One of the most widely known icons of Lisbon is without a doubt the “famous” Tram 28. While visiting Lisbon it is often common among visitors to try a ride aboard it. Visitors arrive to the city willing to ride Tram 28 and, the two main reasons are it figures in many tourist publications and it is cheap to ride.
Nonetheless there are some major drawbacks that travelers shall consider. Here you have the list:
A very long queue, all day long;
It goes often over-crowded;
Travelers miss the very most;
High chances of being robbed;
Locals are banned from commuting.
Keep reading for a detailed explanation. In the end of the article you'll find some great hints to get the best of Tram 28.
Practically all day long, starting from early morning, you will be surprised by a very long line of people waiting to get aboard Tram 28. Sometimes people wait standing on their feet for more than 2 hours. This happens mostly in the first stop, in which the tram arrives empty. But, it is nearly worthless for you to try other stops along the way, as it goes so packed and jammed that it will make it nearly impossible for you to enter elsewhere.
The trams have 20 seats and allow another 38 travellers standing. From the 20 seats available, only half are by the window. As soon as the tram is full you’ll be stuffed inside, just like canned sardines. For this reason, if you are not lucky enough to grab a seat, especially by the window, your trip will be uncomfortable, and you will see practically nothing more than other people jamming against you. So, good luck.
First of all, the ride takes at least 60 minutes to complete the whole journey, if the traffic is fluid, which rarely is. But the real issue is that after waiting for a long time to get aboard, you will not want to descend from it unless you’re willing to repeat the painful boarding process. So you’ll just quickly pass by a few interesting spots. Second, despite just passing-by some spots, it misses many many others, it doesn’t cover not even 10% of what matters in Lisbon. Third, and most important, you will not understand what you are seeing, as nothing nor no one explains. For such a matter, there is another tram (painted in green or red) for the tourist visitors who really want to discover and learn about the city.
Aboard the “famous” Tram 28, there are (nearly always) some passengers who are there not to enjoy the city, but ready to steal your belongings without victims even noticing until hours later. They are the infamous pickpockets, a plague that unfortunately is everywhere, Lisbon is no exception. And inside this jam-packed little tram they perform “their own party”. Each year millions of euros worth of personal belongings are claimed as stolen from passengers. So beware!!!
Being a local public transportation, people need it for their daily commuting needs. As it takes hours to get aboard, when it is possible, people who need to go to work or go home, simply can’t wait and see themselves restricted. Many of these are elderly people and don’t have many alternatives. So it makes quite understandable that Lisboners in general get mad and complain against the take-over of Tram 28 by the tourists for leisure purposes. Let’s contribute a bit for sustainable tourism and think about the impact we cause on the cities we visit, shall we?
Yes, it is true that "riding the Tram 28" is one of the most written suggestions all over Lisbon book guides and blogs, but... maybe it's not as cool as you might think... just maybe.
Nevertheless, if you still want to to do it, we recommend you a few simple tricks to make your life way easier:
start your trip early in the morning, before 09:00 am, or in the evening, after 09:00 pm, as the tram will be way less crowded and the waiting line is short;
try to grab a seat, otherwise you will not see much of the city. Standing up won't be as comfortable and you will be more exposed to thieves, specially when the tram is very crowded;
if you realize the tram is full when you’re climbing aboard, consider waiting for the next one.
if you arrive and see the usual large queue and you want to see Lisbon properly, consider instead going on a Walking Tour.