We did the math for every trip duration. Here's the honest answer.
The Lisboa Card promises free attractions, unlimited transport, and skip-the-line access. But is it actually worth €31–62? The honest answer: it depends entirely on your itinerary. We did the math for every duration.
| Duration | Adult | Child (4–15) |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hours | €31 | €21 |
| 48 hours | €51 | €33 |
| 72 hours | €62 | €40 |
The card activates when you first use it (not when you buy it). Buy online before your trip to save a few euros and skip the queue at the tourist office. Children under 4 are free.
Purchase locations: online at lisboacard.org, Ask Me Lisboa offices (Praça do Comércio, airport arrivals, Santa Apolónia station), or at the Lisbon airport tourist desk.
Key inclusions with their normal ticket prices:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Castelo de São Jorge | €15.00 |
| Jerónimos Monastery | €18.00 |
| 24hr transport (metro + tram) | €7.25 |
| Total without card | €40.25 |
| 24-hour Lisboa Card | €31.00 |
| Savings | €9.25 |
Worth it for 1 day. You save €9.25 — enough for a couple of pastéis de nata and a coffee. The card makes sense on a 1-day visit if you're visiting the castle, Jerónimos, and using public transport. For slower visits with fewer paid attractions, individual tickets may still be fine.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Castelo de São Jorge | €15.00 |
| Jerónimos Monastery | €18.00 |
| National Tile Museum | €10.00 |
| MAAT | €11.00 |
| Padrão dos Descobrimentos | €10.00 |
| Sintra train (return) | ~€5.00 |
| 3 days transport (€7.25 × 3) | €21.75 |
| Total without card | €90.75 |
| 72-hour Lisboa Card | €62.00 |
| Savings | €28.75 |
Solid value. You save €28.75 — that's a nice dinner at a Bairro Alto restaurant. The 72-hour card is the sweet spot for most first-time visitors doing a proper sightseeing itinerary. If you're visiting 4+ paid attractions and using transit daily, the card pays for itself by lunchtime on day two.
Activate your 72-hour card early on day one. Visit your most expensive attractions first (Castelo, MAAT, Jerónimos) to lock in the biggest savings quickly.
Check the attractions and transport you plan to use. The calculator compares your total against the 72-hour Lisboa Card (€62).
If you prefer lingering at cafés and strolling through neighborhoods over ticking off sights, you won't visit enough paid attractions to break even.
Many Lisbon museums offer 50% off or free entry for EU students under 26 and seniors over 65. If you already qualify for these discounts, the card's value drops significantly.
If your Lisbon trip revolves around food tours, markets, and restaurant hopping rather than museums and monuments, the Lisboa Card offers almost no benefit.
Lisbon has incredible free things to do: miradouros (viewpoints), Alfama's streets, LX Factory, street art in Mouraria, and Sunday mornings at the Feira da Ladra flea market. If that's your vibe, skip the card entirely.
The Lisboa Card is marketed as a “skip-the-line” pass, but the reality is more nuanced. At most smaller museums (Tile Museum, Coach Museum, Pilar 7), there's rarely a queue anyway. At the truly popular sites, here's what to expect:
The Lisboa Card does NOT let you skip the line at Jerónimos Monastery — Lisbon's single busiest attraction. Arrive before 10am or after 4pm to avoid the worst queues. Alternatively, buy a combo ticket for Jerónimos + Torre de Belém online, which does have a separate entrance.
For first-time visitors doing 3 days with a sightseeing focus: get the 72-hour Lisboa Card. You'll save €30–40, skip queues at Castelo and Torre de Belém, and the unlimited transport alone is worth €20+. Activate it early on day one and front-load your biggest paid attractions.
For everyone else — repeat visitors, slow travelers, food-focused trips, or stays longer than 3 days — skip the Lisboa Card. Get a Navegante card with Zapping credit for transport, and buy individual attraction tickets for the 2–3 museums you actually want to see. You'll come out ahead.
Add your attractions and it does the math automatically.
Calculate My Savings →You can buy the Lisboa Card online at the official website (lisboacard.org) or in person at Ask Me Lisboa tourist offices. The most central office is in Praça do Comércio. Buying online is slightly cheaper and lets you skip the queue at the office.
Yes. The Lisboa Card includes unlimited rides on all Carris trams, including the famous Tram 28. Just tap your card when boarding. Note that Tram 28 gets extremely crowded — board at Martim Moniz (the start of the line) for the best chance of a seat.
The Lisboa Card covers the CP train from Lisbon to Sintra and back (a €5 saving), but it does NOT include entrance to Sintra’s palaces (Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, etc.). You’ll need separate tickets for those.
No. The Lisboa Card is strictly personal and non-transferable. It’s activated the first time you use it (at an attraction or on transport), and the countdown begins from that moment. Each person needs their own card.