There’s masses to see and do in and around Porto during daylight hours, and after dark it’s just as exciting. The city changes from a bustling, friendly place full of shoppers, workers and tourists to a glittering wonderland of lively bars and some really good nightclubs. The partying kicks off late in Portugal, with most clubs not getting going until at least 1am, so you might need to pace yourself or you’ll peak way too early! Here are some tips for a few grand nights out in Portugal’s second-largest city.
The Porto nightlife scene
Porto might look picture-postcard ancient but it has a youthful heart. Poke around amongst the beautiful old buildings and narrow streets and you’ll find plenty of lively bars serving everything from craft beers to cocktails, speciality gins to local ports and wines.
You’ll discover STOX in downtown Porto, popular with the locals and themed like a boozy stock market. Stylish decor and great music are the name of the game here, and it offers dancing as well. If jazz and blues float your boat the most, try the famous Hot Five, one of Porto’s best places for live jazz. The vibe is buzzy, the musicians are extremely talented and now and again there’s an acoustic set, a folk music session or a full-on jam. Choose seats in front of the stage or up above on the balcony.
The entire riverfront district of Ribeira is stunning, a UNESCO World Heritage Site so lovely there’s nothing quite like it anywhere else. Calm and gracious during the day and relatively quiet on most nights, on Mondays after dark Ribeira turns into party central thanks to a couple of great bars offering special drinks deals. Sit outside and you can watch the revellers pass by and enjoy all the beautiful lights reflected in the river.
Make your way to the University of Porto to find Piolho square, where there are masses of little bars selling cheap drinks. It gets really crowded, great fun if happy crowds are your thing, all very studenty. Then there’s Rua da Galeria de Paris, on Piolho’s doorstep and home to a variety of night clubs, many of which don’t charge for entry, making it the perfect destination for a Porto club-crawl.
Wander off-piste away from the city centre to find more cool places to while away your Porto nights. The streets near the Clérigos Church, for example, are almost totally deserted in daytime but spring to life after dusk with many wonderful cafés, restaurants, bars, and clubs, loved by locals and visitors alike.
Wine cellars are plentiful here, and guided tours and wine tasting, sometimes free, is a lovely way to know more about Porto’s wines and ports and how they’re made. Taylor’s, for example, provides detailed cellar tours perfect for wine aficionados, complete with a free glass of white and red Port on the terrace with awesome views of the scenic Ribeira. So does the Croft cellar, which offers pink port, not to be missed.
You might like to test-drive the brilliant Scoundrells Distilling, Portugal’s First Urban Distillery and Gin School where they produce small batch Invicta Gin. There’s a special Gin Flight and Tour Experience to book if you like, complete with gin tasting, and their Gin School is excellent fun – you’ll leave with your very own bottle of gin, made by your own fair hands. They even hold special pop-up nights and speciality gin events.
There’s more gin-inspired fun to be had at The Gin House, where you can choose from literally hundreds of gins along with gin cocktails to die for. The leather sofas and dance music keep things contemporary and there’s outdoor seating, too.
Love the Wild West vibe? Drink in the Coiote Bar with its old Wild West theme and cheerful atmosphere, loved by locals as well as visitors. They play everything from Country to Rock to 1980s classics, and the lounge is a comfortable, relatively private place to relax. They do cocktails, wines, and a huge variety of booze, and the welcome is always warm.
The Tuareg Porto is an exotic destination for a night out, Moroccan-inspired and offering a café-bar with fabulously exotic decor inspired by the North African landscape, with flavours to match. Or you might fall in love with the Harley Davidson bar, complete with very cool themed decor and a TV. The mezzanine is fabulous, making it a very popular venue, so arrive early to get a seat.
Taproom Porto is another very cool venue and 100% independent. This popular Portuguese micro brewery is right in the city centre and the taproom serves the band’s own Colossus and D’os Diabos beers. Then there’s the poplar, spacious Big Bad Bank Bar, which serves finance-inspired cocktails like The Perfect Heist, Reward, and Go Big or Go Home. You’ll find it at the Zero Box Lodge hotel.
The Guindalense F. C sports bar is something else, with its huge open air terrace and eye-watering views over the Luis bridge, making it ideal for afternoon drinks and even better for watching the glittering city lights after dusk. Just bear in mind it’s a challenge to get to unless you’re pretty fit thanks to the long, steep steps you have to climb up from river-level to reach the venue.
Tendinha dos Clérigos, a bar and club right in Porto’s city centre, has been here since 2005, a big favourite with fans of indie and rock. Set between the Clérigos and Rua José Falcão in downtown Porto, it hosts well known resident DJs, non-resident DJs and live bands, open Tuesdays to Saturdays. Then there’s the Industria Club, the oldest club in Porto dating back to 1986. Restored and renovated a few years ago, it has an awesomely good sound system and remarkable acoustics.
I you’re up for a classy experience, Casa do Livro – which translates as ‘the book house’, is fantastic. Known as one of the best bars in Porto, it’s an ex-bookshop with decor reminiscent of an old movie and they play a lot of jazz and blues. You’ll find oodles more classiness at a bar dedicated to champagne, Champanheria da Baixa, which has been delighting local people and visitors to Porto since 2012. A carefully-chosen champagne list awaits you, along with a sophisticated atmosphere and outdoor tables for fresh air fun.
Boozy Porto tours
Take a look at the boozy Porto tours on offer – what will you sample first?
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