).
Sintra and Cascais are amazing places and if you have time, I recommend visiting at least one of them. Read more about Sintra.
You can buy a card for 24, 48 or 72 hours. Importantly, the card is only activated the first time you use it.
You do not need to buy any additional tickets or passes. The Lisbon card is all you need.
You have 1 year to activate your Lisboa Card. If you are planning a visit to Lisbon in the next few months, it is better to buy your card now. With each new tourist season, the price of admission usually increases, which in turn increases the price of the Lisbon Card (this applies across the board).
When you pick up your Lisboa Card, you will receive a detailed guide to Lisbon with useful tips.
What sights and places does the card include?
The Lisboa Card includes free or discounted entry to dozens of places in and around Lisbon, including:
- Jerónimos Monastery (free; save 10 €)
- Tower of Belem (free; save 6 €)
- National Carriage Museum (free; save 8 €)
- Elevator Santa Justa (free; save 5,30 €)
- Arc de Triomphe (free; save 3,50 €)
- National Pantheon (free; save 4 €)
- Lisboa Story Centre (free; save 7 €)
- Palácio Nacional da Ajuda (free; save 6 €)
- Tram 28 (free)
- Azulejos National Museum (free; save 5 €)
- Ascensor da Bica to the Bairro Alto district (free; save 3,80 €)
- Glória funicular to the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara (free; save 3,80 €)
- Monument to the Discoverers (discount; save 1,70 €)
- Camo Monastery (discount; save 1 €)
- Oceanarium (15 % discount)
- Museu do Fado (20 % discount)
The Lisbon Card also includes places around Lisbon.
- Train to Sinta or Cascais (free; save 4,60 €)
- Palácio Nacional de Mafra (free; save 6 €)
- Mosteiro de Batalha (free; save 6 €)
- Quinta da Regaleira (20 % discount)
- Palácio Nacional de Sintra (10 % discount)
- Palácio Nacional da Pena (10 % discount)
- Palácio Nacional de Queluz (15 % discount)
What is the price of the Lisboa Card?
The prices for everyone over 16 years of age are as follows: 22 € for 24 hours, 37 € for 48 hours and 46 € for 72 hours. Prices for children 4-15 years old are lower: 15 € for 24 hours, 21 € for 48 hours and 26 € for 72 hours.
Where to buy and collect the Lisboa Card?
Buy your Lisbon Card here. A confirmation will arrive in your email within minutes.
You can print this receipt and show it when you pick up your card in Lisbon.
You can pick up a card at the tourist information office in Lisbon – for example:
- Tourist information Ask me Lisboa at Lisbon Airport – the easiest and most popular option. Tourist information is located in the arrivals hall just outside the airport exit. Open daily 7:00-22:00.
- Lisboa Story Centre on Praça do Comércio. Open daily 10:00-19:00.
- Tourist information Ask me Lisboa – Palácio Foz on Praça dos Restauradores. Open daily 10:00-18:30.
Recommendation: if you pick up your Lisbon card directly at the airport, you can use the metro from the airport to the city centre.
Please note: The Lisboa Card is only activated on first use, i.e. the first time you take public transport or the first time you enter a monument or museum.
Is the Lisboa Card worth it?
We’ll use a real-life example to show whether the Lisboa Card is worthwhile. I recommend calculating your entrance fees from the article on what to see in Lisbon – besides that, you will also find other useful information before your visit to Lisbon.
Itinerary for one in Lisbon:
If you only have one day to visit Lisbon, you will probably want to visit the most famous places in Lisbon. We will show you a very simple and relaxing itinerary.
You can start your day at the Jeronymite Monastery (entrance fee 10 €) and from there move on to the Belém Tower (6 €). Both places should definitely be on your list of things to do in Lisbon. The Jeronymite Monastery and the Belém Tower are located in the Belém district, accessible by tram 15.
At noon, we move to the city centre, where you can enjoy the view from the Arc de Triomphe on Praça do Comércio (3,50 €) and ride the iconic Santa Justa elevator (5,30 €), designed by a pupil of Gustave Eiffel.
Even if you only have 1 day in Lisbon, you can’t miss the view from Miradouro. Miradouro is a viewpoint on the hills of Lisbon, from which you will have Lisbon in the palm of your hand.
Take the Glória cable car to the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint (3,80 €). The rest of the day can be spent in the Alfama district, the oldest district of Lisbon.
The entrance fee alone would cost 28,60 € without the use of the Lisbon card. To this you need to add transport (day ticket 6,60 €). In total we would pay 35,20 € for this itinerary, i.e. we save 13,20 €. At the same time, we don’t have to wait in queues for tickets and deal with metro or tram tickets.
Itinerary for 2 days in Lisbon:
Do you have two days in Lisbon? The next day we can add more places to the list that are definitely worth seeing.
We head to the National Pantheon (4 €), which is beautiful inside and out. You can even climb to the top and enjoy the view from the spacious roof.
Continue east to the National Museum of Decorative Tiles or Azulejos (5 €), which is literally a feast for the eyes.
The National Carriage Museum (8 €) is also worth a visit. One of the best museums in Lisbon.
We’ll end the evening in the lively Bairro Alto district. To save ourselves the uphill climb, we’ll use the Ascensor da Bica (3,80 €) overground cable car. This cable car is also the most photographed tram in Lisbon.
For 2 days we would pay 56 € + transport, i.e. we would have saved at least 19 € + transport.
Itinerary for 3 days in Lisbon:
Even if you don’t use the Lisbon card on the third day, it’s still worthwhile.
But we’ll use it. There are plenty of beautiful places around Lisbon where you can take a day trip. The most popular of these is Sintra, just 40 minutes away.
With the Lisboa Card we have a free train to Sintra – a return ticket costs 5,10 € including the Viva Viagem card. You will also get a 20 % discount at Quinta da Regaleira, 15 % at Monserrate Palace and Moorish Castle and 10 % at Pena National Palace and Sintra National Palace.
Read more things to do in Sintra and plan your trip from Lisbon.
When is a card not worth it?
There are a few examples where the Lisboa Card is not worth it:
- If you are a student or senior citizen over 65 years of age, some places in Lisbon have reduced entrance fees. These include the popular Jeronymite Monastery and the Belém Tower. For this reason, it is worth buying tickets separately and adding a transport ticket.
A single ticket for transport in Lisbon costs 1,65 € and is valid for 60 minutes. A day ticket costs 6,60 €. In order to use the metro in Lisbon, you need to buy a Viva Viagem card for 0,50 €. It can be bought from a vending machine in any metro station (even at the airport) or train station.
I recommend calculating the entrance fee from my article on sights in Lisbon and comparing it with the price of the Lisboa Card.
- In Lisbon, you only plan to visit 1-2 places. To make your Lisboa Card worthwhile, it’s better to visit more places. At the same time, the longer you buy the card for, the more you save.
- You will only be in Lisbon for 1 day and that day will be Monday. Many places in Lisbon are closed on Monday, including the Jeronymite Monastery, the Belém Tower and the National Carriage Museum.
Best booking resources for visiting Lisbon
Via Booking.com we search for all accommodation. It is the largest accommodation portal in the world and you will find everything from modern hotels, cosy guesthouses to seaside villas.
Get Your Guide is a huge booking system for buying tickets, guided tours and all sorts of activities. In one place you can read other travellers’ experiences and book tickets to the Vatican Museums, a cruise on the Danube or a desert safari in Dubai.
This was our review of the Lisboa Card and real examples of whether the card pays off. Do you have a question? We’ll be happy to answer it in the comments below. Have a safe journey!
Related articles
LISBON: Check out our tips for the best places to visit in Lisbon. Find out how to save with the Lisbon Card in this detailed review.
SINTRA: If you’re planning a day trip to Sintra, get our tips for getting to Sintra from Lisbon. In the next article we share tips on what to see in Sintra and how to enjoy a visit to Pena Palace.
