Ready for a big night out? Let us take you to the best bars and clubs of Lisbon so you can dance the night away. It’s fun, it’s safe, it’s cheap! You will be pleasantly surprised to see how this little city parties on! As Portugal’s capital city, Lisbon is home to the best nightlife the country has to offer. In our honest opinion!
Lisbon nightlife, there’s always somewhere to go
The city has gained a reputation as one of the trendiest cities in Europe, hosting international lineups of musicians and DJs. Nightlife venues range from the relaxed and cozy to the energetic and quirky. Whether you prefer house and electronic music or 1920s jazz, rock or Taylor Swift, Lisbon has plenty of bars and clubs open until the early morning hours to satisfy your inner dancing queen.
Is it expensive?
Portugal as a country is an affordable place to visit. Its nightlife is no different, with beers generally costing around €2.50 for a half litre and cocktails for around €5. Entrance to nightclubs will cost you between €5 and €20. However, some bouncers in Lisbon are renowned for charging upwards of €100, especially to unknowing tourists. For this reason it is better to approach bouncers in a sober fashion, smartly dressed and in smaller groups.
What neighbourhoods are best for a good night out?
A typical evening may start in the narrow streets of Bairro Alto which has plenty of cheap beers. It is the city’s central bar scene where most of the nighttime action takes place. Most bars here are open from 8pm and until around 2am, when it is time to move closer to the river, to the clubs! Other hotspots for nightlife are Intendente which offers more of an alternative scene and Cais do Sodré, home to the infamous Pink Street. Here, we’ve listed the best clubs in Portugal to suit all your music tastes. Whether you want to dance, listen to jazz music or watch the football, Lisbon has a place for you.
Top 5 dance clubs in Lisbon
- LuxFrágil is Portugal’s most international renowned venue and one of Lisbon’s biggest nightclubs. Since 1998, it has delivered weekly events showcasing the best local and international house, techno and disco music. The door policy can be a bit choosy, so arrive looking sharp. Address: Avenida Infante Dom Henrique (directly opposite the Santa Apolónia Station). Open Thursday to Saturday from 11.30pm until 6am.
- Pensão Amor is an established venue on Lisbon’s nightlife circuit. This bar and dance club is located in an old boarding house on the Pink Street near Cais do Sodré. Perfect for a night of dancing in a trendy burlesque-type bar. Address: Rua do Alecrim 19. Open Sunday to Wednesday from midday until 3am and Thursday to Saturday from midday until 4am.
- Music Box (website in Portuguese). With more than 115,000 people passing through the Music Box venue every year, this dance club is definitely one for our list. It offers a range of chart music, pop hits, RnB, house and techno. Address: Rua Nova do Carvalho 24, Cais do Sodré. Open every night from 11pm until 6am.
- Titanic Sur Mer is located by the Tagus River. Titanic is the perfect choice for people who appreciate live music of all genres. One night here you might find yourself dancing seductively to Samba and another night you’ll be fist-pumping the air to hip-hop beats. Address: Cais da Ribeira Nova , Armazém B. Cais do Sodré. Open Monday and Tuesday from 11pm until 3am, Wednesday from 9pm until 2am, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11pm until 6am and Sunday from 8pm until 4am.
- Ministerium Club is centrally located in Praça do Comércio (number 72). The former government ministry hosts mostly one-off parties so check their schedule first. They usually play the finest techno-electronica from local DJs. Open Friday and Saturday from midnight until 4am.
Top 5 jazz bars
- Páginas Tantas is located in the Bairro Alto district and is perfect for listening to live jazz music with warm and welcoming dim lighting and a colourful décor. It is a relaxing place to enjoy a few drinks or end the night with some jazzy tunes. Address: Rua do Diário de Notícias 85. Open Monday to Thursday from 8.30pm until 2am and Friday and Saturday from 8.30pm until 3am.
- Alface Hall is only a minute’s stroll from Paginas Tantas and is another of Bairro Alto’s most popular jazz bars. The bar is attached to a hostel, so it’s a hotspot for mingling with internationals. Address: Rua do Norte 96. Open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10pm until 2am.
- Hot Clube de Portugal is home to a variety of local and international musicians and is perhaps the best venue to listen to live jazz in Portugal, let alone Lisbon. The bar opened in 1948 and was even listed as one of the best jazz clubs in Europe by The Guardian newspaper. Address: Praça da Alegria 48. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10pm until 2am.
- Foxtrot (website in Portuguese).With a trendy art nouveau decor, serenading musicians, delicious cocktails and a late-night menu, Foxtrot is a great venue for a night of dancing. Address: Travessa Santa Teresa 28. Open Monday to Saturday from 6pm until 3am and Sunday from 8pm until 2am.
- Ferroviário is located close to Santa Apolónia station. This bar and club is the perfect location for listening to live music with a view of the Tagus River from their trendy roof-top bar. Address: Rua de Santa Apolónia 59. Open Friday from 6pm until 3am, Saturday from 4pm until 3am and Sunday from 4pm until midnight.
Top 5 sports bars
- The Couch Sports Bar (website in Portuguese). This bar has 30 TVs, two giant screens and over 3,000 channels so there’ll be no need to fight over which match to watch. Address: Rua do Alecrim 21A. Open Monday to Thursday from 3pm until 2am, Friday from 3pm until 3am, Saturday from 11am until 3am and Sunday from 11am until 2am.
- The George Pub is an English pub and this bar is a great place to go to watch a Premier League match and enjoy a meal of fish and chips. Address: Rua do Crucifixo 58-66. Open daily from midday until 2am.
- Hennessy’s Irish Pub is your classic Irish pub with a big screen for watching international sporting events. Check this bar out if you’re craving a pint or bar food. Address: Rua Cais do Sodré 32-38. Open Sunday to Thursday from 11am until 2am and Friday and Saturday from 11am until 4am.
- O Reserva is more of a Portuguese-style sports bar; this venue has two big TVs and is decorated with football scarves and memorabilia. The menu changes daily and includes Portuguese specialties like bacalhau (cod fish) and bitoque (steak and egg). Address: Rua Vale do Pereiro 3A. Open Monday to Friday from midday (closing times vary).
- Snooker Club Lisboa has plenty of snooker and pool tables, a panoramic screen and seven LCD’s as well as a bar lounge. This is the perfect setting if you want to watch a game while drinking beers and playing pool with your friends. Address: Travessa Salitre 1. Open Monday to Friday from 4pm until 2am and weekends from 2pm until 2am.
Top 5 alternative clubs
- Desterro. Giving off grungy Berlin vibes, this after hours club brings you an alternative line up of musicians and DJ sets on a regular basis. Inside you can chill on a sofa beside the bar or go downstairs to dance the night away in a dark room. Address: Calçada do Desterro 7. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm until 4am.
- Casa Independente. For the hipsters at Lisbon living among us, this trendy bar has multiple floors including an outdoor terrace. The only downfall is that they close too early. Address: Largo do Intendente 45. Tasca Tropical is open from Tuesday to Friday from 5pm until 11pm and Saturday from 5pm until midnight. Salão Tigre is open from Tuesday to Thursday from 5pm until midnight and Friday and Saturday from 5pm until 2am.
- Damas (website in Portuguese). This cool place is a bakery turned café, restaurant and concert venue and is one of Lisbon’s more original nightlife venues. Damas hosts live music acts and regular DJ sets for the late night clubbers. Address: Ruada Voz do Operário 60. Open Tuesday from 1pm until 2am, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm until 2am, Friday from 6pm until 4am, Saturday from 1pm until 4am and Sunday from 6pm until midnight.
- Metropolis Club. To get to this club or ‘rock cave’, you must venture into the abandoned Centro Comercial Imaviz, one of the city’s historical commercial centres, founded in the 70s. To enter you walk through several vacated shops and down to the basement where you’ll be immersed in a night of rock music. Address: Av. Fontes Pereira de Melo 35. Open Friday, Saturday and national holiday eves from 11pm until 6am.
- Incógnito is an alternative dance bar offering a mix of music across the indie-rock-dance spectrum. Address: Rua dos Poiais de São Bento 37. Open Wednesday to Saturday from 11pm until 4am.
Lisbon nightlife has so much to offer
That has covered the best of Lisbon’s nightlife and we hope this helps you get an idea of venues to dance the night away in this great city. But don’t forget, there are over 200 bars in the Bairro Alto district alone and upwards of 50 nightclubs to choose from throughout the city. A night out in Lisbon need not be planned exactly from the get-go as there are hundreds of venues to stumble into after a few beers. Cheers! Did we miss any important night spots in Lisbon? Do you have any experiences to share? Feel free to leave a comment below.We publish new content every day so be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to get notified of the latest tips and advice about Portugal.
