Tram 28 guide — route, stops, timing, and the pickpocket reality

The real tram 28

Lisbon’s tram 28 is a wood-and-metal relic from the 1930s that somehow survived both the 1974 revolution and several decades of municipal budget decisions. It runs on 9.7 kilometres of narrow-gauge track through some of the steepest and most atmospheric streets in the old city. It has become, involuntarily, one of the most photographed transport experiences in Europe.

The tram genuinely earns its reputation in the early morning or evening. Riding through the Alfama at 7am as the streets are being cleaned and the first café shutters roll up, with the yellow car picking through impossibly narrow alleyways and the Tagus visible between buildings — this is one of the better five euros you can spend in Lisbon.

The same experience at 2pm on a Saturday in July involves standing on a tram so full you cannot see out the window, holding a stranger’s elbow in your face, watching three people check their back pockets nervously after the stop at Portas do Sol. Both are real.

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The full route: stop by stop

Tram 28 runs between two terminal points that function as natural boarding opportunities. All other stops along the route are served by the moving tram — you flag it down or board from the platform.

East terminus: Martim Moniz

Martim Moniz is a large square at the edge of Mouraria (the old Moorish quarter, now a lively multicultural neighbourhood). The tram starts here, which means at Martim Moniz there are seats available. This is always the best place to board — you get a seat, you can see the route from the start, and you board efficiently rather than squeezing onto a moving vehicle.

The square itself is worth a look: a market operates here on weekends, and Rua da Mouraria leads down into the neighbourhood that produced some of fado’s most important figures. The Graça and Mouraria guide has more detail.

Graça

The tram climbs steeply from Martim Moniz through the Mouraria and up to Graça, one of the highest and most local of Lisbon’s historic neighbourhoods. The miradouro (viewpoint) at Graça is a 5-minute walk from the tram stop and provides the best panorama of Alfama and the Tagus — read the best Lisbon viewpoints guide.

Alfama (São Tomé, Portas do Sol)

The tram descends into the core of Alfama, the oldest neighbourhood in Lisbon. The streets here narrow to the point where the tram takes up most of the available space. The Portas do Sol stop is the busiest tourist boarding point — everyone wanting to see the iconic viewpoint boards here, and everyone wanting a photograph of the tram has congregated here.

This section between Graça and Portas do Sol is where the tram slows most and where pickpockets are most active. The combination of stopping, shuffling, and distracted tourists looking out the windows creates ideal conditions. Keep your bag in front of you from Graça onwards.

The Sé cathedral is visible from the tram as it turns into the lower Alfama — one of those moments where the route pays for itself.

Baixa and Chiado (Largo Camões)

The tram levels out as it crosses through Baixa (the flat, Pombaline downtown district) and then climbs again into Chiado at Largo Camões. This is the literary and café district of Lisbon — Largo Camões is named for the 16th-century poet, and Café A Brasileira is two minutes’ walk from the tram stop.

Many passengers board and exit here.

Bairro Alto and Estrela

The tram continues west through the Bairro Alto, then past the Jardim da Estrela (a beautiful public garden with duck ponds and a café) to the Estrela Basilica (a baroque church with a dome that can be climbed for city views).

West terminus: Campo Ourique

Campo Ourique is a residential neighbourhood with a good covered market (Mercado de Campo Ourique, worth visiting for food-hall breakfast) and the end of the line. From here the tram turns around and heads east again.

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How to board and pay

Viva Viagem card: Buy one at any metro station for €0.50 (refundable at the end of your trip). Load credit or a daily pass. Tap the reader when boarding. Single tram ride: €1.60. This is always cheaper than cash.

Cash on board: Possible but costs €3.00 per single journey — nearly double the card price. The driver makes change but it slows boarding.

Lisboa Card: Tap and go. Includes unlimited Carris tram travel. Calculate whether the Lisboa Card is worthwhile at Lisboa Card calculator.

Boarding at non-terminus stops: Wait at the marked tram stop (small yellow sign, sometimes with a shelter). The tram will stop but will not wait long. Have your Viva Viagem ready and board from the rear doors (or front, near the driver). In summer, if the tram is full, step back and wait for the next one — they run every 8-12 minutes in peak hours.

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The pickpocket reality

Tram 28 appears in the Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP) annual report on pickpocketing locations. This is not sensationalism — it is a verified concentration of petty theft. Understanding where and how it happens is more useful than either dismissing it or being paralysed by it.

When it happens: In dense crowds at stops, particularly at Portas do Sol (Alfama) and Largo Camões (Chiado). The moment of maximum risk is when the tram stops and people move around — the physical jostle provides cover.

What is taken: Phones from back pockets, wallets from rear trouser pockets, items from open or loosely closed bags. Cameras worn around the neck are rarely targeted (hard to remove quickly) but cameras held in hand can be snatched.

What works: Front trouser pockets for phones and cards. Zipped inner pockets in jackets. Small cross-body bags worn in front (or at the side, clearly visible). Do not carry more than you need for the day’s activities.

The alternative: Tram 12E runs through the Mouraria and lower Alfama and is far less tourist-saturated. It does not go all the way to Chiado or Campo Ourique but for the Alfama section specifically, tram 12E is a more comfortable ride.

There is a longer guide at tram 28 pickpockets if this is a concern.

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Guided experiences on the tram 28 route

If the functional tram feels too crowded or uncertain, several operators offer structured experiences along the tram 28 corridor:

Lisbon tram 28 ride and walking tour

This combines the tram ride with a guided walk through Alfama — the guide handles boarding, explains what you are passing, and takes you off the tram for the most interesting street sections. For first-time visitors who find self-navigation stressful, this is a reasonable middle ground.

Tuk-tuk tours also follow much of the tram 28 route through Alfama and Graça, with the advantage of going through streets the tram cannot reach. See the tuk-tuk tours guide for comparison.

Walking tour with historic tram 28 ride and food tastings

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Practical logistics

Operating hours: Tram 28 runs from approximately 6am to 9pm (slightly earlier last service on some days). Check the Carris website or the Moovit app for live timing.

Frequency: Every 8-15 minutes in peak hours, every 12-20 minutes in evenings and weekends.

Seating: 24 seats per tram. Standing is permitted and happens in the gangway and on the rear platform. The rear platform is open-air (no window) which makes it better for photographs but colder in winter.

Alternative 12E: Runs Martim Moniz to Alfama, a subset of the 28 route, on the same track through the most atmospheric section. Less crowded, shorter journey.

Summer tip: July and August are the hardest months. The tram reaches capacity quickly on sunny days. Go early morning (6-9am) or evening (after 8pm) for the most comfortable experience and the best light for photographs.

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What to do along the route

The route connects several full-day destinations:

• Martim Moniz/Mouraria: See the Graça and Mouraria guide
• Graça viewpoint: One of the best panoramas in Lisbon — best viewpoints guide
• Alfama district: The oldest neighbourhood, fado bars, castle above — Alfama guide
• São Jorge Castle: Above the tram route at the Alfama stop — São Jorge Castle guide
• Chiado: Cafés, bookshops, the FNAC, galleries — Baixa-Chiado guide
• Estrela Basilica and garden: Western end, worth a half-hour

A Lisbon itinerary using tram 28 as the spine of a day is one of the most natural ways to organise the historic centre.

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The history of tram 28

Tram 28 is operated using Remodelado-type cars, a class of trams built between 1929 and 1937 for the Lisbon tramway network. The cars were originally manufactured with open wooden frames and were progressively modernised over the following decades. The current yellow livery — now synonymous with Lisbon — was standardised in the 1950s.

At the peak of the Lisbon tramway network (around 1900-1930), the city had over 250km of track and more than 600 tram cars serving a population of 350,000. The network gradually contracted through the mid-20th century as buses and the metro took over. By the 1990s, only five tram lines remained: 12E, 15E, 18E, 25E, and 28E. The 15E runs from Praça da Figueira to Algés (a modern tram serving Belém), while the historic Remodelado cars now operate only on lines 12E and 28E.

The heritage value is real rather than manufactured. These are not replica trams built for tourism — they are working vehicles maintained by Carris as operational public transport. The wood panelling, the rotating seats, the mechanical bell that the driver rings at stops, and the characteristic screech of steel wheels on steep-curve track are original features, not reconstructions.

Photographic note: The most-photographed angle is from above on the Rua da Conceição or from street level on the Calçada de Santo André with the Alfama roofscape behind. The yellow of the tram in morning light against white-rendered buildings is what fills half the Lisbon postcards. If photography is part of your agenda, the tram moving uphill through the Alfama is best captured at 7-8am before the street fills with pedestrians.

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How tram 28 compares to other tram lines

Tram 12E: A shorter version of the tram 28 route, running between Martim Moniz and Alfama (Rua do Salvador). Uses the same Remodelado cars on the same track section through Mouraria and lower Alfama. Less used by tourists and therefore less crowded — the better option if your destination is specifically the Alfama section and you do not need to continue to Chiado or Campo Ourique.

Tram 15E: The modern tram to Belém. Uses Bombardier Flexity Outlook cars — air-conditioned, articulated, low-floor, accessible. Connects Praça da Figueira and Cais do Sodré to Belém and Algés. Practical and comfortable. Not photogenic.

Tram 18E: Runs from Cais do Sodré through the Lapa neighbourhood to Prazeres. Useful for reaching the Estrela Basilica and Campo de Ourique from the riverside, with less traffic than the 28 route. Also uses Remodelado cars but very few tourists use it.

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Tourist tram experiences built around tram 28

The tram 28 route has generated a secondary industry of guided experiences that use either the functional tram or tuk-tuks following the same corridor:

Tram and walking combinations: These tours board the tram at a specified point, ride one section of the route, disembark at a scenic or historic point, and then continue on foot through streets the tram cannot access. The guide provides context that the recorded audio guide on the hop-on hop-off bus cannot. These work well for visitors who want structure and interpretation alongside the tram experience.

Tuk-tuk on the tram 28 corridor: Several tuk-tuk operators specifically follow the tram 28 route through Alfama and Graça but diverge into side streets the tram cannot reach. The tuk-tuk can take you into the narrowest Alfama alleys (Beco da Corvina, Travessa de Santa Luzia) that have no vehicle access except for tuk-tuks. This is the most immersive version of the tram 28 neighbourhood experience, albeit more expensive.

Guided walks using tram 28 stops as waypoints: The cheapest version — a guide who knows the route walks the neighbourhood with you, points out what to look for between tram 28 stops, and covers the same geography without the tram vehicle. The tram itself is a photo opportunity, not a required transport element for understanding Alfama.

See also: getting around Lisbon, Viva Viagem card guide, tuk-tuk tours, honest Lisbon tourist traps.