Lisbon – Day 1 – Tram 28

November 14^th, 2025 

After wandering out of our hotel for a tasty breakfast at a local spot, our main activity for our first full day in Lisbon was to ride the infamous yellow Tram 28.  It is popular mode of transport taken by tourists to check out some of the key areas of Lisbon.

Outside our accommodation, the Portugal Boutique Hotel.

Our first sighting of the infamous "Yellow Tram 28", on our way to breakfast.

A typical street in Lisbon.

Luckily the first stop on the line was very close to our hotel.  It was 11:30 on a Friday morning and there was already a decent line for the tram, even though it’s not the height of tourist season (we couldn’t imagine what is like in the summer).  The old school trams are supposed to arrive every 10-15 minutes and typically 2-3 of them show up at the same time.

Well 15 minutes passed, 20, 25, 30, 35…and no tram in sight.  A few groups of people abandoned the line-up, and we were close to pulling the plug too, but then we saw a tram on the other side of the oval roundabout.  Luckily, we were able to board the second of two trams but had to stand in the back with a few Americans in their 60s who were on a shore leave from a cruise ship that was destined for New York City.

A yellow tram finally showed up!  But we didn't get on this one...too many people ahead of us in the lineup.

I think we're making it on this one.

Standing in the back was great as we had a better view of both sides of the street.  Like the trams in San Francisco, this one climbed some steep hills and careened downhill and around corners…it was a fun ride.

Finally on the tram!

Looking out the back window on the yellow tram.

Passing by another tram going the other way...they pass within a few feet of each other.

Typical life on the street of Lisbon...as seen from a tram.

The Lisbon Cathedral.

You may wonder why I have a picture of this white van...but Naomi noticed on the top it says "Thermal Master".  I assume it's a refrigeration unit but she joked that it related to me since I teach paragliding.  

There are a lot of these "vintage" cars taking tourists on rides around town.

Another yellow tram passing by.

The tram’s end of the line was sooner than the maps and websites stated, but that was fine with us as it left us closer to the center of town.  Wandering around that area was the plan for the rest of the afternoon.

Enjoying the streets, evenin the rain...

After walking down a few shopping streets (thankfully Naomi only dragged me into one shop!), we headed down towards the Commerce Square, a large open area by the Tagus River with a large arch at its entrance.

Approaching the Arco Triunfal da Rua Augusta (Triumphal Arch).

The Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square) by the Tagus River. 

Looking out at the river.

Some weird "rock art".  That's some kind of lizard in the bottom left.

This is known as "Pink Street".

Getting down on Pink Street.

Lovely brollies.

Naomi enjoying a moment in an empty dance club.

Choose your poison...

Look at the different sizes of the windows due to the incline of the street.

This is the outside of the Carmo Archaeological Museum which is situated in the ruins of the old Church of Santa Maria which mostly survived the massive Lisbon earthquake of 1755 that killed about 1/3 of all inhabitants.

Who doesn't like a flying buttress?!?

Looking out over the city.

It turned into a lovely day.

It's amazing that those arches survived the earthquake.

Men in Black.

Some strange pelicans on the wall.

The Santa Justa Lift, a strange tourist attraction that wasn't open.  Sure you get a view of the city, but we had one almost as good by the church in the previous photo.

We eventually made our way back to our hotel and I have to say that even though I’m generally not crazy about big cities, I did enjoy this first day in Lisbon.  It’s quite a pretty city.

That being said, tomorrow Naomi arranged that we will go on a day trip outside of the city with a tour guide take us to a palace in a nearby town called Sintra and to a few other spots, like the Cabo da Roca, which is the most western part of continental Europe.

The Christmas Markets were already in action.

We went for tapas at a restaurant called "Leve Leve" (lightly, lightly), which was a restaurant owned/run by guys from Sao Tome and Principe, which used to be a Portuguese colony.  Unfortunately, the food wasn't great...with the veggie quesadillas only containing small, whole mushrooms and cheese, which sounds okay, but it wasn't.  At least we found a yellow tram to bring the day to full circle.

Well...not our best choice for a dinner spot...but you can't win them all.