The Lisbon's Classic

The famous Tram 28 started operating in 1901, when the first line, which transported people between Cais do Sodré and Algés, today we can still see it circulating in the city, crowded with tourists.

More than 100 years later, we can no longer live without those yellow vehicles roaming the streets of the Portuguese capital and exuding all their charm on every street corner, everyone with their cameras on to photograph them as soon as they approach the streets of Alfama.

Although it is the most sought after by the tourists who visit Lisbon every day, it also continues to transport, as it always has done, the residents of the neighbourhoods it passes through on their daily commute.

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The whole route is around 7 kilometres long and takes between 40 and 50 minutes. Lisboners have called it a ‘can of sardines’ during rush hour. It climbs streets with a gradient of over 13 per cent, which many modern vehicles can't cope with.

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It runs through some of the most typical neighbourhoods of the city, starting in Campo de Ourique near the Prazeres Cemetery and travelling through Chiado, downtown Lisbon, Alfama and Graça passing so close to the houses that sometimes it seems as if you were scraping their walls, for approximately 48 minutes ending at Martim Moniz Square.

To take a ride on board its elegant wooden cabins while appreciating some of the most picturesque corners of Lisbon, besides the 28, there are the lines 12, 18, 24 and 25 that use these old cars, and you don't have to be cramped or stand up, especially if you're bringing children.

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Its route passes through Lisbon's most emblematic neighbourhoods: Graça, Alfama, Baixa, Chiado, Estrela... In a single route, it shows the contrast between historic Lisbon and everyday Lisbon. Tiled walls, alleyways, belvederes, balconies with laundry laid out, neighbourhood cafés - every turn reveals a different postcard.

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The ticket to ride the tram 28 (and the other trams in Lisbon) costs €2.90, when bought from the tram driver. One way to save money is to use the Viva Viagem card - which is the same one used in the city metro. Just load the card at any metro station and each journey will cost you just €1.45.

No doubt you will love the experience. It's worth it if you can catch it at the right time. But if you see it completely full, don't insist. Lisbon offers many ways to get a feel for the city and sometimes the best way is simply to slow down and take a quieter route. Our Lisbon Tour includes many of the places where this and other trams of the city pass by, besides the ride in a comfortable van you will have the company of the guide who will tell you the stories of Lisbon.