Tram 28

What Tram 28 Actually Is

Do not picture a tourist attraction with a turnstile and a timed ticket. This is Carris route 28E, a working public tram that runs small old-style cars on streets too narrow and steep for anything bigger. Lisbon's trams started with horses in 1873 and went electric in 1901. Route 28 is usually dated to the early 20th century, often 1914, though the line you ride today has shifted over the years.

Visitors tend to take it one way: from Martim Moniz up through Graça and Alfama, past Portas do Sol and the Sé, then across Baixa and Chiado toward Estrela and Campo de Ourique. Carris gives the official route as Martim Moniz to Campo Ourique (Prazeres). Service changes happen, though, including works that have closed part of the line. Look at the Carris route page before you assume the whole thing is running.

Is It Worth Riding

Yes, with caveats. Get a seat on a half-empty car and it is one of the easiest ways to watch Lisbon's hills and tiled corners go by. The Alfama and Graça stretch is the bit people are actually picturing when they say Tram 28.

Then there is the catch. At busy times you might queue for ages at Martim Moniz, watch full cars pass you mid-route, or ride the whole way packed in standing with nothing to look at but someone's shoulder. The pickpocket reputation is earned, not folklore. The route puts a lot of distracted tourists in one place, many of them holding phones near open windows.

Tickets Without Overpaying

Any normal Carris ticket or pass gets you on. For 2026, Carris lists an onboard tram ticket at €3.30, a prepaid Carris/Metro ticket at €1.90, zapping at €1.72, and a 24-hour Carris/Metro ticket at €7.25. The prepaid tickets load onto a Navegante occasional card, which Carris lists at €0.50.

So there is no reason to buy a tourist-priced hop-on package just to ride the yellow tram. A dedicated tourist tram has its place if you want commentary, a calmer car, or a packaged sightseeing day. For the plain Tram 28 ride, though, regular transit fares are what you should be paying.

Better Ways To Do It

Ride early, ride late, or just walk the good part. Your best shot at boarding without the worst crush is early morning or later in the evening, though in peak season nothing is guaranteed even then. If it is really the views and the old streets you are after, walk down from Graça or Portas do Sol through Alfama. You control the pace and it costs nothing.

If you want options, Tram 12E does a shorter historic loop around the castle, Tram 24E gives you the vintage feel with fewer crowds, the metro and buses are how you actually get places, and the official sightseeing trams cover you if you want a reserved tourist ride. And do not underrate the view from the street. A yellow car grinding past the Sé or Portas do Sol often looks better from the pavement than it does from inside a jammed carriage.