Lisbon Tram with Kids Fun & Easy Family Guide 2025

Last updated on September 10, 2025 at 14:50:49

Yesterday morning, my five-year-old Theo asked our Tram 28 driver if he could help collect tickets. The driver, who we’ve come to know as Senhor Carlos, handed him his official clip board and let him pretend to check passes for three stops. Watching my shy British boy confidently announce “bilhetes por favor” to bemused passengers, I couldn’t help remembering our first Lisbon tram with kids ride eighteen months ago, when that same child screamed so loudly about the “scary yellow bus” that we had to get off after one stop.

Living between Brighton and Lisbon with two young children means I’ve become something of an unwilling expert on navigating these century-old trams with small humans in tow. Not the polished guidebook version, but the messy reality of it. The truth that involves bribes of pastéis de nata, emergency wees in questionable cafés, and learning that the phrase “com licença” becomes absolutely essential when you’re carrying a five-year-old who’s gone boneless in protest.

Lisbon Tram with Kids The Morning Secret

Our breakthrough came entirely by accident. Theo had conjunctivitis, the only pharmacy open at 7am was in Belém, and we had no car. So there we were, standing at the Graça tram stop at 7:15am, expecting hell. Instead, we found ourselves in a completely different Lisbon. The tram arrived with actual empty seats. The driver nodded good morning. A lady with a bakery box shared warm croissants with the kids. It was civilization.

That’s when I learned the absolute golden rule of trams with children: become a morning person or accept your fate. Before 8:30am, you’re sharing carriages with locals heading to work. They’re patient, often helpful, and there’s this unspoken solidarity among the early risers. After 9am, you’re trapped in tourist purgatory with everyone else clutching their Lonely Planet guides and blocking the doors trying to get the perfect photo.

Now we’re out the door by 7:30am most days. Yes, it means I’m making packed breakfasts at what feels like midnight to my British sensibilities, but it also means Lena can actually sit by a window and count the laundry lines (her weird obsession) while Theo practices his Portuguese numbers with the same commuters who now expect his daily “bom dia!” enthusiasm.

Lisbon Tram Routes for Families

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Tram Line: Kid-Friendliness: Time of Day: 7:00 AM

The Routes That Actually Work

Forget Tram 28 unless you’re prepared for combat conditions. We’ve had far better luck with Tram 12, which does a neat little circle from Praça da Figueira through Alfama. It’s like Tram 28’s calmer cousin – same yellow charm, same rattling noises, but somehow half the tourists know about it. The drivers on this route seem less worn down by life too. One of them keeps lollipops in his cabin specifically for kids, though he pretends it’s a big secret every single time.

Tram 15 to Belém is the only one where I’ll brave bringing a pushchair. It’s modern, has actual air conditioning, and the floor is flat enough that you won’t send your buggy careening into other passengers at every turn. Plus, it ends at Belém, where you can salvage any disaster of a morning with those famous custard tarts that have magical child-calming properties.

The Survival Kit I Never Leave Home Without

My tram bag has evolved through pure natural selection. Out went the lovely leather satchel I bought at the Feira da Ladra market. In came a hideously practical rucksack containing: travel sickness bands (learned that one the hard way), a fan that also sprays water (absolute genius invention), those little packets of cream crackers from Pingo Doce that cost 30 cents and buy you ten minutes of silence, wet wipes obviously, and a spare pair of pants for Theo because excitement and bladder control don’t always align when you’re five.

I also carry five euros in coins at all times. This is tram emergency money for when you need to abort mission immediately and duck into the nearest café for an emergency wee and restorative galão. Every parent in Lisbon knows the unspoken rule: you buy something if you use their bathroom, even if it’s just a água com gás you’ll end up carrying around all day.

What Nobody Tells You About the Reality

Some days it’s magic. Like when an elderly Portuguese man spent twenty minutes teaching Theo card tricks on a delayed Tram 25, or when Lena helped a lost American couple and felt like a proper Lisbon expert. Those are the days you remember why you chose this slightly mental lifestyle.

Other days, you end up carrying a screaming child off a packed tram in Príncipe Real while your other child announces to the entire carriage that you’re the meanest mummy in the world because you wouldn’t let them lean out the window. Those are the days you question all your life choices while stress-eating brigadeiros from that little Brazilian shop near Rossio.

But here’s what two years have taught me: the disasters make the best stories. Theo still talks about the time he dropped his croissant and a street dog jumped on the tram to eat it. Lena treasures the fan a Chinese tourist gave her during a particularly sweaty August ride. These aren’t just commutes; they’re the threads that weave our Lisbon life together.

Right then, your turn. What’s your best (or worst) public transport story with kids? Have you mastered the art of tram surfing while holding a toddler? Found the holy grail of snacks that don’t make horrific crumbs? Share your survival tactics below – we parents need all the solidarity we can get. And if you’re planning your first Lisbon tram adventure with little ones, ask away. I’ve probably lived through whatever nightmare scenario you’re imagining.