Go out in Lisbon

Lisbon's nightlife has been gaining fame in recent years for enjoying one of the most entertaining and modern scenes of Europe. Portugal's capital is home to countless clubs, bars, fado houses and nightclubs. Its contrasts are famous throughout Europe. Its streets, picturesque and quiet during the day, are full of people and party once the sun sets. As in most of southern Europe, also the Portuguese tend to have lunch and dinner late. You'll hardly know a Portuguese who eats before 10 pm, so bars usually start to fill up after midnight. Nightclubs, from 2 am. People here usually drink on the sidewalks, outside the bars where they have previously bought their drinks. Unlike other European cities, the law in Lisbon allows to drink alcohol in the street. It's completely legal here. Generally, bars remain open until approximately 4 am, while clubs usually close at 6 am. Warning for partygoers: big clubs tend to have slightly more complex and arbitrary access policies than other places. If you've had too much to drink, make sure you hide it well. And if the majority of your group is composed by men, separate in the queue. Bouncers usually don't like big male groups!

Lisbon is musically renowned for the African and Latin influences. Lisbon artists tend to prefer experimental electronic music, using original musics such as kizomba or funaná, combining them with contemporary club music. As in any other European capital, however, Lisbon offers the classic equation composed of reggaeton, mainstream electronic genres and underground music, such as techno music. The city is divided into three major regions. The first is the Bairro Alto, where you'll find the most underground bars and clubs. Its bohemian streets become a proper party throughout the night. However, the Bairro Alto is a residential area, so most of the places are forced to close at 2 am. The second well known area, is Parque das Nações, in the eastern part of Lisbon. Here you'll find theme bars, karaokes and salsa bars. It's the ideal area to enjoy a night out during the week. Finally, the Santo Amaro docks offer a series of huge warehouses converted into bars, restaurants and clubs. It is the most fashionable area and usually it's where people who started in Bairro Alto end their night. The docks of Santo Amaro are well known for their incredible sunrise views and their continuous fiesta. Coming to Lisbon and not coming here is not an option.

To give you an idea, an expensive night in Lisbon would be the same as a cheap night in London. In a club, a beer will cost you just 2€. A drink, 6€. And a VIP table with a bottle, about 70€. Sometimes it's almost cheaper to eat out rather than at home. Lisbon is the perfect city to have an incredible time leaving the slightest trace in the bank account. Lisbon's people prefer to spend less and go out more. Cool, isn't it? Bars tend to be free entry, while to enter clubs the prices are between 10 and 15€. In more commercial clubs, they reserve the right of admission and tend to be strict. It's not surprising that they end up raising the price excessively, if it suits them.

Lisbon is a very casual city. The elegant dress code usually isn't at the order of the day. You don't see suits and shirts often; jeans and sports shoes are enough and sometimes even better seen. Lisbon is a city with many hills, so heels and flip-flops are not the best option if you want to be comfortable all night long. However, if you want to go out in Bairro Alto, not wearing flip-flops and having good behavior will be useful to get into the clubs.