Lisbon metro is modern, efficient and the quickest way to travel around the capital. There are four lines, conveniently colour coded; blue, yellow, green and red. The green line connects the tourist areas around Baixa and the train station to Cascais. The red line ends at the Expo Park (soon to be extended to the airport) and each of these stations is a marvel of modern art, the best being Olaias. The older yellow and blue lines follow Lisbon's grand avenues.

Tickets for the metro can be either purchased at the manned ticket desks or from standardised ticket vending machines. The ticket desks are commonly very busy at tourist destinations or simply empty at the quieter metro stations. The ticket machines are very easy to use and on the front welcome screen the displayed language can be altered to English, Spanish or Portuguese. On the initial purchase a reusable ticket must be purchased on top of the standard ticket price, these tickets can be reused so retain after your journey. To reload the ticket simply insert the ticket before purchasing subsequent tickets. Ticket prices are:

• €0.90 - Single for zone 1
• €1.15 - Single for zone 2
• €7.30 - 10 metro tickets
• €3.95 - 1 day unlimited travel including bus and tram
• €11.95 - Tourist ticket valid for 3 days

The barrier system has greatly improved over the years but there are routinely issues with barrier doors not opening on presentation of the loaded ticked. I would recommend retaining the receipt dispensed on the purchase of the ticket as metro staff are very skeptical of members of the public who claim that their ticket is faulty.

As with all public transport in all busy cities be aware of your surrounds and to not offer would be thieves the opportunity to remove items from your belonging. The level of theft on the metro system is no worse than any other transport system in Lisbon but be vigilant and if traveling late at night stick to the central carriages.

Lisbon Metro History

Construction was started on 7 August 1955, and actual service began on 29 December 1959 with a Y-shaped line with two branches starting at Jardim Zoológico and Entre Campos that joined at Marquês de Pombal and continued to Restauradores in Baixa. The total track length was then 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi). In subsequent years the northern branches were extended in several steps to Colégio Militar-Luz and Campo Grande.

 

The southern branch was extended via Rossio, Anjos and Alvalade to finally form a loop at Campo Grande. In 1995 the station at Marquês de Pombal was reconstructed to split the network into two lines, the Blue Line (linha Azul) and the Yellow Line (linha Amarela). In May 1998 a third line, the Red Line (linha vermelha) was opened to connect Alameda to the exhibition grounds of the Expo 98 at Oriente.

The Blue line was split into two; it now ends at Santa Apolónia; the section until Campo Grande has become the Green Line (linha Verde) with a new terminus at Cais Sodre. In 2004 the Blue, Yellow and Green lines were further extended to end at Amadora Este, Odivelas and Telheiras, respectively. The total length of the network is 39 kilometres and comprises of46 stations.

Future Extensions to the Lisbon Metro

The Red Line has been extended at its Western end to São Sebastião via Saldanha station, making it possible to go from any line to another without changing trains more than once. An extension to Portela Airport has been announced which has caused controversy as the airport is scheduled to be replaced in about 10 years, and might reduce the usefulness of the station, depending on the future usage of the area. Once these extensions are completed to system will be served by 52 stations and will be 40 kilometres (25 miles) long.