One card. Buy a Viva Viagem card (€0.50) at any metro machine and load it with zapping credit, €10 to start. It charges the cheapest fare on the metro, trams, buses, elevators, ferries and the suburban trains to Sintra, Cascais and Belém. The 24-hour Carris/Metro pass (€7.25 in 2026) pays only with more than four rides in a day, and it does not cover the Sintra train.
Tram 28. The yellow tram through Graça, Alfama, Baixa and Estrela is the one on every list. Board at Martim Moniz early for a seat and an empty car; by late morning it is a line and a pickpocket’s favorite. Since 2025 the tram runs only between Martim Moniz and Campo de Ourique from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., with buses covering the stretch to Graça, so check the Carris page for the day. Tap your card as you board.
The elevators. Lisbon has four public elevators and funiculars that count as transit: the Santa Justa elevator (skip the line and walk up beside it for the same view), the Glória and Bica funiculars, and the Lavra. All take the card.
Walking the hills. Alfama and Bairro Alto are staircases. Plan each day as one hill: castle and Alfama, then Bairro Alto and Chiado another day. Waystop shows walking minutes between stops; when a leg is ten minutes uphill, take the tram or the elevator.
Sintra and Belém. Trains to Sintra leave Rossio about every 20 minutes in the daytime (40 min, around €2.30 to €2.50 each way, less on zapping); validate the card before you board. Belém is 15 minutes on the train from Cais do Sodré or 25 on tram 15. Both are on the same card.
On the day. Load the card at the airport metro station, ride Tram 28 early, and give each day to one hill.