They seem to be an obvious convenience, but are they a value? Has anyone found themselves overwhelmed with trying too hard to make use of them in these cities? A lot of times, a ten-ride transit pass, split between two people, can end up being a better deal than a one or two day card each. How is it in these cities? In Sevilla, there's a standard and a cheaper, "Cultura" card, but I'm not sure what exactly each one offers. I'd love to hear from anyone who's tried these typical tourist temptations.
Posted by
Martinez, CA, USA
1512 posts
Of your three cities I can only speak to Lisboa. We were in Lisboa in May 2008 and bought the 3 day Lisboa pass which covered buses, metro, outdoor elevators & train (I think, train was included),and as I recall, some museums were free. There were other discounts we didn't use. We got more than our money's worth during the three days. You can walk to some locations if they're near your hotel and stamp the card on the bus later - it will work on transportation for 72hrs from the time stamp. Helpful if you're there more than three days. We went to the covered sites during the first three days & used public transportation to go to parts of the city we might not have otherwise visited. All in all, we thought it was a good value in Lisbon.
Posted by
OP
San Diego
552 posts
P.S. - If any of them can save a lot of time standing in line, I want to know about it. That alone would be worth some extra cost in most cases.
Posted by
OP
San Diego
552 posts
I'm sold on getting the card for Lisbon. So if a museum is free with card, you typically just flash your pass and walk in? How much standing in line to redeem a ticket from the accompanying book is involved? We're staying 72 hrs. in Sevilla. There, a 1-day is 50 and a 3-day is just 65 euro, making it seem like quite a value. Talk about volume discount! For sure it doesn't make me want to buy a 25 hr. pass. Plus, I'm still not sure what "Sevilla Card with Public Transport" means. In Madrid, I think I'm going with the Cultura Card.
Posted by
Martinez, CA, USA
1512 posts
Re Lisboa Card - Don't remember standing in line for very long, maybe less than 30 mins at Castelo Sao Jorge and the Gulbenkian Museum. As I recall, there were no lines to speak of at the other sites. Don't remember if you stand in the regular line or if there's a seperate line for cardholders. Sorry but we've made a couple of trips since then and the lines are getting mixed up.