Up&down in Lisbon

Lisbon is a hilly city and some of its most interesting attractions are located exactly on the hills or on the slope of the hills. It can be a real challenge to walk from one hill to another but to facilitate there are several trams, like the well-known tram 28, funiculars and lifts, for example the famous Santa Justa lift, built by the architect Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard inaugurated and in 1902. The Glória funicular from 1885 is another very well-known mean of transport taking passengers from the bottom of Avenida da Liberdade to Bairro Alto area, known for its many restaurants, bars and night-life.

Less know are the Bica and Lavra funiculars. Lavra is the oldest of them all and opened in 1884. It operates from Anunciada Square climbing to the Câmara Pestana Street. Probably you don´t know where the Anunciada square is located, because most people don´t, but look for one of the best restaurants in town, Solar dos Presuntos and the funicular is right beside. This funicular is mostly used by locals since there is no major tourist sight in the area of arrival. But if you want to enjoy the ride and appreciate the lift we recommend Lavra exactly because it is less crowded and easier to board and eventually easy to arrange a seat. Close to the arrival point of Lavra there is a small garden, Jardim do Torel with a view-point towards the north of the city center.

For those interested in the technical part, the Lavra traction system consisted originally of a rack rail and cable, powered by a water counterweight system and later it evolved to steam power. In 1915 it was electrified and the engine today is still General Electric Co.

Finally we have the Bica funicular leaving from Rua de São Paulo and arriving at Calhariz square, also near Bairro Alto and not far from Chiado. This funicular has become more popular lately due to the requalification of the Cais do Sodré area and the “new nighlife area” of the “Pink Street”/ São Paulo/ Cais do Sodré.

Equal for all the 3 funiculars is that they operate in pair, one ascending the other descending. A cable links the two cars together so that they ascend and descend simultaneously, each car acting as a counterweight for the other one.

In 2002 Santa Justa, Glória, Bica and Lavra were classified as National Monuments.

No need to say that once you arrive at the top of any funicular/lift you will be recompensed with some kind of nice or amazing view. Enjoy!