Tourist’s guide to Lisbon’s Metro system: routes, features and prices

Tourists who travel to the capital of Portugal often use the Lisbon metro to travel. This type of transport is preferable than a taxi or a rented car. There are problems with parking in the city, especially in the center. Often parking is paid, and therefore it is easier to get around with the subway.

In the subway of Lisbon

Features and layout of the Lisbon metro

Scheme

There are 55 stations in total on the Lisbon metro – the subway scheme allows you to accurately select the appropriate direction.

Lisbon metro map
Lines

The metro in the city of Lisbon has 4 lines, each of which is marked in color and carries the corresponding name.

Related entries:

4 metro lines

All cars are clean and bright. Between the lines there are 6 interchange stations. Some stations have an original design, making it a new landmark in Lisbon. Distances between stations are small, trains travel from just 15-60 seconds.

Station Features
Wireless internet sign

Passengers will be able to use free wireless internet at the following metro stations:

  • Campo Grande
  • Marquez de Pombal
  • Alameda
  • Colégio Militar
Traveling with a child, luggage and bicycles
Turnstiles in the subway

Children under four years old accompanied by their parents can travel for free. However, adults should hold the child’s hand. For violation of this rule a fine is imposed. Baggage can be carried free of charge. The same applies to bicycles (up to two in a car) if they do not interfere with other passengers.

To enter and exit with a child, a wheelchair, a bicycle or large luggage, you should use the appropriate turnstiles, which are placed with the following icons:

Badges designation of special turnstiles

For violation of these rules a fine is imposed.

Train timetables in the Lisbon Metro

The subway of the capital consists of 4 lines. The working hours of the Lisbon metro are quite convenient: from 6:30 a.m. to 01:00 a.m.

The last trains leave at exactly one in the morning from the terminal station of each line. At night, the intervals between trains arrival are 12 minutes, during peak hours this time is reduced to 3 minutes. The waiting time for trains increases on weekends, when a small number of trains leave the line.

Types of cards

Viva viagem

The choice of guests and residents of the city offered two cards. The functionality of both is the same. However, Viva Viagem metro map of Lisbon is still more common than 7 colinas. You can buy a card for 0.5 €. Most often, passengers who need to travel in the subway several times prefer to buy such tickets. Any type of card (except daily):

  • Has a limitation on the period of use – 1 year. The countdown starts not from the day of purchase, but after the first use.
  • It is replenished for the first time from 3 €, the second and subsequent – at least 3 €, maximum 40 €.

After the indicated period of use, you can change the card, and transfer the remaining positive balance to a new travel card.

Prepaid trips or balance replenishment?

To use public transport in the capital of Portugal, including the Lisbon metro, without problems, you need to know some features and rules. Here, each person needs to purchase personal cards. Collectively using one is unacceptable.

Zapping System
Replenishment of the Zaping Pass

If such a system is used, the passenger transfers the money to the card. You can replenish the travel card by 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 euros. The higher the payment amount, the lower the fare (up to 1.30 €). This is a very convenient system that works until the money on the card runs out. The time frame here is not limited to days.

Among the advantages of the Zaping system is the ability to pay with a card not only in the metro, but also in any other form of metropolitan transport, including by ferry and by train to Sintra or Cascais.

Prepaid trips

You can also purchase a day pass (24 hours) or pay a certain number of trips. It is convenient for city guests and tourists who want to visit the maximum number of attractions. Cost of travel:

  • Subway and / or Carris only – 1 trip – 1.45 €.
  • A ticket that is valid for 24 hours – 6.15 € (Carris / Metro).
  • Travel ticket for travel to Carris / Metro / Transteggio – 9.15 €.
  • Travel card for unlimited trips around Carris, Metro and CP (Sintra, Cascais, Azambuja and Sado) – 10.15 €.
It looks like Lisboa Card

An excellent alternative to a day pass is the Lisboa Card. This is a map that gives you the opportunity to not only travel with one pass on different types of public transport, but also use it to visit various museums and attractions of Lisbon .

Useful Tips

Experienced tourists are advised to choose two cards for one person to travel around Lisbon. It will cost only 0.5 cents more expensive, but there is the opportunity to save on travel. If you need long-term use of the metro (other public transport) during the day, it is recommended to purchase a prepaid card.

If you need to use electric trains or take a ferry, you should use Zaping. In order not to confuse the cards, it is better to sign them immediately. You can use each Viva Viagem card both in the city itself and outside it, as well as in the metro and in the Carris network.

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Where and how to buy / replenish a card?

Subway Ticket Machine
Purchase Features

To pay for the metro in Lisbon, you should use cards. Users replenish their funds in advance or prepaid trips. The purchase of cards, their replenishment or prepayment for a specific number of journeys is carried out in special machines that are installed at the entrance to the subway. Simple instructions will help you understand how to buy a metro ticket in Lisbon. You can recharge cards at the box office.

Buying tickets

Special automatic machines are installed at the stations where you can buy tickets for the metro in Lisbon – a simple instruction will tell you how to use:

Buying Metro Tickets
  1. Touch the machine screen to activate the device.
  2. In the menu that appears, select English (Portuguese and Spanish will also be offered).
  3. Select the “Without a reusable card” option.
  4. Indicate the number of cards (each will cost the future holder 0.5 €).
  5. Click on the “Stored value” (Zapping) button to replenish the balance by a certain amount.
  6. In the window that opens, indicate the amount of replenishment (minimum 3 €).
  7. Choose a cash payment method. Cards are also accepted, but you can pay with credit cards of local banks.

How to buy a metro ticket for 1 trip?

To purchase a ticket for one trip, you should use the machine.

Payment of fare in the machine

The cost of the trip is 1.45 €. To change the number of tickets or travel tickets, the signs “-” or “+” are used. You can pay for the purchase with those banknotes that the machine accepts (their denomination will be displayed on the screen at the beginning of the work).

Change is issued in coins, but not more than 10 euros at a time. If there is not enough small change coin left in the device, it starts accepting only those banknotes from which it will be able to issue the desired amount of change. You can pay for one ticket with a card issued by a local bank. The procedure is simple: you should insert the card into a special Multibanco receiver, after which you need to go through the authorization process and wait for permission to remove the credit card. If there is no connection with the bank, the procedure will have to be repeated. After payment, the check must be saved!

How to use the metro in Lisbon?

We attach the card to a special device

When descending to the trains, it is mandatory to attach a card to the special device on the turnstiles. The same procedure is performed on exit. If you have the only trip in public transport, you should validate your card and be sure to save it until the exit. Otherwise, the passenger will be considered stowaway, and therefore will pay a decent fine.

The scheme for using public underground transport is simple – it follows:

  1. Attach the purchased and replenished card to the reader. This is a blue square or circle located directly on the turnstile. You should wait until the green indicator on the board lights up. It also displays information about the number of remaining prepaid trips or the size of the balance. The validity of the travel card is also indicated.
  2. If the scoreboard lights up in red, this indicates a lack of funds or the absence of prepaid trips. A similar situation is possible in the event of a card malfunction with a positive balance. In this case, you must contact the point of sale to replace the faulty travel card.

The peculiarity of the Lisbon metro is that it is often visited here by controllers. Fines for stowaways are high.

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You will find out how to get from the Lisbon airport to the center by metro, how to buy tickets and many other practical information if you watch the video.



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