Tram 28 is a genuine piece of working city infrastructure — 1930s Remodelado cars grinding up gradients no modern tram could manage — that happens to pass more Lisbon landmarks than any tour bus. That's the wonder. The problem: everyone knows it, the queue at Martim Moniz can hit an hour, and a packed car is where phones go to disappear.
The two rules that fix it
Rule one: board at the ends, early or late. Start from Campo Ourique (the western terminus, reachable by taxi or bus) instead of Martim Moniz, and ride the whole line into town — you'll board an empty car and get a seat by the window. Time it before 9am or after 7pm and the ride is what the postcards promise: rattling through Alfama's alleys close enough to touch the laundry.
Rule two: never ride it standing in the middle of the day. A crushed Tram 28 at 2pm is the single worst way to experience it — you see nothing, and the pickpockets work the crowd professionally. Keep phones and wallets in front pockets, zipped. This is the one place in Lisbon where that warning is not boilerplate.
What you actually pass
The line strings together Graça's viewpoints, the cathedral (Sé), the steep heart of Alfama, Baixa's grid, the Chiado shopping streets, the parliament at São Bento and the Estrela Basilica — essentially a 40-minute cross-section of the city's entire history for the price of a transit fare. Tap a rechargeable transit card rather than buying the pricier onboard ticket.
The alternatives nobody mentions
- Tram 12: a short circular through Alfama covering the prettiest stretch of 28's route, at a fraction of the crowding.
- Tram 24: reopened line from Camões up toward Campolide — same vintage cars, mostly locals.
- The private tram tours: restored cars you can book as a guided ride with a guaranteed seat and commentary. More money, zero stress; a good call for families or anyone who wants photos rather than a commute.
Make a morning of it
The smart itinerary: coffee and a pastel de nata in Campo Ourique's market, the full 28 ride east at 8:30, off at Portas do Sol for the classic Alfama viewpoint, then walk downhill through the alleys — getting a little lost is the whole point — and lunch near the cathedral before the cruise crowds surface. You'll have done Lisbon's most famous experience and dodged every one of its traps.
