By Public Transport

The best way to see central Lisbon is on foot; most points of interest are within the well-defined older quarters. The city's cobblestone sidewalks make walking tiring, even with comfortable shoes, so at some point you'll want to use the public-transportation system, if only to experience the old trams and elevadores: funicular railways and elevators linking high and low parts of the city. Like the buses, they are operated by the public transportation company, Carris.

For all these forms of transport, paying as you board means paying twice as much (EUR 1.40 a ride), in cash, as when you use a 7 Colinas card. This nontransferable debit card, also usable on the metro and ferries, can be purchased at ticket offices and at Carris kiosks, such as in Praça de Figueira, and at the foot of the Elevador de Santa Justa.

Lisbon's modern metro system (station entrances are marked with a red "M") is cheap and speedy, though it misses out many sights and gets crowded during rush hour and for big soccer matches. You can purchase single tickets or cards for multiple journeys.

The Lisboa Card, a special pass that allows free travel on all public transportation and entry into 27 museums, monuments, and galleries, is valid for 24 hours (EUR 15), 48 hours (EUR 26), or 72 hours (EUR 32). It's sold all over the city.