In the previous article, I told you about the travel budget for Portugal, and among the lines, I mentioned that Lisbon has a lot to offer—from museums and monuments to cathedrals and castles—and that in a 2-3 day city break, you won't have much time to get bored.
We didn’t know this the first time, and unlike our initial visit to Lisbon when we didn’t have much time available, on our second trip we allowed ourselves more time to explore the city.
We did our research, made plans and lists, and realized that we needed an option that would make exploring easier and save us a few bucks. Therefore, in today’s article, we review some useful information about this miracle card—the Lisboa Card.
Lisboa Card – Everything You Need to Know About the Lisboa Card
The Lisboa Card is a card specially designed for tourists who want to explore Lisbon without having to spend a fortune on museum entrance fees or transportation. Thus, this card proved to be the perfect option for us because, during the three days we spent there, not only were we able to stroll peacefully from one part of the city to another, but we also explored the city and its surroundings.
Next, let's see how the Lisboa Card works, its validity, cost, where we can buy it, and what benefits it offers us:
Public Transport in Lisbon + Surroundings
One of the greatest advantages of this card is that it offers free public transportation. In other words, the Lisboa Card ensures our travel using all forms of public transport (metro, tram, train, and bus) in Lisbon, along the airport route, and in the surrounding areas of the capital (Belem, Sintra, Cascais).
We fully took advantage of this and thus made a day trip to Sintra, another to Belem, took a ride on the Bica funicular, used the metro for the transfer from the airport, and booked a cheaper accommodation further from the center (since we had free transportation anyway).
Free Tourist Attractions + Discounts
The Lisboa Card offers free entry to 35 museums and monuments and discounts of 25-50% for another 38 tourist attractions. Among the most important tourist attractions in Lisbon, which are 100% covered by this card, are: the Jerónimos Monastery, Torre de Belém, National Tile Museum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo), National Coach Museum (Museu Nacional dos Coches), Pilar 7 – Bridge Experience, Santa Justa Elevator (Elevador Santa Justa), National Museum of Ancient Art (Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga), Lisboa Story Center, etc.
Discounts of 25-50% (attractions) include Oceanário de Lisboa, National Palace of Sintra (Palácio Nacional de Sintra), Pena National Palace (Palácio Nacional da Pena), Fado Museum (Museu do Fado), etc.
Discounts of 25-50% (others) include City Sightseeing Portugal (hop-on-hop-off bus), Lisbon River Sights (boat tours on the Tagus River), El Corte Inglés (10% on purchases), and Lisboa Shop (souvenir shop – 10%).
How Much Does It Cost and Where Can We Buy the Lisboa Card
The Lisboa Card comes in 3 variants – 24, 48, and 72 hours, and the prices are as follows:
| Adult (+15 years) | Child (4-15 years) |
|---|---|
| 24h | 20 euros |
| 48h | 34 euros |
| 72h | 42 euros |
You can order the Lisboa Card before going on vacation. Once the payment has been processed, you will receive a voucher by email, and upon arrival at the airport, you can pick up the card from the tourism office in the Arrivals area. It is important to have the voucher and your passport/ID card with you. Next, you need to validate the card by filling in the date and time in the indicated section and signing on the opposite side.
Despite the fact that we couldn't visit as many attractions, we still managed to save a few bucks. Anyway, the fact that we had transportation included allowed us to freely move from one part of the city to another and even save money on accommodation (you know that hotels outside the center are much cheaper). Therefore, if you plan to visit and get to know Lisbon a little better, then the Lisboa Card is what you need.
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