We are undisputed fans 0f the hop on hop off buses in Europe. So the Yellow Bus hop on hop off bus tour in Lisbon was a no brainer. 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!
The Yellow Bus tours run in 5 cities in Portugal. We had previously used the Yellow bus in Porto. 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 hop on hop off tour 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 Yellow Bus Lisbon routes. It is always only a few dollars or euro’s more to buy the combined ticket and we recommend that you do, The hop on hop off Lisbon Tagus Tour/Historic Route and The Olisipo Route.
Below you will find all the Yellow Bus ticket option for you to purchase
Lisbon bus tour is a great way to see the city
The Lisbon sightseeing bus 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.
| Tagus Tour | Lisbon Bus Tour |
| Stop | Highlight |
| Praça da Figueira | large square in the centre of Lisbon, in Portugal |
| Restauradores | A statue of the Restorers is located in the centre of the square. |
| Marquês de Pombal | An important roundabout at the top of Avenida da Liberdade (Liberty Avenue) and the Eduardo VII Park |
| Av. José Malhoa | Typical Lisbon neighbourhood |
| Praça de Espanha / Gulbenkian | An amazing park taking up an entire city block |
| El Corte Inglês | Famous Spanish department store |
| Parque Eduardo VII | A park at the top of Avenida da Liberdade. Amazing view of the city |
| Amoreiras Shopping | Amoreiras Shopping Center is the flagship mall of Lisbon |
| Basílica da Estrela | Royal Basilica and Convent of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus |
| PILAR 7 | Visitors can explore a bridge structure, then ride an elevator to a scenic lookout. |
| Museu dos Coches | A museum of coaches the Royal Family used throughout history |
| Jerónimos / M. Marinha / CCB | Unesco Monastery, Maritime Museum |
| Torre Belém | The Famous Belem Tower |
| Padrão Descobrimentos | The Discoveries Monument |
| MAAT/ Yellow Boat stop | Hop on the Yellow boat for a river ride |
| Term. Cruzeiros (Alcântara) /Docas | Lisbon’s Cruise Terminal |
| Cais do Sodré | A cool district of Lisbon with cafe’s, restaurants and fashion |
| Rua do Comércio | A huge square by the Tagus River, Home to Arc Rue Augusta |
| Praça da Figueira | End of the Tagus tour |
The Tagus Tour powers up Avenida Da Liberdade to 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.
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 to explore in and around Lisbon.
The Lisbon Yellow 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 depart the Lisbon hop on hop off bus here and visit.
More Great Lisbon tours from Yellow Bus
Our kids loved the Muse de Marinha. You could easily spend 2 hours exploring the history of Portugal’s maritime adventures. There is a whole room with full-size royal barges and boats. It is amazing totally mind-blowing. Expect to spend a few hours at this museum in Lisbon.
The iconic Belem Tower is a must on a Lisbon sightseeing tour. It has been overlooking the Tagus River for nearly 500 years. The way it comes out of the water is stunning. We highly recommend you go inside and explore the tower. Be prepared the lines can sometimes be long to visit Torre Belem.
You can also sit on the banks on the steps and enjoy the view while waiting for the bus to return. The Lisbon Card will get you a discount at all the major Belem and Lisbon attractions. Click here for more details.
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 Lisbon 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.
| Olisipo Tour | Hop-on, hop-off sightseeing tour Lisbon |
| Stop | Highlight |
| Praça Figueira | Staring point, and change of tours |
| Restauradores | A statue of the Restorers is located in the centre of the square. |
| Marquês de Pombal | An important roundabout at the top of Avenida da Liberdade (Liberty Avenue) and the Eduardo VII Park |
| Picoas | Traditional Lisbon neighbourhood |
| Campo Pequeno | Former Lisbon Bullfighting ring now shopping centre, cinema and supermarket |
| Oceanário | Get off for the Lisbon Aquarium, Lisbon cable car and the former world expo area |
| Pavilhão de Portugal | contemporary Portuguese architecture site |
| C. Comercial Vasco da Gama / FIL | Shopping centre in North Lisbon |
| Hotel Myriad | On the banks of the Tagus River and with panoramic views |
| Museu Azulejo | The National Tile Museum. |
| Terminal Cruzeiros | Cruise terminal on the Tagus |
| Campo das Cebolas / Pç.Comércio | Newly constructed riverside square with picnic area and play equipment. Cafe’s restaurants and shops |
| Rua do Comércio | Home to the beer museum, the sexiest toilet n the world. Big square by the River |
| Praça da Figueira | Start / End Point |
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 at Lisbon Oceanarium. 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 on the upper River Tagus.
Each of the Lisbon sightseeing bus tours will take you around 1 hour and 40 minutes to complete if you stay on the bus. We can guarantee you will find some Lisbon sightseeing that will 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.
Do I need travel insurance in Lisbon?
We always say if you can’t afford travel insurance you can’t afford to travel. Get your travel insurance now to protect your epic holiday in Lisbon from any small hiccup.
For Australian travellers, we recommend Fast Cover Travel Insurance
For worldwide travellers, we recommend AXA Travel Insurance
Lisbon Weather
July is the hottest month in Lisbon. You will find an average temperature of 24°C (74°F). We can attest that it gets up into the high 30’s in summer. The coldest is January at11°C (52°F) average. Looking for the sun then July has most daily sunshine hours at 11. The month the see’s the most rainfall is November with an average of 127.6mm of rain. The best month visit Lisbon for a swim in the sea is in September when the average sea temperature is 20°C(68°F).
Lisbon Packing List
Lisbon receives more sun than any other city in Europe. The Summer months are warm and the Winter months are mild. Below we have suggested some items that are essential to any trip to Lisbon Portugal
| Things to take to Lisbon Portugal | Description | Browse the Product |
| Sunscreen | Lisbon is the sunniest city in Europe | Click Here! |
| Shorts | Casual wear is king in Lisbon | Click Here! |
| Swim Suit | Lisbin is by the river and the beach | Click Here! |
| Walking Shoes | Lisbon is called the city of seven hills | Click Here! |
| Rain Jacket | FOR WINTER | Click Here |
| Guide Book | Find the best spots | Click Here! |
| Day Pack | For carrying guide books water bottles, jumpers | Click Here! |
| Power Cube | Hotel Rooms dont have many outlets | Click Here! |
| Power Adaptor | Different Countries different power | Click Here! |
| Power bank | So many pictures, Recharge on the go | Click Here! |
Getting to Lisbon:
- Lisbon is the capital and biggest city in Portugal.
- Humberto Delgado Airport has 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 2016Lisbon Airport is served by 121 destinations with 47 airlines. Lisboa is serviced by many international airlines and budget carriers. The 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.
- The airport and the city are connected by the metro. Aeroporto Saldanha line takes approximately 20 minutes to reach downtown Lisbon. You can book an airport transfer with Suntransfers who we have personally used on many occasions.
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 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
- The 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:
- Accommodation in Lisbon has 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.
- Many families are looking for where to stay in Lisbon, loved staying at As Janelas Verdes – Lisbon Heritage Collection, Urbano FLH Hotels Lisboa, and Lisbon Wine Hotel. Some of the best hotels in Lisbon near Rossio Square include Duque´s Apartments, Rodamon Lisboa Hostel and Madalena City Center.
- Hotels in Lisbon generally start at 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 Trip Advisor and Priceline
We hope this article from us here at Wyld Family Travel has you inspired to visit Portugal and stay in Lisbon. There are so many things to do in Lisbon that will have you entertained for your stay in the city. For more amazing ideas on where to holiday in Portugal click through to our Portugal Destination Guide page for more brilliant inspiration.
Some more travel inspiration for your trip to Portugal
Wow, your photos look amazing! I haven’t been to Lisbon yet but it’s definitely on my list. There are absolutely so many things to see there, and for sure I’ll keep this Yellow Bus in mind when I finally get to visit!
Great article! When I was in Lisbon two years ago, I found the hop-on, hop-off bus so useful! Since the districts Belem and Parque das Nações aren’t that close to the city center, but definitely worth a visit, you can easily reach it going by bus. Furthermore, during the ride you can have some great views. I totally agree on that :-).
This is the second post in as many weeks on the subject of Lisbon. It looks like such a cool city and personally I think hop on hop off buses are the best way to get around any city
I’ve never been on a tour bus like this and it actually sounds like a great way to explore the city. Your photos are so colorful and they really capture the amazing sites around the city.
I love these hop on hop buses for short trips, as you can see a lot of a city in relatively short time. Its a great idea for the kids too. Funny, i never realised double decker buses are a European thing!
I’ve actually never ridden a hop-on-hop-off bus but it’s certainly an effective way to experience all the major sights. Especially when short on time or traveling with kiddos!
We haven’t been to Lisbon yet, but it is on our list, hopefully next time in Europe. I loved your suggestion with the hop-on/hop-off, we use them in almost every city we get to, love the info provided along the way.