Elevador da Bica

The Elevador da Bica is arguably the most photographed street in Lisbon, and it isn't even really an elevator — it's a funicular, a cable-pulled tram that hauls itself up one of the steepest streets in the city. The Bica funicular has been climbing the Rua da Bica de Duarte Belo since 1892, connecting the riverside Cais do Sodré neighborhood with the São Paulo area above. The gradient is punishing — roughly 1:4 in places — and watching the tiny yellow car grind its way up the narrow street, framed by pastel-colored buildings and draped laundry, is one of those Lisbon moments that makes you reach for your camera even if you swore you wouldn't be that tourist.

Originally powered by a water counterbalance system (a tank under the descending car was filled with water to help pull the ascending car up), the Bica switched to steam in 1896 and finally to electric power in 1914. The funicular was classified as a National Monument in 2002, which means the city is obligated to maintain it even though it would be far cheaper to just build steps. The cars hold about 25 passengers each, and the ride takes approximately three minutes — possibly the most scenic three minutes in Lisbon public transit, which is saying something for a city where the bus routes cross medieval bridges and the metro stations are art galleries.

The street itself has become a destination independent of the funicular. During warm evenings, locals and tourists perch on the steep steps alongside the tracks, drinking beer from the corner shops and watching the sunset paint the river pink through the gap between buildings at the bottom of the street. It's a spontaneous gathering that nobody organized but everybody knows about. The area around the lower station, Cais do Sodré, has transformed from Lisbon's red-light district into its trendiest nightlife zone — a transition that took roughly two decades and is still visibly incomplete, which is part of the charm.