The cheapest way to cycle in Lisbon in 2026 is GIRA, the city’s bike-share: a day pass costs €2 and every ride of up to 45 minutes is included. All GIRA bikes are electric-assisted, so the hills are manageable, and visitors aged 16 or over can buy the pass in the app with a credit card. If you want your own bike for the whole day, the bikeiberia Lisbon Hub at Cais do Sodré rents city bikes from €25 a day and city e-bikes from €40.
You have two options. GIRA, run by the city’s mobility company EMEL, has docking stations across Lisbon: you unlock a bike in the app, ride, and leave it in any other GIRA dock. A rental shop gives you the same bike for the whole day or several days, with a lock so you can stop wherever you like, and you return it to the shop. The flat riverside between Cais do Sodré and Belém and the waterfront at Parque das Nações are the easiest places to ride.
| Option | Price | Best for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| GIRA (city bike-share) | €2 day pass; rides up to 45 min included | Short hops between sights and stations | Age 16+; every bike is electric-assisted; return to a GIRA dock |
| Rental shop (e.g. bikeiberia Lisbon Hub) | City bike from €25 a day, e-bike from €40 | A full day on the riverside, families, Cascais by train | Helmet and lock included; return to the shop |
| Guided ride | From €45 per person (bikeiberia half-day ride) | First day in the city | Book ahead; days and routes vary |
| Rental car | Depends on dates | Sintra, Arrábida, the Algarve | Not needed inside Lisbon; parking in the centre is expensive |
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GIRA runs every day from 06:00 to 02:00. Buy a pass in the GIRA app, pick a station with free bikes on the map, unlock one and pull it out of the dock within 15 seconds. To finish, push the bike into a free (green) dock and confirm the end of the ride in the app. Stations have Wi-Fi, so you do not need mobile data to unlock.
| Pass | Price | Free ride time | Ride of 45–90 min | Each further 45 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily | €2 | Up to 45 min | +€2 | +€2 |
| Monthly | €15 | Up to 45 min | +€1 | +€2 |
| Annual | €25 | Up to 45 min | +€1 | +€2 |
| GIRA Navegante | Lisbon residents only | Up to 45 min | +€1 | +€2 |
Source: official GIRA tariff page, checked 16 October 2026. You can take as many rides as you like: dock the bike, take another one, and the 45 minutes start again.
Yes. GIRA is open to anyone aged 16 or over; only the GIRA Navegante pass requires a Lisbon address. The daily pass can only be paid with MB Way or a credit card. MB Way needs a Portuguese bank account, so for most visitors that means a Visa or Mastercard credit card.
Every GIRA bike has electric pedal assistance up to 25 km/h. GIRA states that a helmet is not compulsory on these bikes, and riders are covered by accident and third-party liability insurance. GIRA does not publish the number of stations or bikes; the app shows free bikes and docks in real time.
Most rental shops are near Cais do Sodré, where the riverside cycle path starts. We list only shops that publish their prices; check what is included before you book.
| bikeiberia Lisbon Hub | 4 hours | Daily | 24 hours | 48 hours | 72 hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City hybrid bike | €20 | €25 | €30 | €55 | €75 |
| City e-bike | €35 | €40 | €45 | €90 | €105 |
Prices from the bikeiberia Lisbon Hub website, checked 16 October 2026. The Lisbon Hub is at Largo do Corpo Santo 5, near Cais do Sodré; bikeiberia lists its hours as 09:30–18:00, Monday to Sunday. A helmet (not compulsory) and a key lock are included. The shop also runs guided rides; its half-day ride of 16 km is listed at €45 per person.
Before booking with any shop, ask:
An e-bike if you plan to leave the river at all: Alfama, the castle, Bairro Alto and Graça are steep. An ordinary bike is fine for the flat riverside to Belém and for Parque das Nações. At bikeiberia, the e-bike costs €15 more than the city bike for a 24-hour rental (€45 against €30). GIRA bikes are all electric-assisted anyway.
GIRA or a rental bike? Cost calculator
GIRA: official tariff, daily pass €2, every ride up to 45 minutes free, €2 extra for a ride of 45–90 minutes. Rental: bikeiberia Lisbon Hub prices for 24, 48 and 72 hours (city hybrid €30 / €55 / €75, city e-bike €45 / €90 / €105), checked 16 October 2026.
The classic ride: a flat cycle path along the river, past the Alcântara docks and under the 25 de Abril Bridge to the Belém Tower, roughly 7 km each way. On the way you pass LX Factory, the MAAT museum and the Monument to the Discoveries. Good for children.
The former Expo ’98 site: a wide, flat promenade from the Oceanarium towards the Vasco da Gama Bridge, with very little traffic. A good place to try GIRA for the first time.
Take the train from Cais do Sodré to Cascais: bicycles travel free on CP trains. From Cascais a separate cycle path follows the coast to Guincho beach, roughly 9 km each way. On a windy day the ride back is harder.
| Transport | Bikes allowed? | Price | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| CP trains (Cascais and Sintra lines) | Yes | Free | One bike per passenger; staff can refuse when the train is full; not on replacement buses |
| Lisbon metro | Yes | – | At most 2 bikes per carriage and only when it is not crowded; e-bikes switched off |
| GIRA bikes | No need | – | Leave the bike at a dock near the station and take another one at the other end |
Transport rules were last checked on 11 October 2026. We could not confirm the current rules for the Tagus ferries, so we do not quote them.
Bike in the city, car for the day trips
Sintra, the Arrábida beaches, Évora and the Algarve are out of reach by bike. The easiest plan is to pick up a car at Lisbon Airport on the day you leave the city, so you do not pay for parking in the centre.
A GIRA day pass costs €2 and includes every ride of up to 45 minutes; the monthly pass is €15 and the annual pass €25. At the bikeiberia Lisbon Hub, a city bike costs €25 a day and a city e-bike €40 a day.
Yes. Anyone aged 16 or over can use GIRA. The daily pass is bought in the GIRA app and paid with a credit card or MB Way. Only the GIRA Navegante pass is limited to Lisbon residents.
On the daily pass, a ride of 45–90 minutes costs €2 extra, and each further 45 minutes another €2. You avoid the charge by docking the bike on the way and taking it out again.
An e-bike if you leave the riverside: the old districts are steep. An ordinary bike is fine for the flat path to Belém and for Parque das Nações. All GIRA bikes are electric-assisted.
GIRA states that a helmet is not compulsory on its bikes. Rental shops such as bikeiberia include one free of charge, and it is worth wearing, especially on streets with tram tracks.
Yes. Bikes travel free on CP trains, one per passenger. Staff can refuse bikes when the train is full, so avoid rush hour.
Every day from 06:00 to 02:00. The GIRA app shows free bikes and free docks at each station.
Disclosure: we earn a commission when you book a rental car through our partner DiscoverCars, at no extra cost to you. Bike rental links are not affiliate links; we have no commercial relationship with GIRA or bikeiberia.
Fact-checked on 16 October 2026. Sources: official GIRA tariff and FAQ (gira-bicicletasdelisboa.pt), bikeiberia Lisbon Hub price pages (lisbonhub.com), CP bicycle rules, Lisbon metro customer charter.
