Lisbon is a city built on hills. And it’s absolutely stunning for it. Every way you look, there is an interesting juxtaposition of buildings against sky. Although I’d say the city’s best explored on foot so you can better appreciate the historic buildings and atmospheric streets, Lisbon provides visitors who don’t fancy traipsing up and down hilly streets with just as atmospheric modes of transport to get around. Yes, there are those iconic trams that pretty much feature in any list of ‘must-dos’ in Lisbon. But there is another bit of public transport that will take you from A to B in about a minute. I’m talking about the Santa Justa Lift (or Elevador de Santa Justa in Portuguese). Located towards the western end of Rua de Santa Justa in the city centre, it connects the lower neighbourhood of Baixa (which translates as ‘low’) to the higher neighbourhoods of Chiado and Barrio Alto (the latter is also aptly named as it means upper neighbourhood).
The Santa Justa Lift
Wrought-iron detail
Built out of wrought-iron in 1902 by Raul Mésnier, I think it looks pretty damn good for its age… Here’s an interesting fact for you – the lift was originally steam-powered! The lift moved to electricity in 1907.
Although the Santa Justa Lift actually forms part of Lisbon’s public transport infrastructure, it’s probably only ever used by visitors for the purpose of enjoying the views from the top… And for good reason too!
Going up! (Or just getting to the view point)
As a popular tourist attraction, you’ll often find queues to use the lift and if you’re curious or just want to experience this hundred (plus) year old bit of engineering and design, it’s worth waiting. But I’d recommend going up early to avoid the worst of the lines. Access to the lift is included in some public transport tickets but you’ll need to pay separately to go the higher viewing point, which is €1.50. The price of the lift AND viewing point is also included in Yellow Bus and Lisboa Card tickets. If you don’t have any of these and want to use the lift, tickets can be bought at the entrance and cost €5 for two trips on the lift and access to the viewing point.
Walkway connecting Largo Carmo with the Santa Justa Lift
Views from the walkway
Spiral staircase and detail
However, if don’t want to queue or just want to enjoy the views, you can also access the structure from Largo do Carmo (a square in the higher neighbourhood of Chiado). There is a connecting walkway between the lift and the square via the Carmo Convent and Carmo Archeological Museum. From here, you’ll be led to the level that the lift goes up to. The viewing point is higher up and accessible via a couple of spiral staircases. Unless you’ve bought a specific Santa Justa Lift ticket, you’ll need to buy a separate ticket to go to the viewing point. It’s worth it for those expansive views of the city and the sea!
Views from the top
Viewing point
Towards the Alfama district and the São Jorge Castle
Rossio Square lit up
Although you can get pretty good views from the level that the (actual) lift arrives at, you really can’t beat the views from the viewing platform, which are mesh free.
Visit our Lisbon travel blog for more of our city highlights as well as our guides to Lisbon Airport and Lisbon car hire. And if you’re planning a trip to Lisbon or doing a Portugal tour and want to explore with a car hire, we’ve got great deals on Portugal car hire throughout the country. You can see our locations and get a quote on a low-cost car hire by going to www.carjet.com/car-hire/portugal
More on the Santa Justa Lift
You can find more information on using the Santa Justa Lift including opening times and ticket information from the Carris Transport website (they run the majority of public transport services in Lisbon). The viewing point is open from 8.30am to 8.30pm but the lift itself has longer opening times. All this is on the Carris Transport website.