visit Lisbon

The Elevador de Santa Justa is a lift in the city of Lisbon at Santa Justa Street. The only vertical lift in Lisbon is the work of Raul Mesnier de Ponsard, an apprentice of Gustave Eiffel. It was inaugurated in 1902 and serves to link downtown Lisbon with the Largo do Carmo.

The iron lift is 45 metres tall and is decorated in neogothic style, with a different pattern on each storey. The top storey is reached by helicoidal staircases and has a terrace that offers views of Lisbon Castle, the Tagus River, the Rossio Square and the Baixa neighbourhood. Inside the tower the elevator has two cabins and capacity for 45 persons in each cabin.

The Elevador de Santa Justa, also known as the "Elevator of Carmo," has become a tourist attraction in Lisbon as among the urban lifts in Lisbon, Santa Justa is the only vertical one. Others, including Elevador da Glória and Elevador da Lavra, are more like funiculars that help climb the slopes of Lisbon.