We are undisputed fans if the hop on hop off buses in Europe. Well, I should clarify this…our kids love cruising around in the big buses, especially if they score the very front seat up the top! Double-decker buses are something of a novelty in Australia and even more so in country Australia where we live so once, a ride is promised the mood quickly changes.

The Yellow Bus hop on hop off buses run in 5 cities in Portugal. We had previously used the Yellow bus in Porto in the summer of 2015. We found it very useful in Porto is it was a city spread out in distance and Lisbon is much the same plus we were all very hot by this stage. To use public transport to see all the attractions is just not feasible for us.

The Lisbon version, much like many of these buses has two routes that can be seen. You can either buy a single ticket for one route or a combined ticket for both. It is always only a few dollars or euro’s more to buy the combined ticket and we recommend that you do, The Tagus Tour/Historic Route and The Olisipo Route.

Lisbon hop on hop off tour is a great way to see the city

 The Tagus Tour starts out in the centre of Lisbon in Praca Da Figueira. During our time in Lisbon, we stayed quite close to this area.

 Hold on and get ready for some incredible views of Lisbon. The Tagus Tour powers up Avenida Da Liberdade include The Águas Livres Aqueduct, some of the churches and parks of the city. A stop at Marquess of Pombal Square provides an amazing chance for some great pictures looking down Avenida da Liberdade.

The Lisbon Bus Tour is a great way to see Belem

You make your way out to Belem along the Tagus river with views of the Lisbon Jesus and The 25 de Abril Bridge. Lisbon and its river have become very popular for boat cruises. Tourists depart the boats the to explore in and around Lisbon. The bus makes 4 stops at Belem which allows you access to Jeronimos Monastery,  Muse de Marinha, The Coaches Museum, The Monument of the Discoveries and the iconic Belem Tower itself. One should certainly get off the bus here and visit.

 Our kids loved the Muse de Marinha. You could easily spend 2 hours exploring the history of Portugal’s maritime adventures. The iconic Belem Tower is a must. It has been overlooking the Tagus River for nearly 500 years. The way it comes out of the water is stunning. You can also sit on the banks on the steps and enjoy the view while waiting for the bus to return.

If you have planned it well you can enjoy a Pastel de Belem as you admire Belem Tower. They are certainly not to be missed either. A stop at the commercial square is great on a hot day you can dip your toes in the river or climb to the top of Rue Augusta and get a 360-degree view of Downtown Lisbon. We have done both with the girls, enjoy a cool off on the banks and then the climb up the hill for those magnificent views.

The Olisipo Lisbon bus tour route takes you through modern Lisbon and the Park of Nations as the bus cruises along the Tagus River. The highlights of this side for travelling families is the stop at the aquarium. Oceanario Lisboa is the best aquarium we have visited anywhere in the world. It’s also the second largest in the world. The tanks and display areas are amazing and very viewer friendly, especially for the little ones.

Our girls are slightly bigger but the little ones are taken well into account with the displays. Every room we visited had us wowed and you could tell so much thought went into the way everything was set out to make it as family-friendly as possible. To see puffins from Iceland and sea otters was amazing, the otters really put on a show while we were there. The usual array of characters such as Nemo, Dory, sharks, groupers and much more are on display. The Lisbon Cable car is located just next to the aquarium and runs 1.2 km at a height of 30 meters the upper River Tagus.

Each of the Lisbon bus tours will take you around 1 hour and 40 minutes to complete if you stay on the bus but we can guarantee you will find something the drag you off the bus pretty quickly. The Lisbon Bus tour provides commentary in the usual languages with headphones supplied. We had a great time and highly recommend a trip on the Lisbon Yellow Bus tours.

 

 

This image and the cover image appear thanks to The Yellow Bus Tours

Wyld Family Travel received complimentary passes for the Lisbon Yellow Bus Tours. This in no way influences our opinion of the Lisbon bus tour on the Yellow Bus

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Getting to Lisbon:

• Lisbon is the capital and biggest city in Portugal.
• Humberto Delgado Airport is located 7km from Lisbon City Centre
• It is the 24th largest airport in Europe in terms of passenger volume, having served 22.4 million passengers in 2016
• Lisbon Airport is served by 121 destinations with 47 airlines
• Lisboa is serviced by many international airlines and budget carriers.T he airport is a hub for TAP Portugal. Lisbon is a focus city for easyJet, Ryanair, Vueling and Azores Airlines. You can check the prices of international flights to Portugal with cheapOair. Domestic flights can be booked with Expedia 
• The airport and city are connected by the metro.  Aeroporto Saldanha line takes approximately 20 minutes to reach downtown Lisbon
• The Aerobuses is accommodating for travelling with large luggage. The departures are available at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 between 7:30 and 23:00 daily, and connect the airport with a number of major destinations in the downtown area.  Information and bookings available here.
• Santa Apolonia and Lisbon Oriente are the two major trains station for domestic and international arrivals by train
• Check your trains prices here.
• Most international buses arrive at Lisbon’s Estação do Oriente bus station. Check your bus prices here. 
• You can book an airport transfer with Suntransfers who we have personally used on many occasions.
• You can book a rental car with AutoEurope and have it waiting for you at Lisbon Airport.

Getting around Lisbon:

• Lisbon features an extensive public transport network, comprising both underground and surface means of getting around. The metros, buses and trams of Lisbon is one of the most cost-efficient and flexible manners of discovering the city
• Flat fare on the trams (streetcars) is now 2,85 Euros with the object being to make more users buy pre-pay passes. A single ticket on the metro is €1.90 without a rechargeable card, €1,40 with. There are a variety of passes available which reduce those costs considerably.
•  Children under the age of 4 travel free of charge on the Metro, as long as they are accompanied by an adult.
• The popular Lisbon Hop on hop off bus is a great option for tourists wanting to see the main sights of Berlin. This tourist bus has 2 different routes that travel the sights of the city on a loop basis. For more information Look here!
• The Lisbon Card offers tree public transport and entries to major Lisbon sights. 

Where to stay in Lisbon:

• Lisbon has accommodation options for every budget from Hostels, to apartments and hotels rooms.
• Hostels in Lisbon can start from as little as 15 euro’s a night for a shared dorm room.
• You can search Airbnb for their Berlin accommodation offerings. If you have never used Airbnb before get yourself $50 credit by signing and booking a stay right HERE.
• Hotels in Lisbon generally start from around $70 a night for a double room and increase incrementally as the luxury rating rises towards 5 stars. Google states that 3-star averaging $92, 5-star averaging $226 for a night stay.
• You can compare and book your stay on Agoda, Hotels.com,  and Priceline

( All coloured text in the Getting to Lisbon, Getting around Lisbon and Where to stay in Lisbon links to the pages mentioned for your information and booking convenience. We at Wyld Family Travel will make a small commission from any bookings you make. This money goes into maintaining our website. )

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