Category: Public transport

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Lisbon’s famous funiculars: Bica, Gloria, Lavra, spectacular viewpoints & ‘Art in movement’

The funiculars Bica, Gloria and Lavra in Lisbon taking you up to spectacular viewpoints (miradouros).

Bica funicular silver tourist information

The (normally yellow) and famous tourist attraction funicular in Bica  (YouTube)

Artist Alexandre Farto  covered the outside of the funicular with mirror-acrylic, called it ‘Espectro’  (Spectre) and pays tribute to the neighbourhood that is reflected in the lift during the journey, as if it were a film…. (From January – June 2010). Amazing!

Bica funicular silver March 2010 3 street

Bica funicular Lisbon

This project  ‘Art in movement’  (“Arte em Movimento”) is part of a Cultural Program for the promotion of Public Art, which CARRIS  (bus & tram services including timetables) intends to carry out in some vehicles of its public service fleet. In 2010, the chosen vehicles were one lift (the Santa Justa) and the 3 funiculars, all of them are national monuments since 2002.

Bica funicular March 2010 hanging laundry

Street view Bica funicular

Typical Portuguese:  hanging laundry, drying in the wind.

Bica funicular silver March 2010 2 street

View from Bica funicular

It climbs the Rua da Bica de Duarte Belo for 245 metres from the Rua Sao Paulo.

Bica funicular March 2010 restaurant cafe

Largo de Santo Antoninho, right next to Bica’s funicular downhill starting point.

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High-speed train Alfa Pendular from Lisbon Oriente station & online reservation

Station Oriente is a very beautiful and very famous station, the hub for the various networks of public transportation serving the eastern area of Lisbon, with a metro station, trains, buses, taxis and easy airport links.  The station was created by master architect Santiago Calatrava with a roof of glass and steel.

Oriente Station

Station Oriente. A ticket from Lisbon Oriente Station to Faro (or vice versa) cost about 19 euro.

Alfa Pendular train

The Alfa Pendular is a very comfortable, fast and luxury train.

Address station: Ed. Gare do Oriente, piso 1 – Av. D. João II. You can buy a ticket via internet, also from International station Santa Apolonia. The best thing to do is to reserve a ticket (and a chair number) from 30 days to at least one day before your journey.

Alfa Pendular connects the cities of Braga, Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Santarém, Lisbon, Albufeira and Faro, among others.

Website Alfa Pendular (online ticket reservation, from 30 days to at least one day before your journey.)

Aquaduct Lisbon

View from train Alfa Pendular

You can overlook the fine views (picture: Aquaduct in Lisbon) during the 3 -hours trip, or work: sockets for laptops are at many of the seats.

Public transport Alfa Pendular train view 25 April Bridge Lisbon downtowm

View from train Alfa Pendular : April 25 Bridge on Lisbon downtown

In the Alfa Pendular train there’s also a buffet car, mini bar, audio and video channels (ear-phones are distributed), toilets and special places reserved for reduced mobility passengers.

Alfa Pendular view Alcantara Lisbon

View from Alfa Pendular train

Alcantara Lisbon cruise port just beyond the April 25 bridge.

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Transfer from Lisbon airport Portela to the city, a hint & long term parking

taxi-lisbon-portugal-airportThere’s three ways of getting to the center of Lisbon from the Portela airport. A taxi is not necessarily more expensive then the bus connections. It depends on the number of persons you’re travelling with. Portela airport is located at about 7 kilometers from Lisbon’s city center, a ride to the city in normal traffic shouldn’t take longer then 15 minutes.

It is possible taxidrivers will try and charge more for the ride than the normal price. Make sure they switch on the meter. It is illegal for taxidrivers to charge more then the official rates in Portugal and there are penalties. So if you encounter a problem, make sure that you let them know that you might contact the police.

Hint about taking a taxi at the airport: if the queue is too long at the arrivals you just have to go upstairs to the departures area and take a taxi there.

Lisbon airport Portela tourist information center taxi voucher

Airport Portela Lisbon, Tourism information center – Arrival Hall.

Here you can buy a voucher for pre-paid taxi transfers to the city center with fixed prices. Each taxi carries up to 4 (or more) people, including all the luggage that can fit in the trunk.

If you travel by car: Long term parking information

A taxi to the center shouldn’t cost more then 12-14 euros, luggage included. The taxidriver will charge you for the luggage (if you have luggage that needs to be placed in the trunk of the car).

Buses

There’s a special bus (Carris Aerobus 91) that brings you to the city in about 20 min. From 07:00 to 23:00, costs € 3.50 one way or € 5.50 round trip. You can buy the ticket inside the bus, free use of the metro’s and other buses in the city during the same day is included. You can also take normal buslines, which are a bit cheaper. The buses 5, 22, 44, 45 and 83 will take you to areas in or around central Lisbon.

Metro (subway)

The (new in 2012) airport metro station is located just outside the arrivals and departures building. From 6 am to 1 am, it costs around 2 euro to Lisbon’s city center.

Map of all metro stations in Lisbon. The new aeroporto (airport) station: red line (linha vermelha).

Website metro Lisbon