Elevador de Santa Justa

Major tourist attraction, the Elevador do Carmo or Elevador de Santa Justa is a classic steel-frame elevator running from the level of Rua do Ouro up 30 metres to the Largo do Carmo, which is accessed by a walkway. The structure, which vaguely resembles the Eiffel Tower in style, was designed by Raul Mesnier de Ponsard, a Portuguese engineer of French descent (who is often described as having been an apprentice of Gustave Eiffel, but this is contested). The grey metallic structure was inaugurated in 1902 and like most of the elevadores of that time was originally powered by steam, but was converted to electricity in 1907.

Elevator booths with wooden interiors can hold 29 people at a time and there is a cafe on the upper level where live music is sometimes played for the tourists. The Neo-Gothic structure changes pattern on each storey; the top level is reached by a metal staircase and although quite vertiginous, it commands great views of Lisbon, especially the Castelo São Jorge, Praça do Rossio, Baixa and the Tagus Estuary. When it was first built the tower was considered a marvel of civil engineering and is today a National Monument. Fortunately the lift was not damaged in the 1998 Chiado fire.

Rua de Santa Justa. Open daily 08:00 to 21:00 in winter and to 23:00 in summer.