Bica Funicular
Bica Funicular
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Bairro Alto, Bica & Cais do Sodré
Enjoy a cocktail, discover a jazz club, hit the dance floor or simply grab a beer and catch up with your friends in the street: Bairro Alto, Bica and Cais do Sodré are the core of it all. Amazing rooftops, restaurants, cafes, bars, art galleries, museums and theaters abound. Start off by admiring the river from the Santa Catarina belvedere, have a cocktail at PARK's rooftop bar, try a typical Portuguese steak, or the fresh grilled fish, at Príncipe do Calhariz, and later explore the dozens of streets full of bars and clubs! Whether you're visiting for a day or a whole week, make sure you visit Bairro Alto and its surroundings.
How to get there
- Cais do Sodré • 6 min walk
- Baixa/Chiado • 8 min walk
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Restaurants
5,081 within 3 miles
Attractions
1,000 within 6 miles
See what travelers are saying
- simpsonite64Northampton, United Kingdom698 contributionsInterestingDepends what you want from it. Unless you're lucky, you'll be crammed in an old, uncomfortable cabin with wooden benches as you bounce around to the top of the hill. But it's much easier than walking, there's an absolute charm to it, and you can get some stunning pictures on the way up. It's cheap, but it doesn't seem to run to schedule and the lack of information available means queues can often build up quite quickly without any indication of whether it will be a 5 or a 50 minute wait.Visited September 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten October 21, 2023
- Thomas VOakland, California17,748 contributionsBack in Service!It was nice to see that this charming little train is back in operation. People line up down below for the short ride up the hill to Chiado. People gather at the top of the hill to take photos. Along the way is a charming crowded steep neighborhood.Visited October 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten November 20, 2023
- Melanie TNew York City, New York6,979 contributionsTram was not running on a Saturday afternoonConveniently located about a 7 minute walk from Time Out Market, Elevador Da Bica is a good spot to walk off all the food you ate. If you do plan to go to the market, I'd recommend combining the two in one trip since the elevador is not that close to the city centre. The yellow funicular is the most popular one in Lisbon because of the steep hills. Unfortunately, it wasn't running when we came by on a Saturday at around 2:30. Maybe it only runs on weekdays? Regardless of that fact, it's a cool place for some photo ops. This is where you see all of those Lisbon shots on Instagram. We didn't walk up the entire hill but it was a sight to see. We didn't have time to come back another day to see if the tram was running since our time in Lisbon was limited, but if this is a must-see for you, just be sure to budget enough time on your trip. You never know when it may be randomly closed.Visited December 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten January 19, 2024
- Lilac G362 contributionsSmall, traditional funicular.It is one of the details that one shouldn't miss when visiting Lisbon. It is not a must, but if you have time and patience plus a little luck you'll enjoy the ride. The funicular is small, wooden, old, and crowded. Some years ago, during my first visit in Lisbon I used it in the morning and had no problem. It was not crowded, it left frequently, and I do not recall any complaints from passengers. But last time I wanted to use it at night. While aproaching I saw a long queue waiting, I let all the tourists board the car ready to leave, and waited for the next. It arrived quickly so I had a seat; we waited 20 minutes until it left, and until that time it was full with people who protested, but it seems there is a timetable somewhere, which nobody could see until they boarded and paid the ticket. Certainly you can use your travelcard. The conductor was polite, the ride was short, unfortunately it was a bad idea to use it at night, but the fact is I wanted to see the neighborhood uphill, which is a nightlife spot.Visited October 2023Traveled soloWritten May 4, 2024
- Kim LVejle, Denmark131 contributionsOk but shortWe took the trip from the bottom of the hill. Beautiful old building it stay in, where it can be locked up for the night. While we were waiting for the driver to finish his break, it was fun to see all the people that were going up and down the trail. You can really see how steep it is. Nice trip going up with the old tram.Visited May 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten May 15, 2024
- Allison25 contributionsHot hot hot waiting for a very short rideWe wanted to try at least one of these while visiting Lisbon. This one is on a charming hill and picturesque but I didn’t want to ride anymore after this trip. We got excited when we loaded it, but that didn’t mean that the driver was ready to go, there seemed to be a timetable he was supposed to follow even with a full load. He was checking his phone and waiting while we sat in this miserably hot little greenhouse waiting for it to be time to go. I don’t understand why these need to follow such a timetable like a bus with the track so short and the thing was full. I was literally dripping sweat after this ride, very unpleasant! If you do want to try it, make sure you have a tourist card or zapping card, it’s the difference between 1.7euro and 4.1euro for the tripVisited June 2024Traveled with familyWritten June 24, 2024
- Lesley H18 contributionsFamous Lisbon funicular tram!A great little funicular tram, that got me up the hill to my hotel a number of tmes. Took lots of photos, it is a novelty in these days and amazing that it is still running so well! Quite expensive as have to buy a return ticket but included on the Carris day pass along with buses, trams and Metro! Lots of people just take photos but dont ride!Visited August 2024Traveled soloWritten September 4, 2024
- Gemma D191 contributionsDing ding!Everyone has to ride at least one funicular while in Lisbon, and Bica is a great choice. It's got the classic views and runs regularly from about 7am to 9pm. It is expensive to pay cash on board - better to have a Navegante card with zapping credit or a day-pass.Visited September 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten September 6, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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simpsonite64
Northampton, UK698 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Depends what you want from it. Unless you're lucky, you'll be crammed in an old, uncomfortable cabin with wooden benches as you bounce around to the top of the hill.
But it's much easier than walking, there's an absolute charm to it, and you can get some stunning pictures on the way up.
It's cheap, but it doesn't seem to run to schedule and the lack of information available means queues can often build up quite quickly without any indication of whether it will be a 5 or a 50 minute wait.
But it's much easier than walking, there's an absolute charm to it, and you can get some stunning pictures on the way up.
It's cheap, but it doesn't seem to run to schedule and the lack of information available means queues can often build up quite quickly without any indication of whether it will be a 5 or a 50 minute wait.
Written October 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Raphaèle A
France3 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
I am appalled when reading the comments which present this funicular as an attraction. It was the tourists who made it an attraction. It is part of the city's public transport network and the price is included in the metro/bus ticket. It is intended to allow people to avoid long climbs on foot (many in Lisbon) to move from one point to another. It's not a ride or Euro Disney. For my part, I appreciated this historic means of transport, taken in the morning. We were only a few people. The climb is slow but allows you to enjoy the view of neighborhood life and old buildings. It's still totally unusual to almost level the houses and climb such a slope. The wooden interior is very pretty, it's true that the tags are unfortunate. They are perhaps due to the annoyance of residents who can no longer use it because it is so crowded with tourists, like tram 28 in fact.
Written November 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Melanie T
New York City, NY6,979 contributions
Dec 2023 • Couples
Conveniently located about a 7 minute walk from Time Out Market, Elevador Da Bica is a good spot to walk off all the food you ate. If you do plan to go to the market, I'd recommend combining the two in one trip since the elevador is not that close to the city centre. The yellow funicular is the most popular one in Lisbon because of the steep hills. Unfortunately, it wasn't running when we came by on a Saturday at around 2:30. Maybe it only runs on weekdays? Regardless of that fact, it's a cool place for some photo ops. This is where you see all of those Lisbon shots on Instagram. We didn't walk up the entire hill but it was a sight to see. We didn't have time to come back another day to see if the tram was running since our time in Lisbon was limited, but if this is a must-see for you, just be sure to budget enough time on your trip. You never know when it may be randomly closed.
Written January 19, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
babajamal
Singlewell, UK508 contributions
Nov 2022 • Solo
Squeezed into the drivers cabin and up we went. Nothing to write home about, I found the Gloria funicular more interesting! If you have nothing to do , it’s part of the Lisbon experience I guess!
Mechanical failure meant we were stuck in this tiny space for about 8 minutes.
It’s €3.80 each way, but free for Me as I had the Lisbon card.
Mechanical failure meant we were stuck in this tiny space for about 8 minutes.
It’s €3.80 each way, but free for Me as I had the Lisbon card.
Written November 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sunraytjes
Rotterdam, The Netherlands369 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Buy a day ticket for approximately Eur 6.50 and the price of this tram is Eur 3.80. Long line, but if you don't want to climb then just wait. Unfortunately you have no idea how long the wait will be and the tram is stuffed like herrings in a barrel. Taking photos is then almost impossible. Well, once you get out the top. If you do not have a public transport card, only cash tickets can be purchased.
Written September 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Allison
25 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
We wanted to try at least one of these while visiting Lisbon. This one is on a charming hill and picturesque but I didn’t want to ride anymore after this trip. We got excited when we loaded it, but that didn’t mean that the driver was ready to go, there seemed to be a timetable he was supposed to follow even with a full load. He was checking his phone and waiting while we sat in this miserably hot little greenhouse waiting for it to be time to go. I don’t understand why these need to follow such a timetable like a bus with the track so short and the thing was full. I was literally dripping sweat after this ride, very unpleasant! If you do want to try it, make sure you have a tourist card or zapping card, it’s the difference between 1.7euro and 4.1euro for the trip
Written June 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
claudio d
Viterbo, Italy41,740 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
It is one of the 4 historic elevators in the city (one, the Santa Justa elevator, is an elevator, while the other three, the Lavra, Gloria and Bica elevators, are funiculars). Inaugurated in 1892, it is the most recent of the three funiculars; it connects rua de São Paulo (Cais do Sodré area) with Largo Calhariz (Chiado/Bairro Alto area), with a route of 270 meters and a gradient of around 11% (the smallest of the three funiculars). The Bica elevator, like the other funiculars and the historic yellow trams, is part of the collective imagination of Lisbon, but they are also normal means of transport, useful for moving effortlessly in a city full of hills; in Italy, I'm thinking for example of Naples where there are 4 of them, we are already used to funiculars, but these in Lisbon have maintained a vintage look and are nice to look at. In my opinion they should be seen externally because the beauty is precisely seeing them go up or down these narrow sloping streets, perhaps when the two small cabins meet halfway; getting on them doesn't add anything special: they are just means of transport, and very expensive if you don't have the Lisbon Card or a day ticket for public transport; in the absence of these last travel documents, in my opinion it is not worth paying for the ticket and the destination of the funicular can also be reached on foot along the same route as the funicular, both because the slope is never prohibitive (and this is even more true reason for the elevator from Bica) and because the distance is overall short. Furthermore, Rua da Bica, or the street along which the funicular passes, is best done on foot because it is scenic, thanks also to the view of the Tagus. Also keep in mind that this funicular, being very well known, is often crowded with tourists and there is a real risk of having a long queue.
Written May 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Flavio_Izo
Cachoeiro De Itapemirim, ES23 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
The elevator is very charming, reminiscent of a step back in time. The trip is very quick, lasting about 3 minutes. The queues are usually long and the waiting time between trams is usually 10 minutes. The price is 3.80 to go up which entitles you to go down too.
Our driver was Paulo Fino, a very polite guy who treated everyone with great kindness.
Our driver was Paulo Fino, a very polite guy who treated everyone with great kindness.
Written October 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Richard T
11 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
When we arrived at the bottom of the funicular queue didn't look that long, but we still had a long wait to go up. Unfortunately the one we went up in was covered in hideously ugly graffiti, which ruined the photos from the top. The other yellow one would be more picturesque, but we didn't have time to wait for that to come back up. We had a 24 hour viagem card (6.60 euros) & the tickets for the funiculars are included, otherwise a single journey would be 3.80 euros.
Written June 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Raluca Andrada N
5 contributions
Nov 2022
I will leave a review even if we didn't pay for a ride, we just walked to the top so we can wait for the tram and take pictures with it. I have no idea how much do you have to wait for the tram to get up if you don't find it there when you arrive, because when we got up, it was already there. The driver gives you a good couple of minutes to take photos with the tram before heading back down. We loved the spot and I think it's a total must if you ever get to see Lisbon! I don't know if paying for the trip is worth it, but if you are walking through the Bairro Alto neighbourhood, you have to go to the top for some very nice photos :)
Written November 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maria V
Rome, Italy
conviene fare il biglietto giornaliero o prendere la city card ? soggiorno di cinque giorni. Grazie
Written August 8, 2019
Tram stop R. S. Paulo (Bica) on route 25 is at the bottom, Calhariz (Bica) on route 28 is at the top.
Written April 23, 2018
Salve, sto valutando la lisboa card. Gli ascensori sono compresi nella lisboa card? leggo che sono compresi nel prezzo del biglietto giornaliero dei mezzi pubblici. Grazie. Anna
Written October 18, 2017
Mi spiace ma non so risponderti, forse l'elevador da bica rientra nella Lisboa card al contrario di quello di Santa Giusta
Written October 18, 2017
Can I take the Elevador Bica to the top and then walk to Sao Pedro de Alcántara? How far is it and how "hilly/steep" is this walk... Can take Elevador Gloria down from Sao Pedro de Alcántara
Thank you
Written January 22, 2016
Or the reverse after also visiting the church next door and the Camoes Sq on the way?
Written January 22, 2016
Buon giorno ...quando dici che il biglietto vale 2 viaggi vuole dire 1andata e 1 ritorno , o puoi andare su un altra funicolare e fare di nuovo andata e ritorno ?. Grazie per la rispost
Written March 29, 2015
Ciao due viaggi intendo dire due corse, che possono essere fatte anche da funicolari diverse per esempio salire su una funicolare e scendere su un'altra....spero ti sia stato utile
ciao
Max
Written March 30, 2015
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