Hello.
My family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children) will be going to Portugal on August. My kids are 11 and 13yrs old. we will be staying for 4 days in Lisbon.
What is the best option To go around lisbon and visit the attractions that will save us money? Would we save more if we take the taxi to see the sights or buy the lisbon card or viva viagem?
We are planning to go on a day trip to sintra as well.
Thank you in advance.
Nelson
There are a lot of sites you can visit on foot, but to visit Belem, Sintra, aquarium, etc. you would want transport of some type. The website taxifarefinder.com for Lisbon would give you a general idea of taxi fares to sites further from your accommodation. Taxis are generally a lot less expensive than in most European cities. The fares I have researched on this site are relatively accurate.
That said, the Via Viagem cards are very handy and the metro is easy to use. The cards are also good on trolley's, which your children would really like. For longer trips, the Metro would likely be cheaper than taxi.
You would likely need to decide generally what you want to see and determine taxi costs - and compare that with fees on Via Viagem cards. You can also use these cards to go to Sintra.
With 4, definitely taxis! They cost a few euros more than the cost of 2 transit tickets. Belem to Lisbon was only €7 for us in June in a third of the time. A 24hr Lisboa card €19 is worth it for Belem attractions. Sintra train is under €5 return & a taxi from the station under €10 to Pena Palace. If you time it right, your train to Sintra would be covered under the Lisboa 24 hr card as well as a small discount on Pena entrance.
We found we needed a seperate viagem card for transit, 24hr pass, train or ferry. Once it's loaded with 1 type of transportation it won't allow you to mix it up.
I recommend going with taxis within Lisbon. Take the train to Sintra rather than the taxi. When in Sintra, be sure to take your kids to the Quinta da Regaleira (bring a flashlight).
Thank you everyone for the suggestions. These are of great help to our trip planning. We are looking forward in enjoying Portugal and its culture.
