Elevadores, Lisbon

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there are four elevators operating in Lisbon:

Santa Justa is the best known, a vertical elevator built upon Eiffell's plans, and linking the street with its name to Chiado. Is a touristy "must see" and useful to use.

Operating time 7 AM to 9 PM in winter,7 AM (9 Am on Sunday and holidays) to 11 PM in summer

Glória is a special tram linking Restauradores to Bairro Alto, also very useful to tourists.

Operating time 7 AM (8 AM on Sunday) to 12 PM (4.30 AM on Friday and Saturday)

Lavra is also a special tram, linking Largo da Anunciada to R. Câmara Pestana, "out of the beaten path".

Bica is technically identical, but linking a high place to a higher one, in the steepest hill of Lisbon. It starts in Bica, near Chiado, and goes up to S. Paulo.

Operating time 7 AM (9 AM on Sunday and holidays) to 9 PM

The second funicular is "Bica" in Lisbon and the departure is from a basement of a building in commercial district if you have a carefull eye you can find this place.Otherwise impossible to ride this avesome transport unit.

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The quick way to get up to the Carmo church and surrounding area. Worth the trip just to ride on this unusual mode of transport. Good views over the city from the top as you'd expect!
Day tickets on the transport system are valid here.

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The Elevador St. Justa is a public transportation elevator. There are two cabins capable to transport 20 people each from the Santa Justa Street 45 upwards to the Carmo Square at Bairro Alto. Unlike the two other funiculars type elevadores, the St. Justa is a real vertical travelling means of transportation.

On top of the elevator there is a lookoff terrace that can be reached by two helicoidal staircases.

Since February 2, 2002, at its 100 year anniversary the elevator became a National Monument.

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At April 19, 1884 the Elevador de Lavra started. The mix of tram and elevator travels along a narrow and steep (almost 30 degrees of inclination at one point) track to take its passengers to an altitude of 188 meters.
The Elevador became a National Monument in 2002, but the service was stopped at February 17, 2009 because of a dangerous situation along the route.

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At October 24, 1885 the Elevador da Glória started. The mix of tram and elevator travels along a narrow and steep track from Baixa (Praça dos Restauradores) to Bairro Alto (Jardim / Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara).

Operating hours:
Mo-Fr: 7AM - Midnight
Sa: 7AM - 4.30AM
Su: 8AM - Midnight

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Next to Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara is the ASCENSOR DA GLORIA or the "GLORIA ELEVATOR". The "GLORIA" is the busiest funicular in Lisbon and takes passengers up and down the hill between the center of the city, from Restauradores Square up to Bairro Alto.
The track is 265 metres long and has an average grade of 18%

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..........and use it to the full! Go up (or down) the elevadores, ride tram 28 from terminus to terminus. Brilliant fun.

You can buy a day ticket from Metro stations, and use it for trams, buses, Metro and elevadores. For 3.50 (May 2009) it's a real bargain.

You can just pay the elevadore 'driver', but that will work out more expensive of course.

I really enjoyed the elevadores.......I hadn't realised that they ran through 'ordinary' streets with pedestrians and children and dogs and doorways. And I did see some near-misses!

An absolute 'must-do' for Lisbon, although not really accessible for those with mobility difficulties.

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Lisbon’s steeply sloping terrain has always been a serious problem for the transport of people and goods between the high and the low-lying areas. The advent of mechanical traction brought the possibility of a solution. It was at this time that the funiculars and lifts began to appear, the first functioning on sloping terrain, the second operating vertically.

In this regard Lisbon started (from the end of the 19th century) to provide the city with a series of funiculars working up and down the slopes. The first was officially opened in 1884 in the Calçada do Lavra. This was followed by the funiculars on the Calçada da Glória and Bica and they are still working today.

On April 1896 the engineer Mesnier de Ponsard obtained a concession for the construction and running of a lift which would be built vertically from the Santa Justa steps to form a connection with the Largo do Carmo, using a passageway at the top along the road of the same name. Construction began in 1900 and was finished in July 1902 when entered public service; originally powered by steam, it was converted to electrical operation in 1907. In February 2002, along with the funiculars of Lavra, Glória and Bica, also owned by Carris, it was classified as a national monument.

Lavra and Bica operate from 7am to 9pm, and Glória from 7am to midnight which extends to 4:30am in weekends). Santa Justa Elevator works from 7am to 9pm.

Beware of pickpockets as they know that this will be full of potential targets.

And what we have on top of any funicular or elevator? Of course a fantastic view of the city which is always rewarding.
Enjoy

Elevador da Bica is a funicular in neighbourhood Chiado that brings you up from Rua de São Paulo to Largo Calhariz - Rua do Loreto.
As you might see on the picture it's a very steep way, so to keep you from exhaustion it's a comfortable way to go the upper part of Chiado.