Must-see nightlife in Portugal

  • Park

    Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré

    If only all multistorey car parks were like this… Take the lift to the 5th floor, and head up and around to the top, which has been transformed into one…

  • Caniço

    The Algarve

    Descend 33 shallow steps, then take a lift through the sandstone and walk through an underground tunnel to reach this hidden bar opening onto a little…

  • Prova

    Ribeira

    Diogo, the passionate owner, explains the finer nuances of Portuguese wine at this chic, stone-walled bar, where relaxed jazz plays. Stop by for a two…

  • Memmo Alfama

    Alfama, Castelo & Graça

    Wow, what a view! Alfama unfolds like origami from the stylishly decked roof terrace of the Memmo Alfama hotel. It's a perfect sundowner place, with…

  • Terraplana garden

    Terraplana

    Porto

    Totally relaxed and boho-cool without trying, Terraplana is the bar of the moment in this neck of Porto. Murals adorn the artsy, stone-walled interior,…

  • Outro Lado

    Alfama, Castelo & Graça

    An Egyptian-Polish couple took over and seriously upgraded Lisbeer, one of Lisbon's loungiest and least beer-geeky craft-beer bars, in late 2018. Sé's…

  • Atlas Hostel

    Estremadura & Ribatejo

    Leiria's coolest hostel somehow harvested the city's hankering for a culturally minded space for forward-thinking international hipsters, yielded its…

  • O Sargo

    Aljezur

    Directly across the beach, with glass walls buffering the wind and sand, O Sargo is a great place to slake your postsurf thirst, with cold-pressed juices,…

  • The Garden

    Lagos

    Filled with flowering hibiscus, bougainvillea and citrus trees, with a mural of a barrelling wave, this fabulous beer garden is a brilliant spot to lounge…

  • O Castelo

    Faro

    O Castelo is all things to all people: bar, restaurant, club and performance space. Its location atop the old town walls provides stunning Ria Formosa…

  • Galeria Santa Clara

    Coimbra

    Arty tea room by day and chilled-out bar by night, this is a terrific place to hang out. Inside, it's all mismatched vintage furniture, books and…

  • 7G Roaster

    Vila Nova de Gaia

    The baristas really know their stuff at this speciality coffee roasters. In the cool, monochrome, wood-floored space, you can sip a perfectly made…

  • Bon Vivant

    Lagos

    Spread across five levels, including two underground rooms and a roof terrace, each with its own bar, cherry-red-painted Bon Vivant shakes up great house…

  • Aduela

    Aliados & Bolhão

    Retro and hip but not self-consciously so, chilled Aduela bathes in the nostalgic orange glow of its glass lights, which illuminate the green walls and…

  • Reid's Tea Terrace

    Funchal

    The quintessential British–Madeiran experience is afternoon tea at Reid's. Some 24 types of tea, as well as cucumber sandwiches, delicate cakes and…

  • Base

    Peniche

    Connoisseurs of the cocktail will want to burrow themselves into the palette lounges at this in-the-know bar tucked away inside a residential complex – it…

  • Corktale

    Setúbal

    This hip wine bar has lost a bit of lustre by no longer employing a sommelier, but its well-stocked inventory of 125 or so boutique wines means it's still…

  • Lux-Frágil

    Alfama, Castelo & Graça

    Lisbon’s ice-cool, must-see club, glammy Lux hosts big-name DJs spinning electro and house. It was started by late Lisbon nightlife impresario Marcel Reis…

  • Copenhagen Coffee Lab

    Alfama, Castelo & Graça

    The newest location of this Danish-based speciality coffee house – Lisbon's third – is the perfect pit stop while wandering the cinematic lanes of Alfama…

  • Pensão Amor

    Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré

    Set inside a former brothel, this cheeky bar pays homage to its lascivious past with colourful wall murals, a library of erotically tinged works and a…

  • The border between Chiado and "The Triangle" is marked by cafe The Mill

    The Mill

    Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré

    As anyone who knows an Australian living outside Oz can tell you, they usually turn their nose up at any coffee not made there. Well, this charming hot…

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    Solar do Vinho do Porto

    Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré

    The glug, glug of a 40-year-old tawny being poured is music to port-lovers’ ears here. Part of an 18th-century mansion, this low-lit, beamed cavern is…

  • Capela Incomum

    Capela Incomum

    Miragaia

    Tucked down a backstreet off the shopping street Rua de Cedofeita, this 19th-century chapel was reborn as a classy two-storey wine bar in 2016 when owner…

  • Letraria beer portrait

    Letraria

    Aliados & Bolhão

    Craft beer bars are springing up all over Porto, but Letraria is a standout for its uber-chilled beer garden. Around half of the 20 or so beers on tap are…

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    Hello, Kristof

    Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré

    Located among antique shops and family-owned grocery stores is this small, cosy neighbourhood coffee house with a Scandinavian atmosphere. The quiet…

  • Moustache exterior portrait

    Moustache

    Aliados & Bolhão

    Ease into the day gently or wind it out over drinks and mellow beats at this urban-cool cafe with cultural edge. The armchairs are perfect for dawdling…

  • Dois Corvos

    Lisbon

    One of the anchors that established artsy Marvila as Lisbon's 'it' neighbourhood, this informal taproom packs in craft enthusiasts downing hoppy IPA and…

  • TOPO Belém

    Belém

    Revive museum-weary eyes at hard-to-find Topo, on the 3rd floor of the Centro Cultural de Belém. The space and river-facing terrace – snagged from the…

  • Copenhagen Coffee Lab

    Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela

    Serious caffeine aficionados should make a beeline for this Danish import just off lovely Praça das Flores, where properly trained baristas know their way…

  • The Bar

    Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela

    Australian Teresa Ruiz runs a one-woman cocktail show at this fantastic bar that puts tasty spins on classics in a heavily concreted environment spruced…

  • Duque Brewpub

    Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré

    Lisbon's inaugural brewpub features 12 taps of Portuguese-only craft brews, a few of which are dedicated to on-site suds (under the banner of Cerveja…

  • Chapitô

    Alfama, Castelo & Graça

    There are fantastic views from this bar at an alternative theatre/circus school occupying a former female prison. It's a top choice for sundowners or late…

  • Cerveteca Lisboa

    Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela

    Lisbon's best craft-beer bar is a boozy godsend: 14 oft-changing taps (including two hand pumps) focusing on local and Northern European artisanal brews,…

  • BA Wine Bar do Bairro Alto

    Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré

    Reserve ahead unless you want to get shut out of Bairro Alto's best wine bar, where the genuinely welcoming staff will offer you three fantastic tasting…

  • Café Santa Cruz

    Coimbra

    Coimbra's historic showpiece cafe is set in a beautiful high-vaulted former chapel, with stained-glass windows and graceful stone arches. Outside, a…

  • Epicur

    Faro

    Over 250 Portuguese wines are stocked at this stylish wine bar (which opened in 2018), 30 of them by the glass. All of the country's major wine regions…

  • Pavilhão Chinês

    Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela

    Pavilhão Chinês is an old curiosity shop of a bar with oil paintings and model Spitfires dangling from the ceiling, and cabinets brimming with glittering…

  • Fábrica Coffee Roasters

    Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré

    The second location of Lisbon's best third-wave coffee house isn't as cosy as the original Baixa haunt, but this Moldavian-owned caffeine staple is a…

  • O Bom O Mau e O Vilão

    Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré

    'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' is an artsy drinking den sprung from a refurbished Pombaline town house. It's divided among several rooms draped in…

  • Tasca Mastai

    Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré

    This artsy, Italian-run bar-cafe is a refreshing change of pace for Bairro Alto – the long list of speciality Aperol spritzes are worth the trip (try the…

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