Elevador da Glória

The Glória funicular opened in 1885, worked first by a water counterweight system, then by steam, and electrified in 1915. It has not run since 3 September 2025, when one of the cars derailed and hit a building, killing 16 people; the service is suspended and is scheduled to reopen in 2029, and the description below is of the line as it operated until then. It climbs a two hundred and sixty metre track at a steep gradient from Restauradores at the bottom of the Avenida to the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint at the top of the Bairro Alto, in two counterbalanced cars that pass each other midway on a short double section. It is classified as a national monument and is part of the ordinary Carris network, so a transport pass covers it. The cars are repainted regularly and re-tagged just as regularly, so they run covered in graffiti, which is now simply what they look like. The walk up the same street takes about five minutes and is not especially hard, which is worth knowing when the queue is long.

History

A concession for a tram up the Calçada da Glória was granted in 1875, with Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard as chief engineer, building began in 1882, and the lift opened on 24 October 1885. It ran on a water-balance system for only a year before steam took over in 1886, was electrified in 1914-1915, passed to Carris in 1926 and was classified as a National Monument in 2002 (Wikipedia, Ascensor da Glória).

The main sights

• The 1885 funicular - two counterbalanced cars on a steep two-hundred-and-sixty-metre track.
• The passing point - the short double section where the cars meet midway.
• The graffiti - tagging that is repainted and reapplied continuously.
• The viewpoint - São Pedro de Alcântara at the top of the climb.

When to go

The funicular is not running: the service has been suspended since the derailment of September 2025. Until it reopens, the street beside the track is a five-minute walk up to the viewpoint.

Practical notes

The line has been suspended since the fatal derailment of 3 September 2025 and is scheduled to reopen in 2029, so for now there is no ride to take; walking up the street beside the track takes five minutes. When it ran, queues at the bottom could be long for a ride of under two minutes, the cars were small and crowded, and it was included in transport passes.

Nearby

São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint is at the top; Restauradores and the Avenida are below.

Key facts