If you want to know more about the history of all those yellow trams you see in the city, you have to plan for a visit to Museu da Carris.
The museum takes you back to the history of public transport in Lisbon. The museum is part of an active tram depot.
The museum
Your visit to Museu da Carris starts at the gates of the tram depot. From the gatekeeper’s house you walk all the way to the right to the entrance to start your visit.
The museum is divided over a number of buildings in the same location, namely the depot and head office of the public transport company Carris.
In the first part you will find a collection of objects that tell the history of public transport in Lisbon. The trams, lifts, buses and the metro, everything is covered. You can see instruments such as old ticket machines and uniforms throughout the years, but also the expansion of the metro network and a hospital room especially for the employees of Carris.
When you’re done in the first part, wait at the tram stop (in the museum) for the tram to take you to the tram depot.
It is a special tram with chandeliers and nicely upholstered benches, the ride is just a few minutes. If you bring a buggy with you for the children, no problem! The friendly tram driver will help you get everyone and everything into the tram.
Tram depot
In a large hall you can have fun with all the old trams and buses that are parked there. We thought it was a pity that you couldn’t sit in all trams and buses, there are currently only 3 or 4 that you can see from the inside. But for our toddler that didn’t spoil the fun.
In the trams that were accessible she turned into a tram driver. If we weren’t curious about another room, she could have played here for hours.
The tram depot ends in the museum shop, from there the tram takes you to another warehouse with buses and the cabin of an actual metro.
In the metro
Our toddler liked the tram depot a lot, but the final depot we visited only heightened the fun for her!
There was a real metro cabin, the many buttons immediately drew the attention of our kids. All buttons were pressed, often simultaneously, as we drove by past all the imaginary metro stations of Lisbon. It was a pleasure for the kids to play here. In this hall there were also a couple of (double-decker) buses where you could get behind the wheel. And don’t be mistaken: that steering wheel is huge and certainly not easy to operate!
We all had a great time.
Easy to get to and not busy
The museum is easily accessible, it is located just outside the hustle and bustle of the city. The much busier
LX Factory is a 5-minute walk away and Village Underground is located at the same location as the museum.
During our visit there was a school class on the premises but we didn’t notice a thing about that. It was actually quite useful, because sometimes we could listen in with the explanation for the children. We also met three other tourists but for the rest it was very quiet.
This is a very nice museum to visit, as far as we are concerned, it is highly recommended when you visit Lisbon with your children.
Where to find Museu da Carris
Address: Rua 1º de Maio 101, Alcantara
Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 10 a.m. – 5.30 p.m. | Saturday: 10 a.m. – 12.30 p.m. – 2- 5.30 p.m. | Sunday closed
