Santa Justa Lift. If you are in the city center of Lisbon you can’t miss this place. It is also called the Carmo Lift (probably because you get a good view of the Carmo convent from up here). We have a tip for you if you don’t want to spend 5 euros taking the lift to the top!

Santa Justa lift is a lift

It is one of the symbols for Lisbon. If you ask me it looks a bit awkward and squeezed in between buildings. But at the same time, it fits perfectly there. If you come to the bottom of the lift you will see a line because let’s face it – there is always a line to the Santa Justa Lift.

If you want to take the lift to the top (45 meters up) you pay 5 euros and then you wait in line for the lift. Make sure to not head for the line straight away because you need to buy your tickets first. You can buy those on the side of the lift. When the lift opened in 1902 there were 3 000 people that bought tickets for the elevator the first day! That shows you how special this building really was for the inhabitants of Lisbon.

Skip the line and save 3,50 euro

If you don’t feel the need to take the small lift up to the top you can save yourself both time and money. So instead of walking to the Santa Justa lift from the bottom – walk from the Carmo convent to the lift. From here you will have to pay 1,50 euros to enter the top. However, that is still 3,50 cheaper than to stand in the line downstairs.

And then you have to take some narrow stairs to reach the top but the reward, once you’re up there, is worth it! This place is not that scary – even if you are afraid of heights. First of all, you have a big railing that makes it feel safe. And you are “just” 40 meters up so not that high. From up here, you can see the water, the city and the Carmo Convent. You can also feel the vibrations from the cars in the tower – something that I felt was pretty cool!

There are a lot of people saying that the Santa justa Lift is made by Gustav Eiffel (the guy that made the Eiffel tower in Paris). However that is not true! The designer was architect Raoul Mesnier de Ponsard. However he was an apprentice and civil engineer of Mr Eiffel. I think that that’s why people get confused and think that the lift is made from the Eiffel tower guy!

Information about the Santa Justa Lift

Address: Rua do Ouro, Lisbon, Portugal.
Opening hours: May – October: 07.00 – 23.00. November – April: 07.00 – 22.00.
Worth visiting? Yes if you ask us. But don’t pay the 5 euros for the elevator. The elevator ride itself is not an attraction. The highlight is seeing it from the top so skip the lift and head straight for the top!