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Portugal Info · Joined: 21 Oct 2006 Posts: 21 Home Country: portugal

NIGHTLIFE IN PORTUGAL (LISBON & PORTO)

LISBON'S NIGHTLIFE

If you have only 1 night in Lisbon, spend it at a fado club. The nostalgic sounds of fado, Portuguese "songs of sorrow," are at their best in Lisbon -- the capital attracts the greatest fadistas (fado singers) in the world. Fado is high art in Portugal, so don't plan to carry on a private conversation during a show -- it's bad form. Most of the authentic fado clubs cluster in the Bairro Alto and in the Alfama, between St. George's Castle and the docks. You can "fado hop" between the two quarters. If you're visiting the Alfama, have the taxi driver let you off at Largo do Chafariz, a small plaza a block from the harbor; in the Bairro Alto, get off at Largo de São Roque. Most of the places we recommend lie only a short walk away.

Fado outshines all other nighttime entertainment in Lisbon. For a change of pace and more information about nighttime attractions, go to the tourist office which maintains a list of events. Another helpful source is the Agência de Bilhetes para Espectáculos Públicos in Praça dos Restauradores (tel. 21/346-11-89). It's open daily from 9am to 9:30pm; go in person instead of trying to call. The agency sells tickets to most theaters and cinemas.

Also consult a copy of What's On in Lisbon or Your Companion in Portugal, available at most newsstands. You might also consult Sete, a weekly magazine with entertainment listings, or the free monthly guides Agenda Cultural and LISBOaem. Your hotel concierge is also a good bet for information because one of his or her duties is reserving seats. The local newspaper, Diário de Noticias, carries all cultural listings, but only in Portuguese.

By the standards of the United States and Canada, "the party" in Lisbon begins late. Many bars don't even open until 10 or 11pm, and very few savvy young Portuguese would set foot in a club before 1am. The Bairro Alto, with some 150 restaurants and bars, is the most happening place after dark.

Fado Clubs--It isn't necessary to have dinner; you can just have a drink. However, you often have to pay a minimum consumption charge. The music begins between 9 and 10pm, but it's better to arrive after 11pm. Many clubs stay open until 3am; others stay open until dawn.

Coffeehouses

To the Portuguese, the coffeehouse is an institution, a democratic parlor where they can drop in for their favorite libation, abandon their worries, relax, smoke, read the paper, write a letter, or chat with friends about tomorrow's football match.

The coffeehouse in Portugal, however, is now but a shade of its former self. The older and more colorful places, filled with turn-of-the-century charm, are rapidly yielding to chrome and plastic.

One of the oldest surviving coffeehouses in Lisbon, A Brasileira, Rua Garrett 120 (tel. 21/346-95-41; Metro: Rossio), lies in the Chiado district. It has done virtually nothing to change the opulent but faded Art Nouveau decor that has prevailed since it became a fashionable rendezvous in 1905. Once a gathering place of Lisbon's literati, it was the favored social spot of the Portuguese poet Bocage of Setúbal, whose works are read by high school students throughout Portugal. He was involved in an incident that has since been elevated into Lisbon legend: When accosted by a bandit who asked him where he was going, he is said to have replied, "I am going to the Brasileira, but if you shoot me I am going to another world." Patrons sit at small tables on chairs made of tooled leather, amid mirrored walls and marble pilasters. A statue of the great Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa sits on a chair amid the customers. At a table, sandwiches run 2.20€ to 2.50€ ($2.75-$3.15), pastries are 1.25€ to 2.50€ ($1.60-$3.15), a demitasse costs 1€ to 2€ ($1.25-$2.50), and bottled beer goes for 1.75€ to 2.50€ ($2.20-$3.15). Prices are a bit lower at the bar, but you'll probably want to linger a while -- we recommend sitting down to recover from the congestion and heat. It's open daily from 8am to midnight and accepts cash only.

Although lacking A Brasileira's tradition and style, the Pastelaria Suiça, on the south corner of Praça de Rossio 96 in the Baixa (tel. 21/321-40-90), is a sprawling cafe-pastelaria. It stretches all the way back to the adjoining Praça da Figueira. This house draws more visitors than any other cafe in Lisbon. The outdoor tables fill first, especially in fair weather. In addition to serving an array of coffee and tea, the pastelaria is known for its tempting pastries baked on-site. The atmosphere is boisterous, and the place is generally mobbed. It's open daily from 7am to 9pm.

Another possibility is Versailles, Avenida da República 15A (tel. 21/354-63-40), long known as the grande dame of Lisbon coffeehouses. It's also an ideal place for afternoon tea, in a faded but elegant 60-year-old setting of chandeliers, gilt mirrors, and high ceilings. As an old-fashioned and formal touch, immaculately attired waiters serve customers from silver-plated tea services. In addition to coffee and tea, the house specialty is hot chocolate. The homemade cakes and pastries are delectable. (They're baked on-site.) It's open daily from 7:30am to 10pm. Metro: Saldanha.

The Bar Scene

Port Wine Tasting--Solar do Vinho do Porto (tel. 21/347-57-07) is devoted exclusively to the drinking and enjoyment of port in all its glory and varieties. A quasi-governmental arm of the Port Wine Institute established the bar a few years after World War II as a low-key merchandizing tool. In a 300-year-old setting near the Glória funicular and the fado clubs of the Bairro Alto, it exudes Iberian atmosphere. The lista de vinhos includes more than 200 types of port wine in an amazing variety of sweet, dry, red, and white. A glass of wine costs 1€ to 25€ ($1.25-$31). Open Monday through Saturday from 2pm to midnight, it's located at Rua de São Pedro de Alcântara 45 (Metro: Restauradores; bus: 58 or 100).

Gay & Lesbian Bars & Clubs--Although this ultra-Catholic country remains one of the most closeted in Western Europe, at least eight gay nightspots have sprung up in the district known as Príncipe Real. With each passing year, the gay presence in Lisbon becomes more visible.

INTERESTING PLACES

CLUBS

Ritz Clube
Former cabaret club now with African music groups performing after midnight. Late suppers are served until 03.00.
R. Glória, 57
1200 Lisboa
Open daily 22.00 - 04.00

Bar da Graça
Live music show, theatre, exhibitions
Tv. Parreira, 43
1100 Lisboa
Open 22.00 - 02.00 Monday - Saturday

T-Clube
The local jet-set's favourite. Saturday is 'full-house', with people queuing to get on the dance floor. Also has a terrace with a charming view of the Tagus River. Dress code is smart, so no trainers.
Av. Brasilia, Ed. Espelho d'Água
1300 Lisboa
Open: 13.00 -15.00 and 19.30 - 23.00 Monday to Friday

BARS

Metalúrgica
Modern, atmospheric bar and one of the trendiest in Lisbon.
atmosphere.
Av. 24 de Julho, 110
1200 Lisboa

DISCOS

Abs
A luxurious disco with music for all, from the latest hits to Júlio Iglesias. Food served until 04.00.
R. Dom Luís I, 5
1200 Lisboa
Open: 24.00 - 06.00 Friday and Saturday

Ad Lib
Top floor Oriental style disco decorated in and frequented by people in their 30s and 40s.
R. Barata Salgueiro, 28 - 7º
1250 Lisboa
Open: 23.00 - 04.00

PORTO'S NIGHTLIFE

Porto isn't as vital a centre for fado music as Lisbon, so only a few clubs promote the art form. The most appealing is Mal Cozinhado, Rua do Outeirinho 13 (tel. 22/208-13-19; bus no. 1). The name translates as "badly cooked." Five singers and musicians (three women, two men) perform folkloric guitar music and the evocative, nostalgic lyrics that go with it. They perform in 6-hour stints to an enthusiastic crowd Monday to Saturday beginning at 9:30pm. Reservations are required. A la carte dinners, priced at around 30€ to 40€ ($38-$50) per person, are served beginning at 8:30pm. After the music begins, most people opt just to drink, paying an initial 13€ ($16), which includes the first two drinks. After that, beer costs 5€ ($6.50) a bottle.

Opening in 2005, Casa da Música, Avenida da Boavista 604-610 (tel. 22/012-02-00; www.casadamusica.com), has become the new cultural centre of Porto. Designed by Ellen van Loon and Ram Koolhaas, this house of music contains a 1,250-seat Grand Auditorium and a 315-seat Small Auditorium, plus a Cybermusic Arena, where musicians can install multimedia projects and composers produce electronic works. A complete range of classical and jazz events is presented, with most tickets costing under 25€ ($31), although some performances are free. Tickets can be purchased in advance on their website. The building's daringly avant-garde architecture in a traditional city has caused much controversy, including an auditorium sheathed in plywood and dyed fire-engine red.

Many night owls simply walk through the commercial district, along streets radiating from Rua de Santa Catarina, and stop at any appealing tavern or cafe. If you're looking to dance, try the Bar Indústria, in the Centro Comercial de Foz, Avenida Brasil 843 (tel. 22/617-68-06; bus no. 1). It has a stripped-down interior that caters to a crowd of artists, writers (and their readers), architects, and other well-behaved, cosmopolitan patrons. It's open Friday and Saturday from 10:30pm to 4am.

For years, Disco Swing, in the Centro Commercial Italia, Rua Julio Dinis 766, near Rotonda de Boavista (tel. 22/609-00-19; bus no. 3), has been one of Porto's most popular dance clubs, with a mixed, mainstream clientele that appreciates the broad spectrum of musical forms (rock 'n' roll, '80s-era disco, house, garage, and, in rare instances, rave music) that's presented here. The setting is a battered and dusty shopping centre in a residential neighbourhood near the Rotonda de Boavista. It's open daily from 8pm to 6am. Minimum drink consumption is 4€ to 7€ ($5-$8.75).

If you're looking for a cocktail bar where people in their 50s won't feel hopelessly out of place, head for the Bar Hiva-oa, Av. de Boavista 2514 (tel. 22/617-96-63; bus no. 19).

Set within a graceful three-story 19th-century villa, Triplex, 911 Avenida de Boavista (tel. 22/606-31-64; bus no. 19), contains two bars and a dining room that glitters with crystal chandeliers, lots of room for socializing with strangers, and occasional bouts of live music. Its restaurant is open daily from 12:30 to 3pm and from 6 to 11pm, but frankly, we prefer the bars to the food-service areas. These don't become popular until after around 10pm; they continue to rock and roll till at least 3am. Entrance is free; drinks begin at 4€ ($5).

O Labirinto, Rua Nossa Senhora de Fátima 334 (tel. 22/606-36-65; bus no. 3), is an oddity in Porto. This town house art gallery and bar is as hard to classify as its clientele (mixed, straight, gay, whatever). It's set behind a yellow-tiled facade of a distinguished but battered-looking town house in the Boavista neighbourhood, a 2-minute walk from the Rotunda de Boavista. After you admire the paintings from whatever exhibition is being conducted there at the time, head for the garden, a verdant refuge, or any of the several bars scattered amid its confusingly laid-out spaces. You'll be happiest here if you accept it as a kind of indoor/outdoor salon where paintings are displayed, drinks are served, and dialogues flow. It's open nightly from 9pm till 7am or later, depending on the crowd.

One of our favourite bars and nightclubs in Porto, Aniki Bobo, Rua de Fonte Taurina 36-38 (tel. 22/232-46-19; bus no. 1), is set within a 17th century building a few steps from the port. A team of designers transformed it into a triplex nightclub with three distinctly different ambiences and settings. Hip and counterculture, with an ambience you might have expected within a late-night watering hole in Lisbon, it's named after one of the three or four most famous Portuguese films ever made, a 1930s classic that's immediately recognizable to virtually everyone in Portugal. The clientele here is about 25% to 40% gay, as defined by one of the alert staff members, a percentage that helps transform this place into one of the most frequently recommended counterculture bars in Porto. There's a minimum drink charge of 5€ ($6.25).

A gay hot spot is Moinho de Vento, Rua Sá Noronha 78 (tel. 22/205-68-83; bus nos. 3, 35, or 37), set within a medieval building on a narrow street near the Infante do Sagres Hotel. Only a brass plaque and a bright light that's illuminated every night beginning around 11pm identify this place. Expect a bar area that's really busy only on weekends, a dance floor, some dungeon-inspired artifacts, and a scattering of Portuguese-speaking residents of Porto and the surrounding regions. Entrance is free, and beer begins at around 3€ ($3.75).

Boys 'R US, Rua Dr. Barbosa de Castro 63 (tel. 91/754-99-88; Metro: Trinidade or San Bento), is one of Porto's newest dance clubs, a late-night celebration of loud house and garage-style music, flashing lights, and homosexuality. Set within the warren of narrow medieval streets near the San Bento railway station, it's open Wednesday and Friday to Sunday 11pm to 2:30am, remaining open till between 2 and 4am, depending on business. There's no entrance fee, but everyone is expected to order a minimum of 5€ ($6.25) of drinks during their time inside.

The most beautiful and historic cafe of Porto is Café Majestic, Rua de Santa Catarina 112 (tel. 22/200-38-87; bus nos. 29 or 53), set on an all-pedestrian stretch of the city's busiest shopping street. This cafe evokes the grand era of Porto's gilded age prosperity more artfully than any other establishment in town. It was built in 1921, but because of its neo-baroque detailing, an art historian might be fooled into thinking that it's at least 40 years older than that. Angels and cherubs cavort on the ceiling, leaded glass shimmers, and the Belle Epoque comes alive again within a setting that's surprisingly down-to-earth and workaday. If you don't stop by for a drink or coffee in the evening, you can come here for breakfast, priced from 9€ ($11), or a full-fledged afternoon tea for 8€ ($10), complete with jam, bread, and toast. And if you're looking for a meal, platters -- which include codfish "Oporto style," omelets with port-soaked shrimp, and filet mignon with mushroom sauce -- are priced from 8.25€ to 18€ ($10-$23).

Vila Nova de Gaia, on the opposite side of the Douro River, is a lot less interesting after dark than Porto. But if you happen to be here, or if you're interested in an evening stroll across one of Porto's bridges for a panoramic view of Porto's old harbor, Contra Corrente Bar, Avenida Diogo Leite 282, Vila Nova de Gaia (tel. 22/375-75-77; bus: nos. 32 or 33), is a cozy bar with a waterfront terrace offering a superb vista of Porto. It manages to be both hip and traditional at the same time, welcoming a clientele of locals or workers in the port trade, along with an occasional foreign visitor. Drinks and platters of food are available.

Battered but hip, with hints of the psychedelic era of the 1960s, the 31 (Treintaeum) Bar, 564 Rua do Passeio Alegre in Foz do Douro (tel. 22/618-57-21; bus no. 1), occupies a compact town house on the cobble-covered, seafront main avenue in the residential suburb of Foz. Immediately adjacent and under the same ownership is the Cerveja Viva, where the bar list contains mostly beers, as opposed to the cocktails that are available in the more cutting-edge 31. Many first-timers make it a point to duck into both establishments, just as a comparison, for a quick nip and taste of local nightlife.

For the best view of the raging Atlantic to go with your drink, head for Praia da Luz, Avenida do Brasil (tel. 22/617-32-34; bus nos. 1, 7, 8, or 24), which occupies prime real estate on a rocky shoreline near the point where the Douro empties into the Atlantic. Watching waves from the ocean breaking and frothing from behind large windows is reason enough to visit -- that and catching the live music. It's open daily 9am to 2am.

Somewhat surprisingly, the industrial suburb of Matosinhos, easily reached by bus no. 1, is a new nightlife center for Porto. The site is about 11km (6 3/4 miles) northwest of the historic core of Porto.

The nightclub La Movida, Av. Fontes Pereira de Melo (tel. 22/615-12-65), is set behind what looks like the entrance to a car repair shop. There's no sign in front. Inside you'll find a sprawling warehouse outfitted with artificial palm trees, accessories you might find on a beach in Cuba, and vibrant tones of lime green, lemon yellow, and russet. Latino music prevails here as party-makers dance their nights away, usually with heavy doses of rum- and tequila-based cocktails. The restaurant opens at 8pm on Thursday and Saturday to Tuesday, with a dance action beginning at midnight. The cover charge ranges from 13€ to 15€ ($16-$19), depending on the night of the week.

Estado Novo, Rua Sousa Arosa 722 (tel. 22/938-59-89), in Matosinhos, is one of the most popular and crowded dance clubs in the Porto area, with a hard-dancing, hard-drinking clientele. It's set within a white-sided industrial building, originally built as a warehouse and canning factory. Its name was derived from a tongue-in-cheek reference to a slogan of Salazar, Portugal's once-all-powerful dictator whose call to arms for an estado novo (new state) catalyzed many changes, both good and bad, throughout Portugal. Expect lots of space to mingle and dance, and a catchall, late-night environment that could include just about anything. Hours are Thursday to Saturday 11pm to 4am, with a cover of 9€ to 15€ ($11-$19). This entrance cost is credited against your drink tab. On Thursday, women enter and drink for free.

OTHER PLACES


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