It depends. The Yellow Bus costs €22 for 24 hours against €7.25 for a 24-hour Carris/Metro ticket, and that €22 covers only one of the two routes.
Five checks, the same in every city. The total decides the verdict.
| Check | What we found | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Price vs public transport | €22 for the bus, €7.25 for a day of transport: 3 times as much | 2/3 |
| Stops near the sights | 5 of the 10 main sights are within 7 minutes' walk of a stop | 0/2 |
| Waiting time | A bus every 40 minutes at worst | 0/2 |
| Shape of the city | Hilly, with 7.8 km between the farthest main sights | 2/2 |
| Loop time | The shortest full loop takes 110 minutes | 1/1 |
| Total | Depends on your trip | 5/10 |
| Route | Stops | Frequency | Full loop | First / last bus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belém Lisbon Bus Tour | 15 | 40 min | 110 min | 09:00 / 19:00 |
| Modern Lisbon Bus Tour | 13 | 40 min | 110 min | 09:20 / 18:00 |
Audio guide in 12 languages. Wheelchair access: yes, according to the operator.
| Ticket | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hoursBelém Lisbon Bus Tour | €22 | €11 |
| 48 hoursBelém and Modern Lisbon Bus Tours | €28 | €14 |
| 72 hoursLisbon All-in-One Pass 72h | €47 | €23.50 |
Child fare: ages 4 to 10.
| Carris / Metropolitano de Lisboa | Adult |
|---|---|
| Single ride | €1.72 |
| One day, unlimited rides | €7.25 |
Change the numbers to match your group. Fares are adult fares from the tables above.
Public transport is charged per ride up to the daily maximum. Multi-day passes can be cheaper still.
The 24h ticket is €22 and covers one route, so in practice it is a Belém day: the loop takes 1h50 without getting off, and with three stops in Belém you will use most of the 09:00 to 19:00 service. The 48h ticket is €28 and covers both routes, which makes it the better buy for anyone staying two days, since the second day costs €6.
The 72h option is a different product, the All-in-One Pass at €47, with two tram tours and a 2 hour river boat on top of the buses. Buy it only if you want the boat and the tram tour, because the buses alone do not fill three days.
The bus costs €14.75 more per adult
A 24-hour Carris/Metro ticket is €7.25 plus €0.50 for the card. Tram 15E runs from Praça da Figueira and Praça do Comércio to the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos stop, and bus 714 does the same trip.
From the monastery it is about 1 km on flat ground to Belém Tower. Tram 28E links Graça, Portas do Sol, the cathedral, Baixa and Estrela, which is most of what the bus misses.
Bus 737 climbs from Praça da Figueira to the castle gate, and the metro Red line reaches Oriente for the Oceanarium. Two people pay €15.50 with cards included, against €44 for two 24h bus tickets.
What you give up is the commentary and a guaranteed seat: 28E is packed for most of the day.
Under 4s travel free on a parent's lap. Children pay €11 for 24h and youth aged 11 to 16 pay €16.50, and the family ticket starts at €55.
On public transport only children up to 3 are free, so a 6 year old costs €7.25 on the 24-hour ticket against €11 on the bus, a smaller gap than for adults. The open top deck and the 2 hour boat on the All-in-One Pass go down well with children.
The 40 minute waits do not, so check the departure times before leaving a stop.
Compare all citiesLisbon's rain comes mostly between October and March. The top deck is open, so on a wet day everyone moves to the enclosed lower deck and the view shrinks to a side window.
The bigger problem is the stop: with a bus every 40 minutes you can wait a long time in the rain, and the operator warns that departure times change with weather and traffic. On a wet day the metro and tram 15E are the more comfortable choice.
Compare all citiesIn July and August the open top deck has full sun for the whole 1h50 loop, and the riverside stretch through Belém has no shade. Bring water and a hat, or sit downstairs.
Buses fill up at Restauradores and Rossio in the late morning, and with a 40 minute interval a full bus is costly. Start at 09:00, do Belém first, and be back in the centre before the afternoon heat.
The operator says most of its hop-on hop-off buses have access ramps but some do not, so ask at the Yellow kiosk in Praça do Comércio or call +351 218 503 225 before you rely on it. The tourist trams have three high steps and no ramp.
The bus helps people who cannot walk far on the Belém side, where stops 10, 11 and 12 are 2 to 4 minutes from the monuments on flat ground. It helps less in the old town: the castle is 11 minutes uphill from the Graça stop, and public bus 737 goes closer to the gate.
Compare all citiesBuy the €7.25 Carris/Metro 24-hour ticket and build the same day yourself: tram 15E to Belém in the morning, tram 28E through Graça and Alfama in the afternoon, bus 737 to the castle. Tip-based walking tours of Baixa, Chiado and Alfama leave daily from the Rossio area and cover the part of the city the bus cannot enter.
If the tram ride is what you are after and 28E is too crowded, Yellow's own Hills Tramcar Tour follows the same streets with a seat for €25.
Free walking tour of Lisbon| Sight | Nearest stop | Walk |
|---|---|---|
| Belém Tower | Torre de Belém | 4 min |
| Jerónimos Monastery | Mosteiro dos Jerónimos | 2 min |
| Monument to the Discoveries | Padrão dos Descobrimentos | 3 min |
| Praça do Comércio | Rossio | 9 min |
| São Jorge Castle | Graça | 11 min |
| Lisbon Cathedral (Sé) | Rossio | 11 min |
| Miradouro das Portas do Sol (Alfama) | Graça | 8 min |
| Lisbon Oceanarium | Oceanário | 3 min |
| Carmo Convent | Rossio | 5 min |
| Time Out Market | Rossio | 14 min |
Yellow Bus charges €22 for 24 hours on one route and €28 for 48 hours on both routes. The 72h All-in-One Pass with trams and boat is €47. Prices checked on 4 October 2026.
No. The 24h ticket is sold per route, either Belém or Modern Lisbon, at €22 each. The 48h ticket at €28 covers both.
Every 40 minutes on both routes. The Belém route leaves Restauradores from 09:00 to 19:00 and the Modern route from 09:20 to 18:00, daily except 25 December.
Not to the door. The closest stop is Graça on the Modern route, 11 minutes' walk from the castle and 8 minutes from Portas do Sol. The streets of Alfama are too narrow for a double-decker.
Yes. All Yellow Bus tickets include free travel on Carris public trams, including 28E and 15E, while the ticket is valid. Bought on board, a tram ride costs €3.30.
Yes. Tram 15E or bus 714 gets you there on a €7.25 24-hour ticket, or €1.72 a ride with zapping credit. The bus costs €22 but drops you 2 to 4 minutes from each of the three Belém monuments.
Read on 4 October 2026. Timetables and prices change with the season, so check the operator's page before you travel.
Could not be confirmed on an official page and may differ: child, nearest stop (Docas Cruise Terminal).
