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Public Transportation Love-Hate: Lisbon Is Magic

March 9, 2007 at 2:00 PM | 0 Comments

Jaunted's public transportation festival has begun. All throughout this week and next, our contributors will be focusing on their favorite and least favorite transportation systems around the world, with some valuable tips and memorable anecdotes to come. Join us in celebrating the ultimate travel tool: a cheap way to get around. Share your own stories with us in the comments or by emailing tips [at] jaunted [dot] com.

To really get in the mood for this, I threw on some fado and remembered those by-gone days spent in Lisbon. Yes, that city of beauty, city of history, city of explorers, city of too many #*$@ing hills! Fortunately for me, Lisbon was--and still is--blanketed with an elaborate and totally inefficient network of trams and funiculars. They'll save your life--or you'll risk it riding them.

Run by Carris the network covers the downtown area and beyond, extending to dope places like Belem. Very nice. But the fun part about the system isn't necessarily its logistical excellence--for all its reach, its scheduling can be erratic. What makes it a winner is how fun it is to ride around above ground on a rickety old tram taking in the sights.

Instead of walking up Lisbon's spirit-crushing hills, the trams made sightseeing easy. And I got to watch kids hop on the outside of the car to avoid paying a fare. Things got particularly interesting when the clearance between tram and building dwindled to about nothing. I watched a couple kids jump off to avoid getting smashed, then run to catch up to the tram and jump back on. You gotta love their gumption, though can't say I tried it myself. Hey--I was having too much fun being a total tourist inside.

Related Stories:
· Carris [Official Site]