The Lisbon Card runs €22 for 24 hours, €37 for 48, and €46 for 72. It covers every metro, bus, tram, and urban train in the city, plus free entry to about 35 museums and discounts at another 40-odd attractions. Do the maths on a normal Lisbon day and the card pays for itself by early afternoon. Do the maths on a heavy sightseeing day and you save €30-50 versus buying individual tickets.
Here’s how the card works, when it’s genuinely worth it, and when you should just buy transport tickets and skip the museum pass part.
In a Hurry? The Three Lisbon Transit/Pass Options
- Best overall: Lisbon Card 24/48/72h — from €36. Transport + museums + attraction discounts. The do-everything option.
- Hop-on hop-off alternative: 1-2 Day Hop-On Hop-Off Bus — from €25. Tourist bus only, no museums. Use if you don’t plan to hit paid attractions.
- Premium HOHO: Lisbon Hop-On Hop-Off Alternative Bus — from €33. Different operator, different route variants.
- In a Hurry? The Three Lisbon Transit/Pass Options
- What the Lisbon Card Includes
- What the Lisbon Card Doesn’t Include
- The Three Lisbon Transport Options Compared
- 1. Lisbon Card 24/48/72 Hour Pass — from €36
- 2. Lisbon 1 or 2-Day Hop-On Hop-Off Bus — from €25
- 3. Lisbon Hop-On Hop-Off Bus (Alternative Operator) — from €33
- The Math — When the Card Pays Off
- When It’s NOT Worth It
- What You Can See with the Card
- Discount-Only Attractions
- How to Buy the Lisbon Card
- Activation
- Pairing With a Lisbon Itinerary
- When to Visit Lisbon
- Comparison with Other Transport Options
- Where to Stay for Card Value
- Getting to Lisbon
- What to Do on Card-Free Days
- Practical Questions
- Alternative Day-Trip Cards
- A Short History of the Lisbon Card
- The Short Version
- The Card vs Individual Museum Tickets
- What Locals Think of the Card
What the Lisbon Card Includes
Two components:
1. Unlimited public transport: Metro, CP trains to Sintra and Cascais, all Carris buses, all five trams (including 28), all four funiculars (Gloria, Bica, Lavra, Santa Justa Lift). Validity starts at first use and runs 24/48/72 hours.
2. Free entry to 35+ museums: Including Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower, Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, MAAT, Electricity Museum, Coach Museum, Arch Triumph (Rua Augusta), Pantheon, and about 25 others. Some have timed entry requirements.
3. Discounts 10-50%: At ~40 other attractions including the Oceanarium, Castle of São Jorge, Santa Justa Lift viewing deck, Lisboa Story Centre, and most river cruise operators.
What the Lisbon Card Doesn’t Include
- Castle of São Jorge full entry (you get a discount, not free)
- The airport shuttle bus (AeroBus) — covered by regular metro though
- Food, drink, or restaurants
- Boat tours on the Tagus (except with discounts)
- Day trips outside the metro zone (except Sintra and Cascais on the urban train)
The Three Lisbon Transport Options Compared
1. Lisbon Card 24/48/72 Hour Pass — from €36
The do-everything option. Transport + museums + discounts. Sold in three durations (24h €22, 48h €37, 72h €46). Best for multi-day visitors who’ll hit 3+ museums. Our full review has the break-even math and the exact museum list.
2. Lisbon 1 or 2-Day Hop-On Hop-Off Bus — from €25
Pick this if you want the narrated tourist experience but don’t plan to visit many paid attractions. Covers the same geographic ground as the Lisbon Card transport portion but adds commentary. Our review compares the routes.
3. Lisbon Hop-On Hop-Off Bus (Alternative Operator) — from €33
Second main Hop-On Hop-Off operator. Very similar product, slightly different routing, usually slightly pricier. Our review compares the two main HOHO options directly.
The Math — When the Card Pays Off
A typical Lisbon sightseeing day without the card:
- Metro to Belém: €1.50
- Jerónimos Monastery: €14
- Belém Tower: €10
- Tram back to centre: €3
- Castle of São Jorge: €15
- Tram 28 loop: €3
- Metro to hotel: €1.50
Total: €48. The 24-hour Lisbon Card is €22 plus you save on the museums entirely — so same sightseeing day with card = €22 instead of €48. Savings: €26.
Multiply that over 2-3 days of real sightseeing and the card pays for itself multiple times over.
When It’s NOT Worth It
Three scenarios:
Staying 1 night only: If you’re only doing a quick Lisbon stop (a few hours) and don’t plan museum visits, buy a 24-hour transport ticket (€6.80) and skip the Lisbon Card.
Beach/food focus: If your Lisbon is more about eating in Alfama and sitting by the Tejo, you’re not hitting enough museums to benefit. €36 is more than a day of food tour-level meals.
Staying 7+ days: The 72-hour card is the longest option. For a full week in Lisbon, buy a weekly Viva Viagem transport card (€32 for 7 days) and pay individually for any museums you actually want.
What You Can See with the Card
Here are the top 6 free-entry museums worth hitting if you have the card:
Jerónimos Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos): Manueline Gothic, UNESCO site, the home of pastel de nata. €14 without card. In Belém.
Belém Tower: 16th-century watchtower at the river mouth. €10 without card. Right next to the Monastery — do both on one Belém morning.
Coach Museum: Weirdly interesting collection of royal horse-drawn carriages from the 16th-19th centuries. €8 without card. Also in Belém.
Museu Nacional do Azulejo: Portuguese tile museum. Much more interesting than it sounds. €10 without card. In a 15th-century convent.
Pantheon: 17th-century domed church, now a national pantheon. Views from the dome are the best free thing you can do in Lisbon with the card. €8 without card.
Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga: Portugal’s national art museum. Bosch, Dürer, Portuguese old masters. €10 without card.
Discount-Only Attractions
Partial discounts (usually 10-25%) include:
- Oceanário de Lisboa — 15% off €25 ticket
- Castle of São Jorge — 20% off €15 ticket
- Santa Justa Lift observation deck — 50% off
- Tagus River cruises — 20-25% off most operators
- Lisboa Story Centre — 20% off
- Various food tours — 10-15% off
How to Buy the Lisbon Card
Three options:
Online (recommended): Book through GetYourGuide or the Lisbon Tourism official site. You get a voucher. Redeem for a physical card at any Lisbon Welcome Centre (airport, Rossio station, Praça do Comércio, etc.) or use the QR code directly.
At the airport: Lisbon Welcome Centre at the arrivals hall. €2 surcharge compared to online.
At Rossio station or Praça do Comércio: Tourist offices sell them directly. Same price as airport.
Activation
The card activates on first use — either first metro/bus/tram ride or first museum entry. From that point the 24/48/72 hours runs continuously. You don’t choose a start date; it just begins.
Pairing With a Lisbon Itinerary
Classic 3-day Lisbon using the 72-hour card:
Day 1 (Belém): Metro to Belém → Jerónimos Monastery (free with card) → Belém Tower (free) → Coach Museum (free) → lunch at Pastéis de Belém (not free, but worth it) → tram back to centre.
Day 2 (Central Lisbon): Pantheon (free) → Museu do Azulejo (free) → tram 28 loop → Castle of São Jorge (discounted) → evening Alfama walking tour.
Day 3 (Museums or Sintra): Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (free) → Santa Justa Lift (discounted) → or use the CP train to Sintra for the day.
3 days covered. Card cost: €46. Individual price of the above: €120+. Savings: ~€75.
When to Visit Lisbon
April-June and September-October are the sweet spots. July and August are hot (often 30°C+) and crowded. Winter (November-March) is mild (12-16°C), cheaper, quieter — the card is still fully useful.
Card price is the same year-round. You’ll just enjoy using it more in shoulder season.
Comparison with Other Transport Options
Viva Viagem card: Rechargeable transport card. €6.80 for 24 hours of unlimited travel. Cheaper than the Lisbon Card if you don’t care about museums.
Viva Viagem single tickets: €1.80 metro/bus, €3 tram. Works out cheaper than a day pass only if you’re doing very little travelling.
Walking: Central Lisbon is walkable but very hilly. Save the card transport for the uphill legs.
Tuk-Tuk tours: Charming but not included in the card. €30-60 for 1-2 hour private tours. Our tuk-tuk guide has options.
Where to Stay for Card Value
The Lisbon Card is equally useful from any central neighbourhood but the value shifts:
From Baixa/Chiado: Central, flat, walking distance to many Lisbon Card museums. Card saves most on the Belém trip.
From Alfama: Tram 28 runs right through. Heavy card user: you’ll take the tram home multiple times a day just to avoid the climb.
From Bairro Alto: Funicular access via the Gloria or Bica. Those funicular rides are €4 each without card — add up fast.
From Belém: If your hotel is near the monastery, you get less transport value but easier museum access. Still card-positive.
Getting to Lisbon
From the airport: Metro red line to Alameda, transfer to green line. 30-40 minutes, €2 without card (free with). Aerobus is €4 (discounted 10% with card but not free).
From Santa Apolónia or Oriente stations: Metro or bus to your accommodation. Both covered.
Pro tip: activate the card as soon as you land. The airport transfer alone uses up €4 of the 24-hour card’s value.
What to Do on Card-Free Days
If you have 4+ days in Lisbon, the card covers the first 3. For remaining days:
- Food tour — not included in card but 15% discount
- Tagus boat tour — discounted
- Fátima day trip — not covered (outside metro zone)
- Beach day: train to Cascais (covered by card on days 1-3, pay separately after)
Practical Questions
Can I buy at the airport? Yes. Lisbon Welcome Centre at arrivals. Slight surcharge vs online.
Do I need a physical card? Not strictly. The QR code on phone works for most attractions and for Viva Viagem gate activation.
Does it cover the Aerobus? 25% discount only. Metro is free anyway — use that.
Is it good value for kids? Yes. Kids’ cards are half-price (€11/€19/€23). Most museums are already free for under-12s anyway, so this works out as a transport pass for the kids.
Can I upgrade from 48 to 72? Not once activated. Buy the longer duration if you might want it.
Alternative Day-Trip Cards
If you’re doing multi-city Portugal, Porto has its own Porto Card (€10-20 range) that works the same way. Our Porto guides have the comparison.
For Sintra specifically, there’s no equivalent dedicated pass — use the Lisbon Card’s CP train coverage (Rossio-Sintra route) and buy Sintra palace tickets individually.
A Short History of the Lisbon Card
The Lisbon Card launched in 1994 as a tourism board initiative, funded by the city and implemented with Carris (the transport operator) and the national museums. The original version was a paper card with stamps; by 2010 it had become a plastic card with a magnetic strip; today it’s QR code on phone, with physical versions available on request. Most European capitals now have similar cards, but Lisbon’s was one of the earliest.
The card has fundamentally shaped how tourists move through the city. Before it existed, visitors bought individual tram tickets and paid museum-by-museum. Now most independent travellers arrive with a card ready to go and structure their days around free-entry museums. Lisbon has changed its museum opening hours and some tour operators have adjusted their routes in response.
The Short Version
Buy the 72-hour Lisbon Card (€46) if you’re visiting for 3 full days, planning at least 3-4 museum visits, and staying somewhere central. Skip the card and buy a 24-hour transport ticket if you’re in for 24 hours or less, or if your Lisbon is more about food and wandering than museums. The 48-hour option is the sweet spot for 2-day visitors.
Book online before arrival to skip the queue at the Lisbon Welcome Centre. Activate on first use — first metro ride, first museum entry, whichever comes first. Then go do everything you came to Lisbon for.
The Card vs Individual Museum Tickets
Break-even math on the 24-hour card (€22): three 6-euro museums plus two 2-euro metro rides = €22. Any more than that and the card wins outright.
For the 48-hour (€37): six museums or equivalent. For the 72-hour (€46): ten museums. Most visitors who actually commit to sightseeing easily exceed these numbers.
What Locals Think of the Card
Lisbon residents don’t use the Lisbon Card — it’s explicitly a tourist product. But most Lisboetas I’ve talked to think it’s a reasonable deal for visitors, especially the 72-hour version. The main critique is that the card sometimes pushes tourists toward the free-entry museums (many of which are second-tier) and away from smaller paid museums that might be more interesting for specific visitors. The Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, for example, isn’t on the card but is arguably Lisbon’s best museum. Buy the card for value; buy individual tickets for museums you actually care about.
Affiliate disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. All recommendations are based on my own visits.