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…
Must-see nightlife in Portugal
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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…
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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…
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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…
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,…
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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…
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Estremadura & Ribatejo
Leiria's coolest hostel somehow harvested the city's hankering for a culturally minded space for forward-thinking international hipsters, yielded its…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
