Lisbon trams, which can accommodate up to 50 people and appeared at the end of the 19th century, when they were harnessed by horses, still retain wooden floors and casement windows today.
The small yellow trams that emit a high-pitched screech and run through the hills of old Lisbon are a kind of tourist postcard of the Portuguese capital.
Because of the tourists who consider it a must-have experience to ride the Lisbon tram, it turns out that the locals suffer. They often have to stand in line for more than an hour at the stop of tram No. 28, which runs along the most popular route among foreigners in the center of Lisbon.
In a situation with an ever-growing influx of visitors from abroad, and almost 9 million people visited Portugal in 2023, discontent with excessive tourism is growing among Lisbonians.
Although the Lisbon transport company Carris has launched red trams specifically for tourists, they are less popular than public ones due to much higher fares. There are currently five lines in Lisbon served by historic trams.
