Getting Around Lisbon: Transport, Airport Transfers and Where to Leave Your Bag
Last updated: September 2026
Intro
Lisbon is built on hills, and that decides more of your day than any ticket does. The metro and buses fill the flat stretches, but Alfama, the Bairro Alto and the miradouros are stairs and slopes whichever way you go. 2026 adds a complication: all three of the city's historic funiculars and the Santa Justa Lift have been shut since the fatal Glória accident of September 2025, and most guides still write about them as if you can hop on. Here's what actually works, checked in September 2026.
Disclosure: Ciceru earns a commission if you book luggage storage through our Radical Storage link, and you get 10% off. It does not change what we recommend.
Once you're on foot, the Explore Lisbon self-guided tour from Ciceru runs 3 km from Alfama down into the Baixa and back up to Bairro Alto, a story and a quiz question at each of its 7 stops, for €7, plus a free 500 MB global eSIM.
⚡ Quick answer
- From the airport: metro is €2.40 all in for your first ride (card plus fare), taxi runs roughly €10 to €15, Uber and Bolt are priced dynamically in-app. Full breakdown in our airport transfer guide
- Tickets: a single Carris/Metro ride is €1.90; load Zapping onto a Navegante card instead and it drops to €1.72
- Funiculars in 2026: Glória, Bica and Lavra are all still closed, along with the Santa Justa Lift. Only the newer Graça funicular is running
- Luggage: station lockers at Rossio, Oriente, Cais do Sodré and Sete Rios, but not Santa Apolónia; Radical Storage covers the gaps from €1.60 a day, 10% off with our link
✈️ From the airport
Getting from Lisbon airport to the city centre is short by European standards, the airport sits inside the city. The metro's red line runs Aeroporto to Saldanha in about 20 minutes, where you change for the centre; a Navegante Ocasional card (€0.50, one-off) plus a single fare (€1.90) comes to €2.40 for your first ride. A taxi to the centre is roughly €10 to €15 including luggage, metered rather than fixed. Uber and Bolt both operate from arrivals, priced dynamically in-app. The old Aerobus shuttle no longer runs. For the full comparison, see our Lisbon airport transfer guide.
🎫 Tickets and cards
A Lisbon public transport ticket almost always means the Navegante card, still called Viva Viagem by habit. Buy the reusable Navegante Ocasional card for €0.50 at any metro machine, valid a year, then load it one of two ways:
- 💶 Single ticket: €1.90 for a Carris/Metro ride, bought as a set journey
- 💶 Zapping: pay-as-you-go credit, €1.72 a tap on Carris, valid for an hour with free transfers across the whole Carris bus and tram network, and charged per journey on the metro too
Contactless bank cards now work directly at metro gates, no Navegante card needed, at €1.92 a tap. On Carris buses and trams, tapping a bank card costs the same as the on-board fare (€2.30 bus, €3.30 tram), so there's no discount there the way there is with Zapping.
The 24-hour ticket is €7.25 for Carris and Metro, €10.35 if you want the Cacilhas ferry included, or €11.40 with CP's suburban trains. Always validate before you board. Caught without one, the fine is €30 to €87.50, cut to around €15 if you settle within 15 working days.
💳 Which ticket or pass is worth it
Do the maths first. Zapping at €1.72 beats the 24-hour ticket until your fifth trip; singles at €1.90 break even a ride sooner. Under five rides, skip the day ticket and just tap.
The Lisboa Card (€31 for 24 hours, €51 for 48, €62 for 72, ages 16 and up) bundles unlimited public transport, including the Sintra and Cascais trains, with free entry to more than 50 museums and monuments. For transport alone it's poor value against Zapping. It pays off only if you're also visiting two or more paid sights that day, Castelo de São Jorge among them; check entry prices in our Lisbon on a budget guide first.
🚋 Trams, funiculars and lifts, honestly
Tram 28 is a working commuter tram that happens to cross the prettiest hills in the city, not a ride built for tourists, and it shows: carriages are packed most of the day, and it's a well-known spot for pickpockets, so keep bags zipped and in front of you. A single fare bought on board is €3.30. If you just want the views without the crush, tram 12 does a short loop through Alfama, and tram 24 runs a quieter route up toward Campolide, both far less rammed.
The bigger story for 2026 is that the historic funiculars are mostly not running. The Elevador da Glória has been closed since the derailment of 3 September 2025, which killed 16 people and injured 24; Carris now targets 2029 for a rebuilt system, with bus 51E covering the route via Largo do Carmo in the meantime. The Ascensor da Bica and Ascensor do Lavra were both suspended as a precaution the same day and have no confirmed reopening date, replaced for now by bus routes 22B and 19B. The Santa Justa Lift has also been closed since September 2025, with no date set either. The one exception is the newer Funicular da Graça, a separate system connecting Mouraria and Graça, which reopened on 30 April 2026 and runs 07:00 to 20:45 daily, €4.30 on board for two trips.
🚶 What you will actually walk
Most of central Lisbon is walking territory whatever the timetable says. Alfama, the Baixa grid, Chiado and Bairro Alto sit close together but at very different heights, so plan for stairs and steep cobbles rather than flat strolls. Baixa to Chiado is a genuine climb; Alfama to the Castelo is steeper still. Comfortable shoes matter more here than any ticket choice.
🧳 Luggage storage in Lisbon
Left luggage in Lisbon splits three ways: stations, the airport, shop networks. Stations first. CP runs lockers at Cais do Sodré, Oriente, Rossio and Sete Rios, 24 hours maximum, priced by size and shown on the machine, roughly €3 to €8 a day. Santa Apolónia, Lisbon's international terminus, isn't on that list: no CP locker there, only a private City Lockers point nearby, so don't count on the station itself.
At the airport, self-service lockers sit outside Terminal 1's departures level, 72 hours maximum, with the tariff posted on the unit rather than published online.
Shop networks fill in everywhere else. Radical Storage lists over 165 verified spots across Lisbon, from €1.60 a bag a day with a €10,000 guarantee, useful anywhere a station locker isn't nearby, Alfama and Bairro Alto especially. Bounce and Nannybag also run networks in the city; worth comparing for your exact street.
Which one wins
- 🚉 Passing through Cais do Sodré, Oriente, Rossio or Sete Rios: the station locker, it's right there
- 🎒 Near Santa Apolónia, or checked out of a hotel early in Alfama or Bairro Alto: Radical Storage, 10% off with our link above
- 🧳 Big case or awkward shapes: Radical Storage again, no size limit to squeeze into
- ✈️ Killing time at the airport: the Terminal 1 lockers, at whatever the machine quotes
What a day of bag storage costs
- 🚉 CP station locker: roughly €3 to €8, check the machine
- ✈️ Airport locker (Terminal 1): priced on-site, 72-hour maximum
- 🧳 Radical Storage, per bag: from €1.60, 10% off through our link
🚕 Taxis and ride apps
Portugal's national taxi tariff changed in 2026: the flagfall dropped to €2.00 and the old luggage supplement was scrapped, though phone or app bookings carry an €0.80 call-out fee. Expect roughly €10 to €15 for a short hop across the centre, more late at night or over the river. Uber and Bolt are both big here too, priced dynamically per trip, so check the app rather than trust a quoted average.
🕐 Your first hour in Lisbon
- Buy a Navegante Ocasional card (€0.50) at the airport metro machine and load Zapping credit or a 24-hour ticket, depending on how many rides you'll take.
- Take the red line metro to Saldanha, changing there for the centre, about 20 minutes.
- Too early to check in? Drop bags at a station locker if you're passing Oriente or Cais do Sodré, or book Radical Storage near your hotel.
- Skip tram 28 on arrival, it will be packed; save it for early morning and take tram 12 or 24 for a first look instead.
- Walk before you plan anything else. The city makes more sense once you've felt the slopes yourself.
❓ FAQ
How do I get from Lisbon airport to the city centre?
The metro's red line to Saldanha is simplest and cheapest, about €2.40 for your first ride including the card. A taxi runs roughly €10 to €15; Uber and Bolt price each trip dynamically. See our full airport guide for details.
Are Lisbon's funiculars running in 2026?
Mostly not. The Glória, Bica and Lavra funiculars and the Santa Justa Lift have all been closed since the fatal Glória accident of September 2025, with Glória targeted for a 2029 reopening and no confirmed date yet for the others. Only the separate Graça funicular, reopened in April 2026, is currently operating.
Where can I store luggage in Lisbon?
CP station lockers cover Rossio, Oriente, Cais do Sodré and Sete Rios, but not Santa Apolónia. Radical Storage has over 165 spots citywide from €1.60 a day, 10% off through our link above, useful anywhere a station locker isn't close by.
✅ Before you go
Load Zapping onto a Navegante card rather than buying single tickets one by one, and don't budget for the funiculars, most of them still aren't running. Wear proper shoes: Lisbon's hills are the real transport system here. For the bigger picture, start with Lisbon Explained, and once you're walking, the Ciceru self-guided tour runs Alfama to Bairro Alto for €7.
