Destination Guides, Travel

The Lisboa Card – Worth It Or Not – Your Guide to Visiting Lisbon

by homemadeinla

Are you visiting Lisbon for the first time this year and searching for a cost-effective way to tour Portugal’s capital city? If so, the Lisboa Card may be just what you’re looking for. Keep reading to find out if the perks of this popular travel card are actually worth the price.

After quite a bit of research and some quick mental math, I decided that the Lisboa Card would be a smart choice for my summer trip to Lisbon since I was a first-time visitor to the city. So in May of 2023, I bought the 72-Hour Card and paid 43.70 EUR which converted to exactly 47.34 USD at the time of purchase. Unfortunately, the cost has significantly gone up since then as you can see from the current prices listed below.

2024 ONLINE PRICING

  • 24-Hour Card = €25.65 / Roughly $29.00
  • 48-Hour Card = €41.80 / Roughly $47.00
  • 72-Hour Card = €51.30 / Roughly $57.00

Despite the price increase, the Lisboa Card may still be worth it!

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

  • Decide if you want a 24-Hour, 48-Hour, or 72-Hour travel card.
  • Purchase the card online, in advance of your trip to save both time and a bit of money.
  • Pick up your physical Lisboa Card at one of Lisbon’s designated tourism offices upon arriving.
  • Discover all that Lisbon has to offer with one quick swipe or flash of your card.

THE PROS OF BUYING A LISBOA CARD

  • First & foremost, the card grants you “free” access to various types of public transportation & 51 of Lisbon’s most popular museums and monuments. It also gives you discounts at more than 80 attractions and businesses throughout the city. And just in case you were wondering, I put the word free in quotations because you are still paying for the Lisboa Card itself. So in reality, all of the “free” perks are just highly discounted tickets UNTIL you’ve reached the value of the card itself in spending! Once you’ve hit the purchase price – every qualifying museum visit or transit ride, thereafter, is indeed absolutely free! 🙂
  • The card literally pays for itself if used wisely.
  • The card is incredibly easy to purchase online, prior to your trip.
  • The card is lightweight & a breeze to carry around while exploring the city.
  • The card is very convenient to use, especially when riding public transportation.

THE CONS OF BUYING A LISBOA CARD

  • There is no digital version which means you have to pick up a physical card upon arriving in Lisbon. You can only pick up the Lisboa Card at one of their dedicated tourism offices.
  • There is no skip-the-line, entrance feature with the Lisboa Card which can be a huge turnoff to those who hate waiting in lines. From my personal experience, the lack of fast-track capabilities only affected my visit to Jerónimos Monastery & the Tower of Belém as the queues at both of these highly-touristed attractions were both quite long and quite hot during the busy, summer season.
  • The card, unfortunately, does not grant free access to every museum in and around Lisbon which means that you will still have to pay an entry fee if you decide to visit a certain attraction that is not included in the program. For more details regarding terms of use & to view a complete list of museums, monuments, transportation services, and businesses that accept the Lisboa Card – please see the link below.

Click here to access the official Lisboa Card Guide Book.

Okay; let’s finally talk dollars – well euros in this case!

HERE’S EXACTLY HOW I USED MY LISBOA CARD

I included 2023 Pricing to show you if the Lisboa Card was worth it for me AND current 2024 pricing to see if the Lisboa Card would still be worth purchasing this calendar year.

6 METRO TICKETS2023 COST2024 COSTLISBOA CARD COST
Physical Metro Card€0.50€0.50Free
Rossio -to- Cais do Sodré€1.65€1.80Free
Saldanha -to- Baixa-Chiado€1.65€1.80Free
Rossio -to- Saldanha €1.65€1.80Free
Cais do Sodré -to- Rossio€1.65€1.80Free
Martim Moniz -to- Saldanha€1.65€1.80Free
Saldanha -to- Aeroporto€1.65€1.80Free
3 TRAIN TICKETS———————————————
Cais do Sodré -to- Cascais€2.30€2.40Free
Cais do Sodré -to- Belém€1.35€1.45Free
Belém -to- Cais do Sodré€1.35€1.45Free
4 ATTRACTION TICKETS———————————————
Lisboa Story Center€7.00€7.50Free
National Tile Museum€5.00€8.00Free
Jerónimos Monastery€10.00€12.00Free
Belém Tower€6.00€8.00Free
2 DISCOUNTED TICKETS———————————————
Maritime Museum€1.40€1.6020% Off Savings
Museum of Contemporary Art€1.00€2.4020% Off Savings
———————————————
SUMMARY OF FIGURESIN 2023IN 2024 Across the Span of 3 Days
TICKET PRICE TOTALS€45.80€56.10My Personal Expenses
72-HOUR CARD COST€43.70€51.30Online Lisboa Card Prices
THE DIFFERENCE €2.10€4.80“Free Money” if you will

IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE...that I would have actually gained more bang for my buck during this inaugural trip of mine, BUT I decided to rest my weary body and sleep in on both my 1st & 2nd mornings in Lisbon. I was a little disappointed in myself, but my mind and body were thrilled to say the least 😉 Plus, any extra time spent in a hotel that you are paying for is never a bad thing! Here is a list of the FREE places & activities that I planned on using my Lisboa Card at but, unfortunately, did not get around to experiencing due to a sheer lack of time and motivation.

> Castle of São Jorge (€15.00 in 2024)
> History of Cod Museum (€3.80 in 2024)
> National Coach Museum (€8.00 in 2024)
> Cold Greenhouse at Parque Eduardo VII (€3.50 in 2024)
> Ride the Santa Justa Lift (€5.30 in 2024) – I decided to just look at it.
> Ride the famous, Tram 28 (€3.10 in 2024) – I decided to just look at it.
> Go up the Arco da Rua Augusta (€3.50 in 2024) – I decided to just look at it.
> Go up the Monument to the Discoveries (€10.00 in 2024) – I decided to just look at it.

All of those additional activities would have equalled a whopping €52.20 in today’s, 2024 rates if I just got around to doing them!

If all of the information above, has convinced you that the Lisboa Card is not only worth the cost but also worth the convenience – keep scrolling for detailed instructions on how to secure this handy dandy item for your upcoming trip to Lisbon, Portugal!

HERE’S HOW TO PURCHASE A LISBOA CARD ONLINE

  • Step 1: Click here to access the Visit Lisboa website.
  • Step 2: Hover over the “Plan” tab
  • Step 3: Scroll down and click the “Lisboa Card” subtab which will open a new window.
  • Step 4: Select your “Time” using the drop-down menu.
  • Step 5: Select your “Type” using the drop-down menu.
  • Step 6: Select the Quantity using the +/- buttons if purchasing more than 1 card.
  • Step 7: Click “Add to Cart” followed by “Checkout” and simply enter all of your contact and credit card information to complete your purchase.
  • Step 8: Check your email.

AFTER YOUR PURCHASE – YOU WILL RECEIVE 2 EMAILS

  • Email 1: “Order # Confirmed” from the Visit Lisboa Shop [ info@lismarketing.pt ]
  • Email 2: “Order Invoice” from VisitLisboa.com [ no-reply@visitlisboa.com ] This second email contains a PDF file. Per the instructions, I printed this PDF prior to flying into Portugal and brought it with me to the tourism office as proof of purchase when I went to pick up my physical Lisboa Card. I also saved the PDF on my smart phone, and of course – saved both confirmation emails in my inbox as well just in case.

WHERE CAN I PICK UP MY LISBOA CARD?

  • You can retrieve your card from one of the many official Tourist Offices located throughout the city.
  • These offices can be stand alone buildings, a desk located within a museum, or even a small kiosk. They all will typically have a sign that says “Ask Me Lisboa” and/or “Turismo de Lisboa” written on it.
  • If you are flying into Lisbon and plan on taking the metro from the airport to your hotel – I suggest picking up your Lisboa Card at the Ask Me Lisboa desk in the arrivals terminal. This was my original plan, but my flight was delayed, and I landed in Lisbon well after midnight when the tourism office was closed for the night. I took a taxi to my hotel instead and picked up my Lisboa Card the next day.
  • I ended up walking to the Jardim do Regedor tourism office in Restaurant Square as it was the closest Ask Me Lisboa location from my hotel.

Click here for a complete list of the 26 Tourist Offices where you can retrieve your Lisboa Card.

And there your have it, friends – everything you need to know about Lisbon’s most popular travel card.

In my opinion, the Lisboa Card is an excellent investment if you plan on visiting the most popular attractions located throughout the city & plan on taking public transportation to get to these various hotspots. If you have any questions regarding the Lisboa Card or just want to ask me what I thought about being a first-time visitor to Lisbon, please do so in the comment section below. ‘Til then…

Safe Travels!

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