Elevators & funiculars – the shortcuts to hilly Lisbon
Lisbon's Elevators & Funiculars: Convenient Routes to the Hills
The Lavra Funicular is Lisbon’s oldest. The 188 m-long line connects Largo da Anunciada to Rua Câmara Pestana. (Photo by Pedro Simões)
Lisbon’s public transportation company Carris’ together with a number of newer public and private elevators boasts a network of elevators and funiculars that provide practical shortcuts for navigating the city’s slopes.
For Lisbon residents who know them, these options save time, especially if you want to cross downtown to reach Chiado, Bairro Alto and Principe Real from Graça during rush hour.
The commercial funiculars/elevator run by Carris
The Glória Funicular takes you from Marques de Pombal Bairro and neighbouring Principe Real in a few entertaining minutes. (Photo by Lis Fotios -Pexel).
Carris’ 3 funiculars and 1 elevator are Tourists attractions. The reason why they are so popular is because they take you through the old neighborhoods that used to house the locals, the Funiculars and elevator were meant for, were living before their flats were turned into short term rentals. And as Carris is a commercial company you need a ticket.
The Elevador de Santa Justa, an impressive iron structure, connects the lower Baixa district to the elevated Chiado neighborhood, offering panoramic views from its top.
The Elevador do Lavra, Lisbon’s oldest funicular, connects Avenida da Liberdade to Torel Garden, a tranquil green space with stunning city views.
The Elevador da Glória is a historic funicular that ascends from Restauradores Square to Bairro Alto, passing through narrow streets adorned with colorful facades.
With its dramatic contrast between the steep route with the Tagus in the back, The Bica Funicular is one of Lisbon’s most attractions. (Photo by Lis Fotios -Pexel)
The Elevador da Bica, a yellow funicular, winds its way up the steep hillside from Cais do Sodré to Bairro Alto, providing an authentic Lisbon experience with its charming surroundings.
These elevators and funiculars serve as practical means of transport while offering glimpses of Lisbon’s history and ambiance. They provide an efficient and enjoyable way to reach hilltop viewpoints and experience the city’s vibrant atmosphere.
These elevators and funiculars serve as practical means of transport while offering glimpses of Lisbon’s history and ambiance. They provide an efficient and enjoyable way to reach hilltop viewpoints and experience the city’s vibrant atmosphere.
Embark on a journey through Lisbon’s hills using these convenient and fascinating modes of transport, and discover the city’s unique charm from a different perspective,
In addition to the Mouraria route, smooth accesses to the Sé and Graça are planned. In the first case, there will be a lift connecting Escadinhas das Portas do Mar (next to Campo das Cebolas) to Largo da Sé. As for the Graça route, there will be a funicular connecting Rua dos Lagares and the Graça Viewpoint.
Escalators will connect Martim Moniz to Lisbon Castle in 2017
DesignerObservador, 20 may. 2016,
The public Lisbon Municipal Mobility and Parking Company
The Projected Elevator from Escadinhas das Portas do Mar to Ze Cathedral
In 2015 we bought the house on Miradouro da Senhora do Monte – the top of the highest hill in town and started renovating. Back then the miradouro was empty. NO tourists – only locals. We could bring tables and chairs and picnic there the whole night in front of the most beautiful scenery you can imagine.
Absolutely fantastic – but at the same time also a little scarry. How do we get people up here?
By a coincidence I stumbled upon a story in Bloomberg about the Lisbon’s City Transit Authority’s new project: An elevator that would make it easy for Cruise travelers to visit the Ze Cathedral. That didn’t interest me – what caught my attention was a sentence in the last paragraph:
One of them was an elevator that would bring tourists from the (back them) future Cruise Terminal Se Cathedral. That didn’t interest me at all. But the mentioning of other projects made me curious. After a few more clicks I got to the Portuguese Observador who had rolled out the whole Funicular plan: The elevator to Ze Cathedral, A Funicular from Mouraria to Graca And and 3 section Escalator from Martim Monis to Castello.
The Escalator Castello that in the following 3 sections would bring tourists from Martim Moniz (Baixa) to Castelo de Sao Jorge.
Today nobody ever talks about the elevator to Ze Cathedral. And of the Escalator Castello’s 3 sections only A Escadinhas da Saúde exists – and it leads to nowhere.
The Mouraria up to Graça Funicular has opened!
The third and final project – the Funicular from Mouraria up the hill to Graça – exists! It was inaugurated on 12 March, 15 years after the projects started.
I took a ride just after it opened. What a Thrill…
The view you get from inside this glass bubble is out of this world… so I used the occasion to take one more ride.
The day after the opening I took another ride the day after, this time with Annette. This ride will probably be our last. When we got down the line of tourists waiting to get UP was so long that it soon will take ages to get up.
As tourists don’t use these funiculars as the means of transportation for especially the elder local Graça residents they are meant for I predict that the funicular soon will be a new tourist attraction as popular as Tram #28.
The Short Cuts to hilly Lisbon.
Together with the relatively unknown Santa Luzia elevator and the popular Baixa/Castello elevator Lisbon Municipality now runs 5 elevators/escalators/funiculars – very convenient shortcuts between Lisbon’s many hills. Especially if you want to go from our hill to Chiado.
In this map you can see all of them with comments for each of them. Here you also find our shortcut from Tings Lisbon to Chiado.
Enjoy.
Thomas