Lisboa card, hop-on hop-off bus [Portugal]
 

Wife and I are going to Lisbon on November 2 for 4 days. Several questions: [1] Does Lisbon have a hop-on, hop-off bus route as many other cities do, and do Fodorites recommend it. [2] Do you recommend getting a Lisboa Card for transportation and museums. Thanks - Steve in Massachusetts

I don't know of a Bus Turistic (like Barcelona) or Bus Vision in Lisbon. For just 4-days (incl. arrival??) I think you should familiarize yourself with Metro Lisboa www.MetroLisboa.pt
You will definitely want to spend some time in Belém (where the Tour Buses congregate: they advertise several tourist attractions and then park at the Jeronimos Monastery for a few hours). You can also get to Oriente, site of Expo'98 by Metro.

Hi, Steve,

I have seen several different two-story buses in Lisbon with hop-on, hop-off logos on their sides, but I've never gotten on one. I did a quick google search and came up with this one: http://www.viator.com/tours/Lisbon/L...pricingoptions

But this is probably the one I saw most often while walking around, it's run by the public bus system, carris.
http://www.askmelisboa.com/en/conten...h-bus-ticket-0 (it has an 18 E price and is valid for 48 hours, which seems like a better deal than the one above)

I think the best thing to do is to ask in your hotel, unless there are people on this forum with definite opinions about which one is the best.

I'm afraid I can't advise on the Lisboa Card, but based on what other people have said on this forum, I think it will depend on how much you plan to use public transportation and which museums it's good for. Walking in Lisbon is a huge attraction, and the public transportation system is very inexpensive and very efficient, so I have always just bought a ticket, put about 10E on it, and then used it on buses, metro, and trams. As of last year, you can use the same ticket on any of the public transit options, which makes a regular card much more attractive. And I'm always surprised at how long the 10E lasts!

Laurie

Buy a Lisbon transit card,very inexpensive, and you can use all modes of transportion within the city.This is one city where I wouldn't recommend a hop on/hop offbus.Take public transit and then walk the old neighborhoods.

I like the on/off bus! Yo get a feel for the lay out of the city-sit upstairs in the sun/ fresh air,get on/off whenever you like,great photo opportunities.
When you are there for only a few days,it can be a hassle to figure out the bus/metro system.
Once you get the idea of the lay out then Lisbon is a walking city but not easy on the feet lots of hills ,uneven sidewalks!

I liked the Carris Hop-on Hop-off bus. It gave us a good overall view of the city and the narration was interesting to explain what we were seeing.

We looked into but didn't buy a Lisboa card because we found that many of the the museums we were interested in were closed on Monday.

Hop On Hop Off the only way to go for the initial look at this remarkable city..Every city we go to we try this first and then make our choices for indepth site seeing..but sites and sights.. You will get both if you try this mode of transport.. It will be cold however so be prepared..scarf, poncho,jacket, layers, whatever.. Was there last Nov. and was happy to have a long sleeve tee, sweater, scarf and windbreaker. The upper deck is the place to sit. you will love this place!!! Amer_can

We just returned from Portugal and we used the Hop-on, Hop-off "Yellow bus" in both Lisbon and Porto. Both were run by the same company, and if you turn in your tickets from the first city you get a 25% discount in the second city. The weather was nice, and we sat in the upper deck on all the rides, usually in the front. On some of the rides, we were the only travelers. The main downside in the off-season is that the trips only go hourly, so you could be in for some wait time. The tickets may also be good for Metro or bus or trolley rides, depending on the city, so be sure to ask.