Lisbon's street meters work office hours. EMEL, the city's parking company, charges the kerb Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 19:00; under the municipal regulation, evenings, Sundays and public holidays are free with no time limit, though a few zones also charge on Saturday and the meter tells you which. Arrive on a Friday evening and the street is yours until Monday morning.
On a weekday the cheapest day in town is not on the street at all. EMEL's car park at Colégio Militar, opposite the Benfica stadium and next to the blue metro line, caps at €2.60 a day. In the old centre, EMEL's garage on the Calçada do Combro stops at €13.05, half what the private garages round the Restauradores ask.
Wind off the Tagus, smoke off the grill
The light is the first thing: white limestone pavements throw the sun back at you, and even in October I drive with sunglasses. In June the whole of Alfama smells of grilled sardines and charcoal. Lisboetas walk up hills that would stop a mule and look faintly amused at anyone out of breath.
Tram 28 and the lift on the Rua do Ouro
Tram 28 is the postcard, and the queue at Martim Moniz shows it. By the time you board, you see Graça through someone's elbow. I would walk the route downhill from the castle instead.
The Elevador de Santa Justa is the second queue. Its top walkway also connects to Largo do Carmo in Chiado, so you can walk onto the deck from uphill and skip the wait.
Tuesday and Saturday at the thieves' market
The Feira da Ladra runs every Tuesday and Saturday, 09:00–18:00, behind the church of São Vicente de Fora. It has been on this square since 1882: tiles, old keys, cameras, vinyl and pure junk. My advice: go early on a Tuesday and carry small cash.
Two hours in the red streets, then move the car
The red streets, the busy axes, carry a two-hour maximum; yellow and green zones allow four hours. The regulation says no vehicle may stay longer, so paying again in the app does not reset the clock. Overstay and EMEL can clamp: €87 to release a car, plus the fine. When I need longer than two hours, I go to a garage.
Parking in Lisbon: Four colours, from €0.85 to €2.10, and a €13.05 garage day
EMEL uses colours. After the first update in about fifteen years, the hourly rates are green €0.85, yellow €1.25, red €1.70 and brown €2.10, up from €0.80, €1.20, €1.60 and €2.00. EMEL states that the new values apply from 4 August 2026, phased in, so a meter may still show the old price. In some green and yellow streets a day ticket is offered: €2.15 green, €3.15 yellow. Pay at the meter in cash, or by ePark (EMEL's own app), EasyPark, Telpark, Via Verde Estacionar or MB WAY.
The garages that tell you their price: Calçada do Combro between Chiado and Bairro Alto, €1.45 an hour and €13.05 a day, my pick. Chão do Loureiro below the castle, €1.45 an hour, €20 a day. Campo das Cebolas by the river, €1.50 an hour, €25 a day. The private Restauradores charges €3.30 for the first hour and €29.90 a day, with a 2.00 m roof.
Lisbon has a low-emission zone, the ZER, on working days 07:00–21:00. Zone 1, the Avenida da Liberdade and Baixa, admits only cars from 2000 on (Euro 3); zone 2, the wider ring, cars from 1996 on (Euro 2). The city publishes no registration and no sticker, so a foreign car only has to be new enough; it also publishes no fine amount. The Baixa-Chiado zone planned before the pandemic was dropped.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | EV |
|---|---|---|
| Calçada do Combro (EMEL)Between Calçada do Combro 93 and Travessa André Valente 7, between Chiado and Bairro Alto; open 24 hours | €0.50 up to 15 minutes, €1.45 an hour, €2.90 for two, €6.65 for four, €13.05 a day — the cheapest day in the old centre. 240 spaces. | 6 charging points. |
| Chão do Loureiro (EMEL)Between Largo da Atafona and Calçada Marquês de Tancos, below the castle; open 24 hours | €0.50 up to 15 minutes, €1.45 an hour, €2.95 for two, €6.80 for four, €20 a day. 192 spaces. The castle's own site sends drivers here. | 8 charging points. |
| Campo das Cebolas (EMEL)Rua da Alfândega, by the river between the Praça do Comércio and Alfama; open 24 hours | €0.50 minimum, €1.50 an hour, €3 for two, €6 for four, €25 a day. 205 spaces. | 10 charging points. |
| Restauradores (Telpark)Under the Praça dos Restauradores, at the foot of the Avenida da Liberdade; open 24 hours | €3.30 for the first hour, €29.90 a day; later hours not published. 545 spaces, height 2.00 m. Cash, card, Via Verde or the Telpark app. | Chargers on site; number and price not published. |
| Belém (EMEL, surface)Rua de Belém, opposite the Pastéis de Belém; open 08:00–02:00 | €0.50 up to 15 minutes, €1 an hour, €2 for two, €5.60 for four, €30.80 a day cap. Only 76 spaces, so come early. | 10 charging points. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | Belém (EMEL, surface) | €2 | no 24 h rate — not for overnight |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Calçada do Combro (EMEL) | €2.90 | |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, red zone (busy axes) | €3.40 | €1.70 an hour since the update from 4 August 2026, phased in, so a meter may still show €1.60. Two hours maximum, and paying again does not reset it; a clamp is €87 plus the fine. |
| A full day (10 h) | EMEL Colégio Militar, by the metro | €2.60 | €2.60 caps the day. Open 08:00–02:00, so it is not for overnight. The blue metro line runs from here to Restauradores and Baixa-Chiado. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Calçada do Combro (EMEL) | €13.05 | |
| 24 hours | Calçada do Combro (EMEL) | €13.05 |
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Towed in Lisbon: €111, Azinhaga Santa Susana, and a text message
Check first. Send a free SMS to 3838 with Reboque and the plate, look it up at smsreboques.mai.gov.pt, or ring EMEL on 21 780 31 31. The answer tells you whether EMEL, the municipal police or the PSP took it, and where.
EMEL's pound is at Azinhaga Santa Susana, in the north of the city. Since 1 March 2026 a car costs €111 to tow and €32 per 24 hours or part of it, plus the fine; the tow fee is due the moment the truck arrives, even if you get there first. EMEL does not publish the pound's opening hours. Bring the registration document or the rental contract, your driving licence or ID, and ring the rental company if it is a hire car.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- EMEL, the municipal police and the PSP all tow in Lisbon; the SMS check tells you which one took the car. EMEL clamps or tows for overstaying, illegal parking and obstruction
- Phone
- Free SMS: send "Reboque" and the plate, e.g. Reboque 00-AA-00 — says who towed it and where: 3838
EMEL: 21 780 31 31 - Collect it at
- EMEL's pound: Azinhaga Santa Susana. A car towed by the police may be elsewhere — check by SMS or at smsreboques.mai.gov.pt first.
- Hours
- Not published by EMEL. Check before you go.
- What it costs
- Since 1 March 2026, for a car: €111 to tow, €32 per 24 hours or part of it, plus the fine. The tow fee is due as soon as the truck arrives, even if the car is handed back on the spot. A clamp alone is €87 plus the fine.
- Bring
- The registration document (or leasing or rental contract), a driving licence or ID card, and your tax number if you have a Portuguese one. For a hire car, ring the rental company first.
EV charging in Lisbon: 2 cents a minute by day, 10 cents a kWh at night
EMEL runs the city's own network, LEVE, and publishes its operator fee. In EMEL car parks a 7.4 kW point costs €0.02 a minute from 08:00 to 21:59 and €0.10 per kWh overnight. On the street a 22 kW point is €0.06–€0.12 a minute by colour zone, and 43–50 kW chargers are €0.15 a minute for 45 minutes, then €0.20. Electricity is billed on top by your card provider.
All of it sits on MOBI.E, the national network. A foreign driver can pay with a bank card at fast chargers over 50 kW installed since April 2024; elsewhere a QR code allows electronic payment. I charge overnight in Campo das Cebolas, which has 10 points.
Where to charge
- LEVE, EMEL's own network — On-street and in EMEL car parks across Lisbon, part of the national MOBI.E network. Operator fee in EMEL car parks: 7.4 kW €0.02 a minute 08:00–21:59, €0.10 per kWh 22:00–07:59; 22 kW €0.06 a minute by day. On the street, 22 kW is €0.06/€0.09/€0.12 a minute in green/yellow/red zones; 43–50 kW €0.15 a minute for 45 minutes, then €0.20. Electricity billed on top by your card provider
- Campo das Cebolas — 10 points by the river — Rua da Alfândega, open 24 hours. My pick: charge overnight at €0.10 per kWh operator fee and pay the garage's €25 day cap. Walk to the Praça do Comércio or up into Alfama
- Belém — 10 points opposite the pastry shop — Rua de Belém, open 08:00–02:00. Good for a half day at the Jerónimos and the tower; only 76 spaces
Free parking in Lisbon: Weekends, and €2.60 at the Benfica stadium
The easiest free parking in Lisbon is time, not place: street spaces cost nothing after 19:00, on Sundays and on public holidays. For a weekday, Colégio Militar opposite the Estádio da Luz is €2.60 for the day, open 08:00–02:00; the blue line runs from there to Restauradores and Baixa-Chiado. Campo Grande has the same €2.60 cap and is free at weekends.
Coming from the south, both bridges charge only northbound, into Lisbon. Lusoponte's site would not load for me; a motoring news site puts the 2026 car toll at €2.25 on the 25 de Abril and €3.40 on the Vasco da Gama.
Free or nearly-free spots
Free on the street after 19:00, on Sundays and on holidays
EMEL charges the kerb Monday to Friday 09:00–19:00. Under the municipal regulation, outside those hours parking is free with no time limit. A few zones also charge on Saturday, so read the meter. The ZER still applies on working days 07:00–21:00.
€2.60 a day at Colégio Militar, on the blue line
EMEL's car park opposite the Estádio da Luz has 415 spaces and caps at €2.60 a day, open 08:00–02:00. The blue metro line runs from Colégio Militar/Luz to Restauradores and Baixa-Chiado without a change. No chargers here.
Campo Grande: €2.60 on weekdays, free at weekends
EMEL's Campo Grande car park, opposite the Caleidoscópio, also caps at €2.60 a day on weekdays, and is free on Saturday and Sunday. Campo Grande metro is on the green and yellow lines.
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- Red streets allow two hours, yellow and green four; the regulation says no vehicle may stay longer, so topping up in the app does not help. Overstay and EMEL can clamp (€87 plus the fine) or tow (€111 plus €32 a day plus the fine).
- The ZER low-emission zone runs on working days 07:00–21:00. Zone 1 (Avenida da Liberdade and Baixa) admits cars from 2000 on (Euro 3), zone 2 cars from 1996 on (Euro 2). The city publishes no registration or sticker for foreign cars and no fine amount; EMEL is installing plate-reading cameras, according to news reports.
- EMEL's new hourly rates (green €0.85, yellow €1.25, red €1.70, brown €2.10) apply from 4 August 2026 and are being phased in, so a meter may still show the old price.
- Both Tagus bridges charge only northbound, into Lisbon. A motoring news site gives €2.25 for a car on the 25 de Abril and €3.40 on the Vasco da Gama in 2026; Lusoponte's own site would not load for me.
- Most of the old electronic-only motorways (A22 in the Algarve, A23, A24, A28, A4) have charged zero since 2025; parts of the A25 and A13 still charge. On a gantry-only road, a foreign car pays through Easytoll at the border or, per consumer group DECO, at a CTT post office within 15 working days.
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.