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Metro, bus and tram without a pass

No monthly pass? You can still pay less than the on-board fare. Here is what each ticket costs in Lisbon, and which one to pick.

3 min read · Checked on 4 October 2026

First, the card

Tickets and zapping go on a navegante ocasional card. It costs €0.50 and you can top it up for 1 year.

You buy it and load it at the Metro's ticket machines and ticket offices, or at a Carris sales point.

  • Each person needs their own card. A card cannot be shared on the same trip
  • It holds 1 kind of ticket at a time. Use up what is on it before you load another kind
  • Keep the top-up receipt with the card. You may need it if the card stops working

After that year you need a new card. If the old one still has tickets or balance on it, ask to have them moved to the new card within 1 month.

Zapping: pay as you go

Zapping is money you load on the card. Each trip takes its fare from the balance.

A zapping trip costs €1.72, on the Metro and on Carris. On Carris it lasts 1 hour on every route of the regular network.

Each zapping trip covers 1 operator. Changing from the Metro to a bus is a new trip.

You can load €3, €5, €10, €15, €20, €25, €30, €35 or €40.

Tickets for now and then

  • Carris/Metro ticket, €1.90: as many trips as you like on Carris and the Metro for 60 minutes. You cannot enter the Metro twice in a row with it
  • 24 hours on Carris and the Metro: €7.25
  • 24 hours on Carris, the Metro and the ferry between Cais do Sodré and Cacilhas: €10.35
  • 24 hours on Carris, the Metro and CP's urban trains (the Sintra, Azambuja, Cascais and Sado lines): €11.40

The 24 hours start at your first validation.

With no card at all

At the Metro you can tap a contactless bank card at the gate, or the same card on your phone or watch. Each trip costs €1.92.

  • Visa, V PAY and Mastercard are accepted
  • Tap the same card or device when you go in and when you come out
  • 1 card or device per person

If you have a navegante card with a valid pass, keep your bank card away from the gate. A trip charged to it by mistake is not refunded.

On Carris you can pay on board. It is the most expensive way to travel:

  • Bus: €2.30 for 1 trip
  • Tram: €3.30 for 1 trip
  • Funiculars and lifts: €4.30 for up to 2 trips
  • Santa Justa lift: €6.20 for up to 2 trips

You pay the driver in cash, or at the validator with a bank card or MB WAY. The ticket is only valid on the bus or tram where you buy it.

Cash is not accepted on the articulated trams. The Graça funicular only takes bank cards and MB WAY.

When a pass is the better deal

A monthly pass costs €30 for 1 municipality, such as Lisbon, or €40 for the whole metropolitan area.

Under 24? You probably don't pay at all.

GuideFree public transport until you turn 24

Sources

Checked on 4 October 2026 against the official pages above.

Rules change. The official page is the one that counts.

Something out of date? Write to sakaloz.hello@gmail.com

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