The Night Bus
If you’re in Lisbon for the weekend (and many Europeans do that), you’ll surely be going out at night and staying out until morning. Even if you don’t plan on doing that, you won’t be able to avoid it, as dinners start late, and a bar hop in Bairro Alto is one of the city’s most popular activities.
You don’t have to worry about how you’ll be getting back to your hotel or apartment so late at night (or early in the day), because two new free bus services have just been introduced in the city.
They cover the Bairro Alto and Avenida 24 de Julho areas, the two main nightlife districts in Lisbon every Friday and Saturday night, and on the evenings before holidays.
Running between 10PM and 5AM, the “Night Bus” shuttle starts in Marquês de Pombal Square and ends in the Belem district’s waterfront. The second bus service is a circular route starting and ending in Cais do Sodré, passing through Santos’ bars and Avenida 24 de Julho’s clubs. Both of these services depart every 20 minutes.
In addition to these two routes, the Gloria Elevator that connects Restauradores Square with Bairro Alto will now operate until 4:30AM.
With these new services, Lisbon City Hall hopes for less traffic in the center of the city and prevent people from driving home after a few drinks. In your case, you’ll save a few euros that you’d otherwise have to spend on a taxi, and don’t have to look for one at a time when they’re pretty much all taken.
