Lisbon · Portugal
Rua Augusta Arch
A practical guide to the Rua Augusta Arch in Lisbon: how to get up to the rooftop, what it costs and why it's free with the Lisboa Card, what to see from the top and how it fits with Praça do Comércio.
Yes, it's worth it, especially with the Lisboa Card: twenty minutes and one of the best views in the center, standing among the statues. Mind the spiral staircase if tight spaces bother you.
The Rua Augusta Arch is the triumphal arch that closes off the Baixa’s pedestrian street and opens onto Praça do Comércio and the Tagus. It was begun after the 1755 earthquake and finished in 1873, more than a century later. Since 2013 you can go up to its rooftop, among the statues, and it’s one of the most complete views in central Lisbon.
Our experience
We got there at 13:15 on our first day, walking down Rua Augusta from Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau. We showed the Lisboa Card at the ticket booth, which covers full entry here, and went up: elevator, clock room and the 74 steps to the top. We gave it 20 minutes.
Then we walked through the arch into Praça do Comércio and on to the Cais das Colunas steps, facing the river. The order made sense: from the top you see the whole square and then you walk it. Earlier that same day we’d seen the Baixa from the Santa Justa viewpoint; from the arch you see the same grid, but from the river. The full day is in our arrival in Lisbon.
A bit of history
After the 1755 earthquake, the Marquis of Pombal had the Baixa rebuilt as a grid and Praça do Comércio opened to the river where the royal palace had stood. The plan called for a monumental gateway between the square and the new Rua Augusta. Work started but stalled again and again: the money ran out, the Napoleonic invasions came, the court left for Brazil and there was a civil war. The base was nearly done by the 1820s, and the top took decades more.
The final design, by architect Veríssimo José da Costa, was completed in 1873. Vítor Bastos carved the four heroes and Célestin Anatole Calmels the Glory group. The Latin inscription says, roughly: to the virtues of our ancestors, so that it may serve as an example to all. For more than a century it was a closed monument; in 2013 the elevator was installed and the rooftop opened to the public.
What to see, in order
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The facade from the square
Before or after going up, look at it from Praça do Comércio: six Corinthian columns, the reclining figures of the Tagus and the Douro, four heroes and the Latin inscription.
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The four heroes
Nuno Álvares Pereira, the Marquis of Pombal, Vasco da Gama and Viriatus, carved by Vítor Bastos. Two thousand years of Portuguese history on one cornice.
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Glory
The group at the top, by French sculptor Célestin Anatole Calmels: Glory crowning Valor and Genius.
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The clock room
Reached by elevator. A small exhibition on the construction and the 1941 clock mechanism, which still runs. Five minutes is enough.
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The rooftop facing south
All of Praça do Comércio, the equestrian statue of José I, the Cais das Colunas and the Tagus.
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The rooftop facing north and east
Rua Augusta in a straight line into the Baixa, the Carmo on the Bairro Alto skyline, the castle and the towers of the Sé. To the west, the 25 de Abril bridge.
Tips we wish we’d known
Tips
- From the rooftop you see the hero statues from behind, at eye level. It's an angle almost no monument offers.
- The classic photo is from Rua Augusta looking at the river through the arch; the reverse, from the square looking into the Baixa.
- The platform is small, about ten people. If it's full, wait a couple of minutes for a spot at the railing.
- There's a restroom near the elevator entrance.
Do
- Activate your Lisboa Card beforehand: here it saves you the €4.50.
- Take the spiral staircase slowly: it's narrow and there's no room to pass.
- When you leave, walk through the arch into the square and on to the Cais das Colunas steps, facing the river.
Don’t
- Don't expect a museum: the clock exhibition is small. You come for the view.
- Ignore the people offering free tours on the square side; most are unlicensed.
- Don't buy souvenirs on Rua Augusta: the same magnet costs a third two streets over.
- Don't keep your wallet in your back pocket: the Rua Augusta entrance and the square are pickpocket zones.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to go up the Rua Augusta Arch?
€4.50 for an adult ticket in 2026. Free with the Lisboa Card.
Do you have to climb stairs?
Yes. An elevator takes you to the clock room, and from there it's 74 steps up a narrow spiral staircase to the rooftop.
How much time should you give it?
About 20 minutes for the elevator, the clock room and the rooftop. Fifteen is enough if you go straight up.
Is it open on Mondays?
Yes. We went up on a Monday at midday.