I overlooked this initially, and I have a thought for you.
Lisbon is a beautiful, charismatic city, well worth the time to explore. It’s especially pretty at sunset, if that matters, but in general the architecture, the age of the traditional buildings (they have a bookstore that’s been in operation for almost 300 years), the winding streets, it all combines into a city with tremendous character.
When you read the lists of “things you should see/do in Lisbon,” one that regularly pops up is “you gotta ride the 28.” Here’s the deal on that.
Lisbon has one of the only surviving non-modernized city tram systems in Europe. Lots of cities have street-level trams, from Lyon to Berlin, but they’ve been modernized over the years. Lisbon’s, though? It’s the same rail routes as originally established in the first half of the last century, and some of the individual cars, painted a distinctive mustard yellow, have been in service for decades. Yeah, they’re loud and small and antiquated, but they’re also intensely charming.
In this system, the 28 is the most famous route, because it starts in the middle of downtown and winds through some of LIsbon’s most famous and picturesque neighborhoods. It’s a really excellent way to get an overall sense of the city, both in terms of the physical layout and as a taste of how the various sections of the city differ from one another in character. There’s a reason all the tourist guides mention this as a recommended activity.
There are a couple of downsides, though. First, because it’s so famous, lots of people want to do it. If you go to the city-center terminus in the middle of the day, you’ll find a huge queue waiting to board, and you’ll probably have to wait over an hour, through multiple arrivals and departures, before you get your chance. Second, Lisbon’s trams aren’t just a tourist activity, like, say, Seattle’s monorail, which is used almost exclusively by visitors; the trams are full of people going to and from their jobs, or with arms full of grocery bags, and otherwise just getting around town. As you stand in the queue with them, you will feel their annoyance at being disrupted by tourists.
But there are ways around this, and here’s my recommendation: do the route the other way, starting at the other terminus. Obviously the ease of this depends on the location of your hotel, but the idea is, instead of going to the city center and waiting with hordes of people at Martim Moniz (or avoiding the hordes by getting up at the crack of darkness), you can start outside the city core, at Campo Ourique (which also has the benefit of being next door to a lovely traditional cemetery, if you get there early). You’ll be able to board the 28 with hardly any line, and then you’ll finish the ride in the city center, where you can continue exploring on foot.
The trip takes 45 minutes with no traffic, but depending on conditions could be 10-15 minutes longer. For the best views, when boarding the 28 in this direction, pick a window seat on the right side. Then keep your butt planted until you get to Martim Moniz, because if you get off, you’ll need to stand in line to get back on (per the popularity of the route).
Have fun. Lisbon is great, a city to fall in love with.