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The Porto cable car belongs to Gaia, the city facing Porto over the Douro, and it solves one specific problem: the steep climb between the Port lodges on the riverside and the Jardim do Morro at the top, beside the upper deck of the Luís I bridge. The ride is short, the view over the Ribeira is wide, and it saves the walk up after a tasting.
Four things settle a visit: the route, the 2026 fares for single, return and family tickets, the opening hours by season, and how the ride fits into an afternoon in Gaia.
Two ways to combine the cable car or the river with a half-day in the city.
Includes the cable carPorto: Walking Tour, Lello Bookshop, Boat and Cable Car
A walking tour, Livraria Lello, a boat trip and the cable car together
On the riverPorto: Six Bridges Cruise
The river under the bridges, easy to pair with the ride up
Route and fares
The mistake is to look for the cable car in Porto itself. Both stations are on the Gaia bank.
Its official name is the Teleférico de Gaia. The lift maker Doppelmayr installed it at a cost of 12 million euros, and it carried its first passengers in April 2011. The cabins cover roughly 562 m: the top station sits by the garden on the Avenida da República, the bottom one on the quay among the lodges.
The Porto cable car price for 2026 is 7 euros one way for an adult and 3.50 euros for a child aged 5 to 12. Going up and down again costs 10 euros (5 for a child), a return for two parents and two children is 22.50 euros, and any ticket can be used within 30 days of purchase. Fares change from year to year; the operator's prices and timetable page has the current ones.
Up top, the garden never closes, and the monastery terrace of the Serra do Pilar is a two-minute walk away.
- Length
- About 562 m
- Opened
- April 2011
- Adult one way (2026)
- 7 EUR
- Adult round trip (2026)
- 10 EUR
- Family round trip, 2+2
- 22.50 EUR
- High season hours
- 10:00-20:00, 26 Apr-24 Sep
Hours, and how to use the ride
The mistake is to plan the ride for late evening in winter. The hours shorten through the year.
In 2026, the cabins run daily from 10:00 to 20:00 in high season, from 26 April to 24 September, except on 23 June, the eve of São João, when they stop at 19:00. In mid season, from 25 September to 24 October, they run from 10:00 to 19:00, and from 25 October to 31 December from 10:00 to 18:00. The cable car is closed on Christmas Day.
The best order for a Porto cable car ride is downhill on foot and up by cabin. Cross the lower deck of the bridge from the Ribeira, visit a lodge on the Gaia quay, then let the cabin lift you to the hilltop garden, and walk back over the upper deck, or take metro line D from the Jardim do Morro station.
Buy Porto cable car tickets at the stations, or as part of a combined tour. A return is only worth buying if you plan to come back down to the quay, for dinner by the river, say.
With a pushchair or tired legs, the cabin is the easiest way between the river and the metro at the top, which runs straight back to the centre of Porto over the bridge.
The riverfront and the bridge are part of the historic centre's UNESCO World Heritage site. For the whole afternoon in Gaia, see the Vila Nova de Gaia page.
The hours shorten through the year, so an evening ride needs checking.Common questions
How much is the cable car in Porto?
In 2026, 7 euros one way for an adult and 3.50 euros for a child aged 5 to 12; 10 euros round trip for an adult, and 22.50 euros for a family round trip.
Where is the Porto cable car?
In Vila Nova de Gaia, between the Cais de Gaia by the Port lodges and the Jardim do Morro beside the upper deck of the Luís I bridge.
What are the cable car's opening hours?
In 2026, 10:00 to 20:00 from 26 April to 24 September, 10:00 to 19:00 to 24 October, and 10:00 to 18:00 from 25 October to 31 December. It is closed on Christmas Day.