Lisbon is a city that truly knows how to party, with a vibrant bar scene, progressive attitudes, and entire neighbourhoods devoted to nighttime revelries.

The two most famous areas of Lisbon for nightlife are the buzzing neighbourhood of Bairro Alto and Pink Street in Cais do Sodré, both of which are crammed with bars. At weekends during summer, the socialising spills out onto the streets and creates one giant party.

As thrilling as these two nightlife areas can be, they may not be to everyone's taste. For those who prefer a more high end and refined night out, there are stylish bars along the Avenida da Liberdade and in the fashionable Principe Real neighbourhood. For a calmer vibe, the bars and numerous Fado venues of the historic Alfama district offer a more laid-back atmosphere.

The rapid rise in popularity of Lisbon has had its drawbacks, with many bars now catering to the masses with generic decor, overpriced beer and subpar pre-mixed cocktails. The truly unique venues and magical experiences are more difficult to find, and can be easily overlooked without a bit of insider knowledge.

This guide will highlight the most distinctive, characterful and memorable bars in Lisbon, ensuring that you experience the best of what the city has to offer. At the end of this guide are a series of bar routes to get the most from your nights out in Lisbon.

Pensão Amor - A uniquely styled bar housed in a former 1970s brothel, which retains all of its original risqué decor and provocative elements. The maze-like interior features rooms with mirrored ceilings and a former pole-dancing room. Pensão Amor is by far the best venue on Pink Street.

Red Frog - A 1920s prohibition era New York-inspired speakeasy, complete with a hidden entrance accessible only by pressing a doorbell. The theme, however, plays second to the highly acclaimed cocktails, which have earned Red Frog a spot among the world's top 100 bars for the last 5 years.

Rooftop Bar - A stylish rooftop venue situated at the top of the Hotel Mundial, providing wonderful views over central Lisbon and the castle. This is a great setting for an early evening cocktail and offers high-end socialising without the pretentiousness associated with 5-star hotels.

The view over the Praça da Figueira from the Rooftop Bar

Crafty Corner - The best venue for craft beers in Lisbon, housed in a medieval building in Alfama that has many of its original features beautifully exposed. Crafty Corner offers a selection of quality beers, IPAs and brews from local micro-producers, making it a great place to discover that Portugal offers more than just Sagres or Super Bock.

Pavilhão Chinês - Step into a world of wonder at this former tea house turned bar, where every nook and cranny is filled with fascinating antiques and memorabilia. Each of the five rooms is crammed with intriguing trinkets and eclectic decor from around the world, creating a unique atmosphere in which to enjoy one of their fine drinks.

The pool room in the Pavilhão Chinês

Sky Bar (Tivoli Avenida Hotel) - Glamorous drinking experience with outstanding customer service, which matches the 5-star price point of their drinks.

Esplanada da Graça - Lisbon is known for its vibrant kiosk culture, and the one in Graça stands out for its stunning view over central Lisbon. This location is the perfect place to watch the sunset while enjoying drinks at affordable kiosk prices, making it a popular spot for both tourists and locals.

With its views over the castle and central Lisbon the Esplanada da Graça is a great (and inexpensive) place for a drink

Park Bar - Trendy rooftop bar hidden at the top of a bland multi-story car park. The view and setting are the attractions here, as it can get very busy.

Cinco Lounge - Regarded as serving some of Lisbon's finest cocktails, with a menu of over one hundred drinks and highly experienced cocktail makers. This is where to head for exquisite drinks.

Ganda Bar (JNcQUOI Asia) - A high-end Asian-inspired cocktail bar with exquisite design and styling.

The opulent styling of the Ganda Bar

By the Wine - This wine bar showcases the finest wines from SOGRAPE, Portugal's largest wine producer. Complementing the extensive wine selection is a range of delicious appetizers. The roof of the wine bar is adorned with hundreds of green bottles.

Java Roof top - The roof top venue overlooking Cais do Sodré district, a fantastic location for early evening.

A Capela - The best bar, come dance bar in Bairro Alto. Great DJs, tiny dancefloor and decent drinks - a gem of a bar in an area that is purely focused on the masses.

The streets of Bairro Alto at 1am on a Saturday night

Foxtrot - Delighting Lisbon's residents since 1978, this Art Deco cellar bar in São Bento, styled as a speakeasy, transports patrons back to the glory of 1920s America.

Musa de Marvila - A beer hall and terrace attached to the Musa brewery. It’s a distance from the common tourist areas but worth the effort if you’re into your beer. They also have a trap room in Bica (the Musa da Bica).

Vino Vero - Relaxed and social wine bar in the Graca district, with its wines and prices plastered over the walls. This is a great follow-up location after the Esplanada da Graça.

The Travessa do Monte is a popular nighttime area on which the Vino Vero is located

SUD Lisboa - The classiest drink venue in Lisbon, with views over the Tejo River and its own infinity pool. The focus is on the restaurant, but there is a stylish bar at the rooftop - this is the most expensive place on this list.

Quiosque do Adamastor - The kiosk at the Miradouro de Santa Catarina (often known as the Adamastor viewpoint), is another inexpensive location to watch Lisbon’s magical sunsets. The large terrace in front of the kiosk is a great place to bring your own drinks for an even cheaper night out. Frequently musicians perform here, and Adamastor viewpoint encapsulates the vibrant social atmosphere that draws so many to the city.

Sunset at the Quiosque do Adamastor

Topo Chiado - A popular bar with views of the city, that stands beneath the ruins of the Igreja do Carmo. This is the perfect spot for enjoying afternoon drinks, or taking a break while sightseeing. Topo also has a sister bar located in the Martim Moniz plaza, but the Chiado setting is much more special.

Topo Chiado

Maria Caxuxa - A relaxed venue and a favourite with hip locals, who tire of the chaos of Barrio Alto. It was formerly a cake factory and retains many features including its old oven.

The Couch Sports Bar - If you want a sports bar, with lots of TVs, great atmosphere and decent comfort food this is the bar for you.

The interactive map below shows the location of these bars (Note: Zoom in or out to see all of the points)

Key 1) Pensão Amor 2) Rooftop Bar 3) Pavilhão Chinês 4) Red Frog 5) Topo Chiado 6) Esplanada da Graça 7) Java Rooftop 8) Sky Bar 9) Ganda Bar (JNcQUOI Asia) 10) Park Bar 11) Cinco Lounge 12) Crafty Corner 13) By the Wine 14) A Capela 15) Foxtrot 16) SUD Lisboa 17) Maria Caxuxa 18) Vino Vero 19) The Couch Sports Bar 20) Musa de Marvila

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Lisbon is a large and bustling city with over 1,500 bars and drinking establishments. Rather than limiting yourself to just a single bar, it is much better to have a general route for your night out, which will pass many varied and exciting bars.

To help you make the most of your time in Lisbon, we have created four exceptional night-out routes that encompass a wide range of captivating bars. Each route begins with a stunning viewpoint, allowing you to watch the sunset, which is always magical in Lisbon.

This is the most popular route for visitors new to Lisbon who are looking for a big night out. It takes in the waterfront of Lisbon and the lively Cais do Sodré district, and - unusually for Lisbon - there are no hills to climb.

The route takes in the sunset from the banks of the Tejo River, and an interactive map can be seen below. (Note: Zoom in or out to see all of the points)

The route begins in the Praça do Comércio. It's highly touristy, but there are Wines of Portugal (1) or Museu da Cerveja (2) if you want a pre-sunset drink.

Watch the sunset along the banks of the Tejo Estuary while sipping a cocktail from a pineapple sold by one of the mobile drink stalls. Another option is to purchase your drinks from a supermarket (such as Pingo Duce) beforehand. The Quiosque da Ribeira das Naus (3) is a popular riverside bar.

Follow the river to the Jardim de Roque Gameiro (4). During the summer, there are often pop-up bars along the southern side of the plaza, or there is the Quiosque Cais do Sodré for inexpensive drinks. For higher-end dining and drinking there is Vestigius restaurant or Lisboa Rio.

Before heading to Pink Street, get a drink from one of the bars around Jardim Dom Luís. Here there is Javá Rooftop (5), or you can buy an inexpensive takeaway drink from 100 Montaditos (6). TimeOut market is more focused on food than drinking, but the bar at the front (Ginjinha da Ribeira (7)) sells good value drinks.

By now, you should be quite merry and ready to hit Pink Street. The bar to aim for is Pensão Amor (8), with its risqué brothel theme. After that, there is a wide choice of similar late-night bars and clubs around Pink Street, the best being Music Box (9). A high-end, late-night venue close by (500 metres) is K Urban Beach Club, but their fussy entry policy has ruined many a group’s night.

Pink Street, known as Lisbon’s vibrant “bar street,” is a key hub for nightlife in the city.

Bairro Alto is the nightlife neighbourhood of Lisbon, with its grid layout of streets packed with bars. Many of the bars are very similar, and once the streets are packed it's almost impossible to identify any of the bars.

This route involves watching the sunset from the Miradouro de Santa Catarina (often known as Adamastor viewpoint), which may seem a little out of the way but is totally worth the effort. The shaded blue part on the map is the main area where all of Bairro Alto’s 120+ bars are found.

Before the night begins, head to a supermarket to purchase your preferred drinks to consume while at the Adamastor viewpoint (10). There is a little kiosk bar here, the Quiosque do Adamastor, but all of its seats will be taken at sunset.

After watching the sunset, walk to the Praça de Luís de Camões (11), the main plaza of Bairro Alto. All of the bars are to the north (on the left) when entering the Praça de Luís de Camões.

There are so many almost identical bars that it's nearly impossible to distinguish them from one another. The best ones are Pub Português (12), A Capela (13) and The Old Pharmacy (14), but you could waste a lot of time looking for them. The best approach is to head to the liveliest bars, and the best vibes can be found on the streets later at night.

Warning: The bars in Bairro Alto are notorious for watering down cocktails, so before purchasing a large round, buy one test drink.

At 2am, the bars all start to close, so it's either a walk downhill to Pink Street or a wander to the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara (15) to admire the nighttime view of the city.

In comparison to the previous two bar tours, this is a relaxing and lower-energy tour. It begins in the popular tourist area of Alfama and leads uphill to the Graça district, with its distinctly Portuguese atmosphere. This is a great bar tour for slightly older or more cultured visitors who wish to be away from the mayhem of Bairro Alto or Cais do Sodré.

The tour starts from the wonderful viewpoint of the Miradouro das Portas do Sol (16). A starting drink can be purchased from the traditional kiosk here, the Quiosque das Portas do Sol, or from the higher-end SOL Restaurante e Jardim.

On the way uphill to the Graça viewpoint, stop at the Graça do Vinho (17) for quality wines and cheeses.

The kiosk bar of Esplanada da Graça (18) is where you will watch the sunset, and its relaxed atmosphere and inexpensive drinks mean you may stay much longer after sunset (or until the cool winds pick up).

Afterwards, wander along the pretty main street of Graça, with drinks at O Satélite or food at O Pitéu da Graça or the quirky Sant'Avó (19).

For the later part of the night, head to the Travessa do Monte with its wine bars, such as Vino Vero (20) or Locals & Nomads Natural Wine Bar. If you prefer beer, there is the Taproom Oitava Colina (21) close by.

If you’re on a romantic trip to Lisbon, or simply feeling energetic after all the drinks, head up the very steep hill to the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte (22), the best viewpoint of Lisbon.

This bar tour route showcases some of Lisbon's most elegant venues and locations. It is primarily centred around the prestigious Avenida da Liberdade, where many of the city's finest bars can be found. The route is designed for affluent tourists and offers a glimpse into Lisbon's upscale drinking scene. Please note that certain venues may require reservations.

Begin your journey at the rooftop bar of the Altis Avenida Hotel (23), where you can take in breathtaking views of Rossio plaza. Next, make your way to Red Frog Speakeasy (24) to sample one of their award-winning cocktails, but be prepared for a challenge in finding their cleverly concealed entrance.

Just across the road, you'll find the opulent Asian restaurant JNcQUOI, with the Ganda Bar (25) at the heart of this gastronomic delight.

Conclude your evening at the Sky Bar (26) atop the Tivoli Avenida Liberdade hotel, where you can enjoy stunning panoramic views of the city.

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