Page 160 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Lisbon

158  SUR VIV AL GUIDE

Getting Around Lisbon

An attractive city, Lisbon is a pleasure to explore, and walking
can be one of the best ways to see it. However, the city is also
hilly, and even the fittest of sightseers will soon tire. The
trams and funiculars (elevadores) offer a welcome rest for
the foot-weary as well as some great views. They are an
essential Lisbon experience but may not always be the most
efficient means of transport. For that, buses and the Metro
are better choices. Driving around Lisbon is not generally
recommended: the city suffers from quite a bit of congestion Red Tour electric buggy
and its street plan is full of unexpected surprises. As a result,
patience is in short supply among Lisbon drivers. Taxis offer cheap to use and, for the
a good alternative and are relatively cheap. most part, very efficient.
A number of electric trams
trundle past some of Lisbon’s
Green Travel option. Rarer still are expensive most important cultural
Lisbon has, on the whole, gas-electric hybrid cars. sights, and this “green” mode
embraced the notion of However, Carris is slowly of transport offers excellent
becoming an environmentally introducing a fleet of LPG- value for money.
friendly city. Green initiatives fuelled buses. Alternative fuel Cycling is not popular
are in place to help alleviate solutions remain high on the in central Lisbon; its hilly
the city’s chronic traffic prob- political agenda and Lisbon geography simply does not
lems. One such scheme, Town Hall is wooing potential make it a viable proposition.
Menos Um Carro (One Less Car), converts by offering free Cycle paths do exist along the
launched by the public transport parking for 30 minutes for Tagus river in areas such as
operator Carris on its website drivers using these cleaner, Alcântara and Belém, and
(www.carris.pt), encourages alternative vehicles. further afield at Parque das
commuters to use public trans- Increasingly, police officers Nações, Parque Florestal de
port rather than drive into the are patrolling Lisbon’s streets Monsanto and in Cascais.
city, or to consider sharing a car. on Segways (two-wheeled Some independent tourism
Carris’s online sustainable travel electric vehicles). This eco- companies, such as Lisbon
campaign (Indice de Mobilidade friendly mode of transport Bike tour (www.lisbonbike
Sustentável) invites users to email has also been adopted by tour.com) and Bike Iberia
their own ideas about how to sightseeing tour company (www.bikeiberia.com), offer
improve Lisbon’s congested Red Tour (tel 211 928 852; Lisbon cycle tours, but these,
transport infrastructure. www.redtourgps.com), which too, tend to avoid the capital’s
Gas-powered private offers self-guided tours in steeper areas.
vehicles that run on self-drive electric buggies Discovering Lisbon on foot
environmentally friendly and on Segway scooters. requires a stout pair of legs
liquefied petrol gas (LPG) The rail network in Lisbon and comfortable footwear,
are rare on Lisbon’s roads due and throughout Portugal but this is one of the best ways
to their relatively high fuel is electrified and leaves to explore the city at leisure.
consumption and a lack of a relatively small carbon
service stations offering an LPG footprint. It is also reasonably
Public Transport
The Lisboa Card Lisbon’s public transport
system provides access to
This comprehensive tourist pass all parts of the city by a variety
allows free access to most forms of means: trams, lifts and
of public transport (not ferries) and funiculars, buses and the
reduced rates on some tourist tours underground Metropolitano.
(including the Carris open-top bus The technological spectrum is
tour, the Colinas tour in the red trams, Lisboa Card tourist pass vast, from early 20th-century
and Transtejo river tours). Additionally, admission charges are waived trams and funiculars to modern
at 25 national museums and other sights, and are reduced at Metro trains, sleek new trams
a number of others (20 per cent off at the Gulbenkian Museum, and articulated buses. Buses
for instance). It is an impressive offer, and competitively priced, but
with only 24, 48 or 72 hours in which to make use of it, you might be have the most extensive
rushed off your feet. The Lisboa Card is on sale at the airport arrivals network, while trams cover
hall, tourist offices, selected hotels, travel agents and sights, as well a smaller area but offer good
as in Carris kiosks (see p159). sightseeing opportunities. Both
are prone to delays due to

158-159_EW_Lisbon.indd 158 17/10/16 11:35 am
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Practical template “UK” LAYER
(Source v1.7)
Date 5th March 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm