Ferries from Porto Brandão

Porto Brandão is a handful of buildings on the south bank of the Tagus with a ferry ramp, and it exists on the timetable because Belém is directly opposite. Ten minutes of water separates a monument quarter from a quiet stretch of the Almada shore, and about twenty boats a day make the trip.

The crossing

Porto Brandão to Belém takes about 10 minutes, with 21 sailings in this direction and 20 back in our timetable, operated by Transtejo & Soflusa.

The same service continues to Trafaria, a few minutes further west, at around 15 minutes from Belém.

⚠ The timetable starts in the afternoon

The Belém–Porto Brandão–Trafaria service runs roughly 13:30 to 22:00. There is no morning boat on this route.

Anyone planning to cross early — to walk the south bank, or to reach the Caparica coast before the day warms up — needs a different plan. The Cais do Sodré service to Cacilhas starts before six in the morning, but lands several kilometres east of here.

What is on this side

Not a great deal, and that is the appeal for some. Porto Brandão is a small riverside settlement below the wooded slope of the Costa da Caparica hinterland, with a couple of restaurants known locally for fish.

Trafaria at the river mouth is larger and is the practical access to the northern end of the Caparica beaches without going round by road.

The view is the reason

The crossing gives the elevation-free view of Belém from the water — the Torre de Belém, the Padrão dos Descobrimentos and the monastery behind them, seen from the angle they were built to be approached from.

For ten minutes and a public transport fare, it is the cheapest river cruise in Lisbon.

Practicalities

Fares and ticketing follow Lisbon public transport rules; there are no reservations and no vehicle deck on this service. Departures thin out late in the evening, and the last boat back is earlier than the last boat across.