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Lisbon & Center |
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Highlights |
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LISBON BY NIGHT
Lisbon has a heart for revellers and this is undoubtedly, a side of the city not to be missed. The night in Lisbon starts at sunset and goes on till dawn.
People in Lisbon enjoy going out, and the city has different areas with different styles of restaurants and bars where one can go.
Since most locals begin the night with a long dinner and bar-hopping for hours, the dancing clubs only really get going after 2 a.m., and no real hard-core reveller leaves before dawn. During the week admission is often free, but can cost anywhere between 10 and 20 euros on weekends.
Neighbourhoods where to go out
Alfama
The Alfama has a choice selection of street cafés, restaurants and Fado houses, where you will savour the excellent local cooking and listen to the emotional music of Lisbon, are unique.
Bairro Alto
A typical evening might start in the cafés of Chiado, serving as meeting points before heading to a restaurant for a long, relaxed dinner in the Bairro Alto quarter. It is the epicentre of the city's bar scene and where most of the night time action takes place.
The Bairro Alto has always been a favourite with nightlife lovers, and it has cultivated its own unique style over the years, which distinguishes it from other nightlife areas around the city. Here you will also find restaurants that stay open until quite late.
Venues range from the hip ("Bedroom"), to the quirky ("Pavilhão Chinês"), to the laid-back ("Clube da Esquina"). Most close between 2 and 4AM, when it is time to move down by the river to the docks of Alcântara and the district of Santos, home to several fashionable bars and clubs.
Docas
The Docas area, with attractive views over the Tagus, has recently developed into one of the liveliest nightlife areas in Lisbon. Below the 25 de Abril Bridge along the river in Alcantara between Baixa and Belem, former warehouses have been transformed into a multitude of cosmopolitan bars, restaurants, and clubs for all tastes.
Some club entrances are extremely low-key and you must ring a bell to get in, as is the case with Fragil and Incognito.
Best of all is ending your night (or beginning your day) on the dance floor or sipping a cocktail on the terrace of the city's most stylish club, "Lux," partly owned by Hollywood actor John Malkovich and often hailed as Europe's best-designed club.
Estoril & Cascais
Even outside Lisbon you can still have a good time. Cascais and Estoril also have numerous theatres, bars and street cafés. At the Estoril Casino, one of the largest in Europe, you can not only try your luck but also dine or watch a show.
Cultural and artistic night life
Classical music
If clubbing isn't your scene, classical music is well represented at various venues such as the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Culturgest. The city's several beautiful old theatres, especially Dona Maria II National Theatre, present experimental contemporary works and classical plays, and for opera, look into São Carlos Theatre.
Fado Music
For some local flavour, spend a candlelit evening at a Fado House, ranging from elegant restaurants to downmarket taverns with live Fado performers authenticity, are tacky, and are targeted at tourists (clustered in Bairro Alto), but there are still some genuine Fado establishments in Alfama and Lapa (home to "Senhor Vinho," the best of them all). Fado remains a lively part of the city's culture, and is a must for any first-time visitor.
Concerts
The major concert venues are Atlantic Pavilion and Coliseu dos Recreios, often hosting some of the world's top bands and artists. For other cultural events, check out the extensive program of Belem Cultural Center, and consult the monthly Follow Me Lisboa guide provided by the tourism office, listing all the major happenings in the city.
Some recommendations
BBC
Avenida Brasilia, Pavilhão Poente
A restaurant-bar-club combination attracting a wealthy and rather pretentious crowd that demands a higher degree of sophistication. It is a stylish place with resident DJs often hosting theme parties.
Buddha Bar
Gare Maritima de Alcantara, 30
Docas
This club in a 1940s maritime terminal has exotic wooden furnishings creating an oriental ambience. Large and smaller Buddhas imitate Buddhist sanctuaries, and low tables and leather couches and beanbags make up the rest of the décor. Although it has the same name as the famous Paris bar, here the music is Deep House, with chill out sounds reserved for the lounge. It frequently hosts theme nights, and is worth checking out to end your night if you decide to dine at one of the restaurants facing it on the dock.
Club Lua
Av. Infante D. Henrique, Pav. A/B
Alfama
A relative newcomer close to the famous "Lux", hosting events with some top national and international DJs spinning electronic music. It's made up of two floors, both with a bar.
Estado Liquido
Largo de Santos, 5a
A stylish place that attracts a laid-back crowd, playing chill-out and deep house. It specializes in "morangoska," a vodka and strawberry cocktail.
Fragil
Rua da Atalaia, 128
Bairro Alto
Fragil is really a bar with a small dance floor. It is a landmark in Lisbon's nightlife, as it was one of the city's first clubs when it opened in 1983. Its popularity has dwindled, but still gets packed on weekends by a largely gay but essentially mixed crowd in a feel-good atmosphere. A lively place with resident DJs spinning electronic beats, although it doesn't really get going until around 2 a.m.(ring the bell for admission).
Incognito Bar
Rua dos Polais de São Bento, 37
Bairro Alto
Appropriately named, this split-level club has no name on the door, and you must ring a doorbell to get in. It is one of Lisbon's oldest clubs, and its music has changed little since it opened, often spinning 80s, indie, alt-pop, and techno. It's a friendly place, and still a popular choice for a wide range of people looking for alternative sounds. Upstairs is a loft bar, while the basement is a noisy dance floor.
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The famous discotheque Lux
Bairro Alto
Fado singer
 
Café Brasileira
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