The Lisbon city pass, the « Lisboa card », means you can enjoy many activities in the Portuguese capital while also using public transport links freely. This is how a tourist pass for a large city works as standard.
In this guide, we’ll share how the Lisboa Card works, its price, what it enables you to do, and the attractions it gives you entry to.
We’ll also tell you all the details so you can decide whether this Lisbon pass is suitable for your stay or not. Plus we’ll tell you which version you should use.
Lisbon city pass overview
Before getting into the details about this Lisbon tourist card, here are the most important things to keep in mind.
Visits and main activities
The Lisbon pass covers the must-sees including:
- Saint Jorge Castle
- Lisboa Story Centre
- Jerónimos Monastery
- Access to the historic tram line
- Belém Tower
A transport and attractions entry pass
Provides unlimited access to public transport as well as more than 30 attractions. This is the best Lisbon city pass you can get and has the most benefits.
Pricing
Prices depend on the selected length of your stay. The longer you use the Lisboa Card, the higher the price.
- 24 hrs : 27 €
- 48 hrs : 44 €
- 72 hrs : 54 €
Lisboa Card: pricing, attractions included & how it works
Here are the main information about this pass.
Price of the Lisboa Card
The cost of the Lisboa Card depends on the number of days you want to use it, but also on the age of the person who uses it (adult and child differences). The number of days of coverage is 1, 2 or 3 full days, or in reality 24 hours, 48 hours or 72 hours. You set the period you want at the time of purchase. Prices are fair and the card is a great value.
| Age | 24 hrs | 48 hrs | 72 hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16+ | 27 € | 44 € | 54 € |
| 4 - 15 | 18 € | 24 € | 30 € |
For children under 4, this tourist pass does not exist. This is because most of the included attractions are free for them, including public transport in Lisbon.
How it works
The purpose of the Lisbon citypass is to enjoy:
- over than 30 activities, mainly monuments and museums in the city or nearby, but also attractions.
- public transport including the metro, the bus, the local train for Sintra and Cascais, as well as Lisbon’s famous tramways, some of which are mainly for tourists now!
You have free entry and use for as long as the pass is valid. You get them by showing a card you collect in Lisbon in exchange for a voucher (we share the main collection points later in this page). This card also means you can avoid most of the time spent queueing at the ticket offices across the various sites, especially at the Jerónimos Monastery or the Belém Tower.
The card’s validity period starts from its first use, not from the date given at the time of purchase. Once it’s in your pocket, this Lisbon citypass enables you to enjoy everything it gives you entry to, without having to worry about the costs.
Attractions included in the Lisboa Card
This city pass gives you entry to a long list of attractions. Here are the must-sees:
Jerónimos Monastery
Also known as the Hieronymites Monastery, this site is located in the Belém district. Dating from the sixteenth century, visits include entry to its cloister, as well as its library and the former monks' refectory.
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Belém Tower
This 16th century tower stands on the banks of the Tagus River. You can discover its various rooms by ascending the spiral staircases, as well as a beautiful view of the surrounding area from the terrace. The Lisboa Card enables you to get a slot and avoid the queue (book at the tourist office next door).
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The historical tramways
Taking one of Lisbon's yellow trams enables you to discover the city in a totally new way. The line 28, one of the best known, mostly runs through the Alfama and Baixa neighbourhoods. It's a means of public transport, one of many that are included in the city pass.
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Lisboa Story Centre
This museum located in the Plaza del Comercio, enables you to discover the history of the city of Lisbon through the ages. The tour is full of interactive activities with lots of technical wizardry. The whole family will love it.
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Pillar 7 Bridge Experience
This "experience" is located at pillar #7 of the Ponte 25 de Abril (hence the name). It consists of learning about the history of this iconic Lisbon bridge, and taking a lift up to the top, which stands 80 metres high, to enjoy the view.
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And more besides…
- Château Saint-Georges
- The metal Santa Justa lift located in the centre of the city. It connects the Baixa and Bairro Alto neighbourhoods and is also a good way to enjoy the view.
- The national Palace of Mafra, located about 40 km north of Lisbon. It was the summer residence of the kings of Portugal.
- Lots of museums, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Ceramics, Music, Archaeology, Theatre and Dance, etc.
- Discounts in partner restaurants and shopping malls
- A printed paper guide that you pick up with the Lisboa Card
Validity period
The Lisbon pass is valid for a certain number of hours. Options are 24 hrs, 48 hrs and 72 hrs, or 1, 2 or 3 full days.
In other words, the 24-hour version of the Lisboa Card, if activated at 2:00 pm, ends the next day at 1:59 pm. This mode of operation is really helpful because it means you don’t have to worry about optimising your use of this card. That is not always the case for city passes!
Where do I get the Lisbon city pass?
This tourist pass is a physical card that is picked up in town in exchange for a vouucher. There are many places you can pick one up, at tourist office kiosks marked as « Ask me Lisboa ». You can find the complete list of addresses on the Lisboa Card purchase page. Nevertheless, some withdrawal points are more suitable or easier to access than others. These are:
- the one located in the Arrivals Terminal at Lisbon Airport. Once you pick up your pass, you can even start using it right away by taking the metro downtown!
- the one located at the entrance to the Lisboa Story Centre, on the Commerce Square. This square is a must-see during your stay, and the Lisboa Story Centre is one of the best museums included in the Lisboa Card.
Conclusion: when is the Lisboa Card worth it?
The Lisboa Card has two major advantages :
- it provides access to all the major, must-see sites around the capital (monuments, museums and experiences)
- it includes unlimited public transport
Speaking of transport, because of how large Lisbon is, the remoteness of some of its districts (especially Belém, the airport and Sintra), its construction across several hills, as well as the tourist aspect of some of the tram lines, you usually end up on public transport multiple times during your stay in the capital of Portugal.
Now we will give you some tips on how to choose which version of the Lisboa Card to buy.
Spending just one day in Lisbon?
Although you do have the option of getting the 24-hour version of the Lisboa Card, it is not really suitable in this case.
In fact, a day in Lisbon is only just long enough to walk around the city so that you can:
- visit the main districts of Baixa, Bairro Alto and Alfama
- enjoy views over the city’s heights
- possibly take a tram to Belém to see the tower and the monastery, and go on a tour
Even if you plan to take public transport, and potentially visit a monument, the Lisboa Card won’t pay for itself in this instance. In this case, you should just book the activity you want to do, such as visiting the Belém Tower (you can buy it here)
Want to make the most of Lisbon’s wealth of interesting sights?
For a city trip with a view to exploring it properly, the Lisboa Card is clearly the right choice. It gives you entry to all the best places to visit, as well as to public transport. All this for a very affordable cost and great value.
This tourist card is even more financially rewarding for those who love museums as the Portuguese capital has many. And they cover a wide variety of themes.
Depending on the length of your stay, we advise you to opt for:
- the 72-hr version if you’re spending more than 3 days in Lisbon. Considering the pricing, you will fully enjoy it without question.
- the 48-hr version if you are only spending 2 days in the capital.
On the other hand, if you’re staying longer than 3 days and you want to enjoy even more museums, or repeat activities you have already done, you can even consider getting a second Lisboa Card after the first one.
You’re not really fond of museums?
Although most of the attractions this Lisbon pass gets you entry into are museums, this is not the case for:
- the tower of Bélem and the Jerónimos Monastery
- the lifts at the Pilar 7 Bridge Experience and Santa Justa
- yellow trams (included in public transport)
In this case, the 24-hour version of the Lisboa Card is probably the best option to pick for use during just one day of your stay.
Is there a city pass alternative to the Lisboa Card?
If you want the full info about Lisbon tourist passes, you should know that there are 2 other options that can be considered as alternatives.
However, they are less attractive than the Lisboa Card because they don’t include all the public transport. Or they focus only on certain specific activities.
The Lisbon Pass (or Lisbon Digital Pass)
This tourist pass is in fact a set of tickets for preset activities, namely:
- the Jerónimos Monastery
- the Belém Tower
- Unlimited access for 24 or 48 hours to tourist buses (hop-on hop-off), as well as the city’s trams.
It differs from the Lisboa Card in that the last two are not included.
This Lisbon Pass is 100% digital, meaning there is nothing to collect on site. All your tickets are received by email, or are accessible through a mobile app. As well as these tickets, it also gives you:
- a 10% discount off your other activities.
- an audioguide in the form of a mobile app so you can visit the city.
The Lisbon Super Combi
Identical in principle to the previous one, this tourist pass only includes the Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery.
The 10% discount, the audio-guide mobile app, and getting all your tickets in advance are also included.
