By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Sport Expo opens for bib collection, Lisbon Congress CentreThursday 4 March 2027
- Where
- 25 de Abril Bridge (start) to the Jerónimos Monastery (finish)
- Tickets
- Free
- Time of year
- March
- Dates
- Around the same dates every year
Announced by the organiser, Maratona Clube de Portugal. The half marathon starts at 9:30am with a three-hour limit; a 10K and a 7K run the same morning, and a family walk and a children’s race the day before. Bibs are collected at the Sport Expo in the Lisbon Congress Centre, Thursday to Saturday from 10am to 8pm, and not on race day.
The Lisbon Half Marathon is the one morning a year when runners cross the 25 de Abril Bridge on foot. It starts at 9:30am mid-bridge, comes down into Alcântara, loops along the river and finishes outside the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, with a three-hour limit. Runners can reach the start only by the Fertagus train to Pragal, free with a bib, and spectators are not allowed on the bridge at all. For everyone else the place to be is the Belém riverside, which the latest course passes twice.
What Lisbon Half Marathon actually is
The bridge is why people enter. The 25 de Abril carries a motorway over the Tagus and has no footpath, so the race is the one chance most people get to cross it on foot, with the river far below and the city ahead.
The organisers bill it as one of the fastest half marathons in the world, and it belongs to SuperHalfs, a series of six European half marathons with Cardiff, Copenhagen, Berlin, Prague and Valencia. With a 10K and a 7K run the same morning, it brings more than 30,000 people onto the streets.
If you are in Lisbon that weekend and not running, the finish is what changes your plans: Belém fills with runners and the people waiting for them, and the roads around it close for the morning.
Where to watch the race
- The Belém riverside. On the latest course the runners pass through Belém on their way out towards Algés at about 14 kilometres and come back through it to finish, so one spot gives you two sightings and the finish.
- Alcântara, where the bridge comes down to the river. The course loops through it several times in the first half, while the field is still bunched together.
- Not the bridge. Spectators are not allowed on it, and the start area is open only to runners carrying a bib.
Tickets and what it costs
Watching costs nothing. Running means registering with the organiser, Maratona Clube de Portugal, and the half marathon is capped at 20,000 places, so check its registration page rather than assuming one is left.
Bibs and T-shirts are handed out at the Sport Expo in the Lisbon Congress Centre on the three days before the race, never on race day, and a friend can pick yours up if they bring your registration email. There is no bag drop, because the start is on the bridge.
Official information and booking: maratonaclubedeportugal.com/en/corrida-marco/edp-lisbon-half-marathon
Getting there
Runners reach the start only by the Fertagus train to Pragal station on the south bank, whichever side of the river they are staying on. The train is free with a bib, and so are the metro, buses and trains to the Fertagus stations.
Spectators heading for Belém can take the Cascais line from Cais do Sodré or tram 15 from Praça da Figueira; check for race-day changes, because the finish sits beside the riverside road.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Planning to watch from the bridge
Spectators are not allowed on it. The closest anyone without a bib gets to the start is the riverside below, in Alcântara.
Leaving the bib until Sunday
No bibs are handed out on race day. Collect yours at the Sport Expo between Thursday and Saturday, or send someone with your registration email.
Bringing a bag to drop
There is no bag drop, because the start is on a bridge. Travel light, and leave anything you need afterwards with someone at the finish.
Heading for the bridge on the Lisbon side
Only the Fertagus line reaches the start, at Pragal on the south bank, and that applies to runners staying in central Lisbon as much as anyone.
Sightseeing in Belém that morning
The finish takes over the riverside outside the Jerónimos Monastery, so leave the monastery and the Belém Tower for another day of the trip.
Other Lisbon events
Frequently asked questions
When is the Lisbon Half Marathon?
On a Sunday in early March, starting at 9:30am on the 25 de Abril Bridge.
Can you watch the Lisbon Half Marathon from the bridge?
No. Spectators are not allowed on the bridge, and the start area is open only to runners with a bib. Watch from Alcântara or from Belém instead.
Where does the Lisbon Half Marathon finish?
Outside the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, beside the river.
How do runners get to the start of the Lisbon Half Marathon?
By the Fertagus train to Pragal station, the only way in, which is free for runners showing their bib.
What is the time limit for the Lisbon Half Marathon?
Three hours.
Sources
- Maratona Clube de Portugal, EDP Lisbon Half Marathon: date, start, kit collection and time limit
- Maratona Clube de Portugal, the latest course map
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2027. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.