Country Article / Postcards

See Lisbon for $1.25

Date: 12/01/2004

Dear International Living Reader,

Last Saturday, we rode the Santa Justa elevator in the heart of Lisbon's downtown for a fantastic view of the old city. But it's not just the view that makes this elevator special; it's probably the oldest of its type in the world.

Designed by Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard, a student of Gustav Eiffel, and inaugurated in 1902, the elevator has been transporting goods and people from Lisbon's Baixa district up to Chiado and the Bairro Alto districts on top of the hill ever since. Made entirely of cast iron (look for the words "Glasgow Steel" on the girders near the base) and decorated in a neo-gothic style, the elevator stands like a monument in the narrow street of Santa Justa, perpendicular to the three streets that run from Rossio square to Praça do Comercio by the river.

The ride to the top costs $1.25; it's another $1.25 to go back down again--or you can descend through the shopping streets of Chiado.

In fact, any ride on a bus, tram, funicular, or the Elevador Santa Justa will cost you $1.25. That's the fare charged by Carris, the main transport company in Lisbon, the one with the yellow buses and antique trams.

At the Carris Kiosk in Praça da Figueira (the square next to Rossio), you can buy a one-day pass for $3, or a three-day pass for $7.20. Both allow you unlimited rides on the Carris public transport network of trams and buses. Remember to stamp the ticket in the machine at the entrance to the bus or tram the first time you use it. That way the ticket inspector will be able to see when your ticket was first used, and you won't get a fine for not stamping. They do check, and they do fine.

You can also get a one-day combined Carris and metro pass for $3.50...or a seven-day tourist pass for $18.

Alan Phillips
For International Living