Ascensor da Bica

The Bica funicular opened in 1892, another of Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard's Lisbon lifts, running about 280 metres up the Rua da Bica de Duarte Belo from near Cais do Sodré to the edge of the Bairro Alto, on a gradient of around eleven per cent through a narrow street of terraced houses. It is the most photographed of Lisbon's funiculars and the reason is compositional: standing at the top, the street falls away in a straight line between close walls with the yellow car in the middle and the Tagus visible at the bottom, which is a frame that assembles itself. That means a permanent queue of photographers at the top of the street, standing in the roadway. The car itself takes a couple of minutes to run. It is public transport covered by a day pass, and the Bica quarter around it is residential, steep and worth walking rather than only photographing.

What you actually see

• The composition - the street falling straight between houses with the river at the end.
• The 1892 funicular - Mesnier du Ponsard's line on an eleven per cent gradient.
• The Bica quarter - a steep residential neighbourhood between Cais do Sodré and Bairro Alto.
• The transport role - a working line included in Carris passes.

When to go

Year-round. Fifteen to thirty minutes. Early morning is the only time the top of the street is clear of photographers.

Honest expectations

The photograph everyone wants is taken from the middle of a working street, and the crowd doing it is constant. The ride is under two minutes. It is a residential quarter and the noise at night is a live local complaint. Covered by transport passes.

Nearby

Cais do Sodré and the river are below; Bairro Alto is at the top.