Lisbon’s Funiculars
The “lifts or elevators” in Lisbon are basically funiculars that help locals and tourist climb the steep and long slopes that are so characteristic in Lisbon a comfortable and convenient way.
Lisbon's lifts are funiculars that are used to climb the long and sloping hills in the Portuguese capital.
The capital of Portugal has three funiculars, all of which were designed by the Portuguese engineer Raoul Mesnier de Ponsard. He is also responsible for the design of the Santa Justa Lift.
The three lifts are called: Elevador do Lavra, Elevador da Glória, and Elevador da Bica. The price of a ticket to the Lisbon lifts is the same for each of them. When bought on board it costs € 3.10 (US$ 3.26), however, with the 7 Colinas card it costs € 1.45 (US$ 1.52).
Elevador do Lavra
The Lavra Lift was inaugurated in 1884 and is the city’s oldest cable car. It connects the streets Câmara Pestana and Largo da Anunciada, which runs perpendicular to Avenida da Liberdade.
Elevador da Glória
The best-known and most popular of the three cable cars is the Elevador da Glória. It connects Restauradores Square with Rua San Pedro de Alcántara in Bairro Alto.
At the top part of the Funicular, in Bairro Alto, you’ll enjoy some magnificent views over Lisbon from the San Pedro de Alcántara viewpoint. This is the best viewpoint in the city in our opinion.
The Elevador da Glória was opened to the public on October 24th, 1885.
Elevador da Bica
The Bica Funicular runs through Rua da Bica de Duarte Belo to get to the Bairro Alto, connecting Rua de São Paulo with Calçada do Combro. It is the second most popular funicular along with Elevador da Glória.
The Elevador da Bica was inaugurated on June 28th, 1892, seven years after the Glória Funicular.
