Metropolitano de Lisboa the Lisbon Underground, is the oldest subway systems in Portugal. It is not a very extensive metro network like you have in London and Paris, but it does take you anywhere in the city in a fast, safe and cheap way. In addition, the underground in Lisbon is very clean and runs regularly and on time. If you want to travel quickly through the city, traveling by metro is ideal.
The four metro lines
There are 4 metro lines (blue, yellow, red, green) with different names, see map. The subways run from 6:30 am to 1:00 am and you can buy tickets at any station.
The metro is especially great to take on the rainy days, each metro line has a different theme. If for instance you want to see the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, get on the green line (Linha Verde) at
Cais do Sodré.
How to buy a ticket
There are different types of tickets you can buy. It is important that you have a Viva Viagem card, sort of like an Oyster card. You buy this for € 0.50, it is reusable and needs to be recharged. The card is not transferable, so all your travel companions need their own. You can’t load a single ticket on the card 4 times and then pass it on to your travel companion. He or she will get no further than the closed gates at check-in.
Tip: Do you want to see even more of Lisbon? Then choose the Hop-on Hop-off. Tickets are available per 24 hours or per 48 hours.
Order them here.
It is possible to choose how many rides are loaded on the Viva Viagem card, a ride is not length bound. If you change to a different line you have to check out first.
A day ticket is € 6.00, which allows you to travel freely with all forms of public transport in the city. A single ride is € 1.40.
If you have a Lisboa Card, you don’t need to buy a separate subway card. The Lisbon card is valid for all forms of public transport in Lisbon.
The prices for the metro have been checked on 1 January 2019
