Santa Justa Lift of Lisbon is one of the country’s first public transportation systems. First opened for public in 1902, Santa Justa Lift connects Baixa and Largo do Carmo.
How to Get to the Santa Justa Lift
The famous Santa Justa Lift of Lisbon resides in the Baixa district of the Portuguese capital. Within walking distance to other famous tourist attractions like Praça do Comércio and Rossio Square, the Lift is close to the Baixa/Chiado, and Rossio metro stations. If the other line is more convenient, Restauradores station is also close by.
Pricing of the Santa Justa Lift
The price of using this historical lift is relatively expensive. A return ticket for the trip costs a little over 5 euros. Certain cards like 7 Colinas or Viva Viagem reduces the price to 1.45 euros, but there are two other and better options. First, Lisbon’s 24-hour transportation card includes the Santa Justa Lift, too. So tourists who spend the day traveling with their 24-hour transportation card (which can be bought from any metro station) can use the Santa Justa Lift without paying any extra amount. The second method that can be used to avoid paying the excessive price of this short trip is to get a Lisbon Card. The Lisbon Card allows tourists to enjoy almost any attraction of the city. It grants access to over 20 museums, many landmarks, and the famous Santa Justa Lift. This card is available at the airport for only 20 euros.
Fact: The total trip of the lift helps tourists avoid the steep climb which is around 45 meters.
History of the Santa Justa Lift
The first proposition for the building of Santa Justa Lift was made in 1896. However, the construction did not start until 1900. At the turn of the century, the construction had begun lead by Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard, a student of Gustave Eiffel. With quality iron craftsmanship and artistic architectural efforts, the lift was inaugurated on the 10th of July, 1902.
Fact: New Neo-Gothic landmark of Lisbon, back in the day, attracted great attention and sold 3000 tickets on its first day of operation.
Santa Justa Lift can help transport 29 people at a time and it offers amazing views of the city from above. Sightseeing tower of the lift has a separate entrance fee which is around 1.5 euros. Lisbon Card does not include this ticket. However, to enjoy the sights of the deck, this amount can be easily sacrificed.
I had to wait around 45 minutes in line, but it was a solid experience. Particularly if the weather is good, the vibe around the streets is charming, which was the case for me, so I didn’t mind the wait… Thank you for the tip.