Tram 28 vs the tuk-tuks: two tourist icons, one honest verdict

Two of the most photographed things in Lisbon are an antique tram and a three-wheeled electric vehicle. One has been running since 1930. The other appeared around 2012 and has multiplied at an extraordinary rate. Both have been accused of ruining the city. Both are more interesting than their detractors suggest.

Here is the actual comparison.

Tram 28 cost	€1.80/ride with Viva Viagem, free with Lisboa Card
Tuk-tuk cost	€15-25/person, or €50-80 for a private tour of two
Time needed	Tram: 45-50 min end to end. Tuk-tuk: 45 min-1.5hr
Best time	Tram: before 8:00 or after 20:00 to avoid crowds
Getting there	Tram 28 boards at Martim Moniz; tuk-tuks pick up from central squares

Tram 28: what you’re paying and what you’re getting

Tram 28 is Lisbon’s most famous public transport route. It runs from Martim Moniz through the historic centre, up through Alfama, past the Sé (cathedral) and São Jorge Castle area, across the Baixa, up to Chiado and Bairro Alto, and terminates in Campo de Ourique. The journey takes approximately 45-50 minutes end to end.

Price: €1.80 per single journey with a Viva Viagem card (you need to buy the card for €0.50 at any metro station, then load credit). Without a card, the driver charges €2.90. With the Lisboa Card, it’s included.

The honest experience: Between 10:00 and 17:00 on any day from April through October, tram 28 is a sardine tin. Passengers stand shoulder-to-shoulder. The windows are mostly fogged by human proximity. Pickpockets work the route systematically (the tram 28 safety guide covers this). You see Alfama and the hills, but through the window of a very crowded tram, standing, hot, holding your bag.

When it works: At 6:30 in the morning, or in winter, or on a rainy Tuesday in November. Then you get a seat, you see the route properly, the antique car groans around corners in a genuinely satisfying way, and the €1.80 feels like the best deal in Lisbon.

The tram 28 guide covers the timing strategy in full.

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Tuk-tuks: what you’re paying and what you’re getting

Lisbon’s tuk-tuks are electric three-wheelers — a specific brand called Twizy is common — operated by private tour companies. They’re not traditional Asian tuk-tuks; they’re a Lisbon-specific adaptation of the concept for tourist city tours.

Price: €15-25 per person for a 45-minute to 1.5-hour tour, depending on route and group size. Private tours for two (the minimum) cost €50-80 typically. These are not cheap.

What you get: A guide who explains what you’re passing. An open vehicle that gives you actual views rather than window-glass views. The ability to stop at viewpoints for photographs. A more curated route that hits the miradouros efficiently.

The honest experience: More comfortable, more informative, significantly more expensive. The tuk-tuks stop at Miradouro da Graça, Miradouro de Santa Luzia, Portas do Sol — the viewpoints that tram 28 passes but doesn’t stop at. If you want the views with context, the tuk-tuk delivers this.

The quality varies considerably by operator. The larger companies with orange or yellow branded vehicles have well-trained guides. Some of the individual operators working tourist zones are less reliable.

Private city tour by eco tuk-tuk — recommended for couples or small groups who want flexibility

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A third option: walking

It’s worth naming the option that costs nothing and beats both on flexibility: walking the same ground yourself. Alfama’s miradouros — Portas do Sol, Santa Luzia, Graça — are all within a 20-30 minute walk of each other, uphill but manageable at a slow pace with stops. You lose the novelty of the tram and the guided commentary of the tuk-tuk, but you gain complete control over timing and zero cost beyond your shoes. The walking tours guide covers both self-guided routes and paid guided walks if you want context without the vehicle. For a broader sense of why both the tram and the tuk-tuk have their critics, the Lisbon tourist traps guide covers where the city’s tourist infrastructure genuinely overcharges versus where it’s simply crowded.

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The actual comparison

Factor	Tram 28	Tuk-tuk
Price	€1.80	€15-25/person
Crowds	Extreme in season	Manageable (own vehicle)
Views	Limited (windows, standing)	Open, stops at viewpoints
Guide / commentary	None	Yes (variable quality)
Authenticity	High (working public transport)	Low-medium (tourist product)
Control over pace	None	Some flexibility
Pickpocket risk	High	Very low

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Who wins

This depends entirely on what you want.

If you want to ride tram 28 because it’s iconic and you want the experience of being on a 1930s tram in a historic city for the price of a coffee, go at 7:00 in the morning or at 21:00 at night. You’ll get something genuine.

If you want to see the best viewpoints of Alfama and the historic neighbourhoods with commentary and photo stops and without fighting a crowd for a place near the window, take a tuk-tuk. Expect to pay for it.

If you’re comparing them as tourist transport for covering the same ground, tuk-tuks are objectively more comfortable and more informative. Tram 28 is more authentic if you catch it at the right moment and more miserable if you don’t.

The Tram 28 guided walking and tram combination tour gets the best of both — tram ride plus walking guide who explains what you’re seeing

My honest recommendation: ride tram 28 once, at the right time, for the experience of the tram itself. If you also want the miradouro tour, do it separately — on foot (free) or by tuk-tuk.

The city tours guide covers the full range of options: hop-on hop-off, walking tours, bike tours, and everything in between. For getting around Lisbon practically (as opposed to touristically), the getting around Lisbon guide is the one to read. And the dedicated tram 28 vs tuk-tuk comparison covers the same ground with a slightly different framing if you want a second opinion.