Tram 28 Lisbon: where to board, what to pay and where to hop off for Alfama

Tram 28 is Lisbon's small yellow tram through the historic quarters, climbing from Martim Moniz through Graça and Alfama, past the cathedral and across the Baixa to Chiado, Estrela and Campo de Ourique. Board it early at Martim Moniz, the first stop, buy a ticket that lets you hop off and on, and give Alfama the rest of the day on foot. Alfama and Tram 28 make one of the suggested days on A Taste of Lisbon, the Spice Escapes break for people travelling on their own, hosted by Pam Harte from a hotel a short walk from the tram.

To ride it with a small group and a host, see the dates and book online on the A Taste of Lisbon page: 15 Apr 2027 – 18 Apr 2027.

The route: up from Martim Moniz, through Alfama, out to Prazeres

Carris, the city's tram and bus company, runs the line as the 28E, with more than thirty stops. The Alfama stretch comes early: Graça, then Largo das Portas do Sol, the Miradouro de Santa Luzia and the Sé, before the tram crosses the Baixa and climbs to Chiado and Estrela.

Take a window seat if you can, open it, and let the azulejo-covered buildings go by as the tram winds between hills, miradouros and squares.

When to ride Tram 28: early, and from the first stop

The trams are small, which is why the first stop matters: at Martim Moniz, every tram starts its run empty.

Go straight after breakfast. Carris's timetable has the first tram before seven and one about every ten minutes through the middle of the day, so if the queue looks long, the next tram is rarely far behind.

Paying for Tram 28: an on-board ticket ends when you step off

You can pay the crew member in cash or tap a bank card on the validator. Carris lists that single at €3.30, valid only on that tram until you get off.

For a day of hopping off at viewpoints, the 24-hour Carris and Metro ticket at €7.25 costs less than three on-board singles. The Lisboa Card also gives free travel on Carris trams and the Metro. Validate your ticket at the machine as you board.

An Alfama day from the tram: Graça, Santa Luzia, the castle and the Sé

Visit Lisboa calls Alfama the oldest and most traditional neighbourhood in Lisbon. Use the tram for the climb and your feet for the lanes:

• Graça: the Miradouro da Graça, with a café in the shade of the church and its pine trees, on the hill next to the castle.
• Santa Luzia: a garden, a pond and tile panels showing Praça do Comércio before the earthquake, with trams ringing their bells as they pass.
• Castelo de São Jorge: built in the mid-11th century, with eleven towers and ramparts you can walk. It is free with the Lisboa Card.
• The Sé: the cathedral, dating from 1147, with its treasury and the Roman ruins that came before it.
• After dark: stay for dinner. Alfama is full of restaurants and fado houses.

A Taste of Lisbon: a hosted break a short walk from the tram

A Taste of Lisbon is 3 nights from £639. Home is My Story Hotel Tejo in downtown Lisbon, beside Figueira Square, with views of São Jorge Castle and Tram 28 a short walk away.

The days are suggestions, not a timetable: Alfama, Tram 28, Rossio Square and the Elevador de Santa Justa one day, Belém and pastéis de nata the next, and every evening yours. Airport transfers are not included, because the metro is the quickest way in and there is a stop very close to the hotel.

Most people on a Spice holiday book on their own. Groups are around fifteen people, and some reach twenty, so there is someone to ride the 28 with and company at dinner when you want it. A room to yourself carries a supplement, explained on our single supplement page.

New to booking on your own? Read our guide for first-time solo travellers, or see solo holidays for the over 50s, city breaks and holidays in Portugal.

Cannot make that week? Seville or Kraków, also hosted

Surprising Seville is 4 nights, 4 Mar 2027 – 8 Mar 2027, from £549, hosted by Jackie Whyte. A 48-hour hop-on hop-off bus ticket is included, and the hotel is minutes from the cathedral.

Kraków Discovery is 4 nights, 26 May 2027 – 30 May 2027, from £589, hosted by Jackie Whyte, from a hotel a few steps from Main Market Square.

Questions people ask

Where does Tram 28 start and finish?

Carris runs it between Martim Moniz and Prazeres, the end stop in Campo de Ourique. Start at Martim Moniz and the Alfama stretch comes in the first half of the ride.

How do I pay for Tram 28?

Pay the crew member in cash or tap a bank card on board, but that ticket ends when you step off. A 24-hour Carris and Metro ticket or the Lisboa Card lets you hop off and on again.

What is the best time to ride Tram 28?

Early in the morning, from Martim Moniz, the first stop, where every tram starts its run empty. Through the middle of the day another comes about every ten minutes.

Which Tram 28 stops are in Alfama?

Largo das Portas do Sol, the Miradouro de Santa Luzia and the Sé are the stops Visit Lisboa's Alfama guide takes in. Get off at Portas do Sol and walk the lanes from there.

See the dates and book A Taste of Lisbon online

See the dates and book online on the A Taste of Lisbon page, where the live price sits beside the Book button. Places now: 7 places left.

For a question before booking, ask Pam Harte, the host, through our contact page, or ask Rosie, the chat on the holiday page.