Activities
Nightlife
Portugal’s nightlife is liveliest in Lisbon, and Lisbon’s nightlife – from fado to great bars and discos – throbs in three main areas: in the picturesque district of Bairro Alto, a tightly knit grid where tiny bars spill into the streets, providing a party atmosphere; in the Cais do Sodré area behind the Avenida 24 de Julho; and around the reclaimed dockside at Alcântara.
Look out, too, for events in the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and the Centro Cultural de Belém. The Coliseu dos Recreios in Rua das Portas de Santo Antão is the main venue for popular music performances. Major theatrical events are staged in the Teatro Nacional Dona Maria II in Rossio Square and in the Casino-Auditorio in Estoril. The Teatro Camões in the Parque das Nações is the main home of La Companhia Nacional de Bailado, the national ballet compay.
The Teatro Nacional São Carlos in Chiado is the city’s opera house, which has a winter season. The São Luís Teatro Municipal is the capital’s principal classical music venue, but look out for concerts in romantic settings, such as the São Roque church, and at Sintra and the palace at Mafra.
Tickets for many events can be obtained from the fifth floor of the Fnac department store in Chiado.
The Orquestra Nacional do Porto is a major national orchestra, and Porto has a prime classical music venue in the striking Casa da Música as well as the Auditório Nacional Carlos Alberta; and popular music is staged at the Coliseu de Porto.
The Orquestra do Algarve holds concerts throughout the year and there are a number of festivals along the coast. Loulé has a renowned jazz festival.
There are a number of music festivals around the country throughout the summer, including the Festival do Sudoeste in the Alentejo and the Rock in Rio in Lisbon.
Any town or village is lively until late on the night of a festival but at other times of the year the tourist towns and resorts in Algarve are among the few places to keep late hours; here summer visitors like to stay up until the early hours. Lagos, especially, is a fun party town.
For a list of what’s going on where, look for one of the many free listings magazines, such as Agenda Cultural Lisboa, a free monthly magazine which is available at the airport and tourist centres. Even if you can’t read Portuguese, the listings are comprehensible.
Music
Although Portugal’s nightlife usually comes to an end fairly early, music, in fado houses, concert halls and nightclubs alike, tends to start fairly late, around 10pm.
The Portuguese musical tradition is much broader than simply fado. Folk music, very different from fado, is surprisingly vibrant in Portugal, as is jazz. There are several Lisbon nightclubs devoted only to African music, which are the places to go to hear the latest in African-influenced sounds.
World Music
In Portugal you can hear local music played on unusual instruments and rooted in deep traditions, and you can hear world music, brought in from the former colonies in Africa and Latin America.
Festas have kept alive local folk groups, which show no signs of dying out, and modern musicians often turn to these roots for inspiration, from the Arabic-inspired songs of Alentejo to the bagpipe wails of Trás-os-Montes. There is a rich variety of instruments, notably the guitarra portuguesa, a 12-string instrument that has several versions, and the four-string cavaquinho, the ancestor of the ukelele. There is also a strong a capella tradition, and you may hear student groups break into song in the streets of Porto or Coimbra.
Brazilian music has come to the fore in recent years, and Portugal is a good place to hear it. You can also seek out venues with music from Africa, or from Cabo Verde, a small Atlantic island and former colony with a disproportionate number of talented singers, such as Cesaria Évora.
Lisbon
Many of Lisbon’s fado houses are located in the Bairro Alto. There are others in the older neighbourhoods – the Alfama, Alcântara and Lapa. They usually serve dinner (optional) and often charge a fairly steep entrance or minimum consumption charge. Singing starts around 10pm. It’s best to book in advance.
Adega Machado
Rua do Norte, 91
Tel: 213 422 282.
Arcadas do Faia
Rua da Barroca, 54–6
Tel: 213 426 742
A Sévera
Rua das Gáveas, 51–7
Tel: 213 461 204
www.asevera.com (Closed Wednesday)
Clube de Fado
Rua São João da Praça, 92–4
Tel: 218 852 704
Senhor Vinho
Rua do Meio, 18 (in Lapa)
Tel: 213 972 681
Coimbra
This is a university city, full of young people, so there is lots in the way of nightlife. But best of all is the enthusiasm for their own brand of fado. Among the best places are:
A Capella
Rua do Corpo de Deus
Tel: 239 833 985
Diligência Bar
Rua Nova
Tel: 239 827 667
The Teatro Gil Vicente (www.tagv.pt) usually has a bright weekly programme of concerts and other events.
Discos and Clubs
Bars with live music – and often dancing – are called boîtes. Discotecas, or discos, occasionally have live music as well.
Lisbon
Most are in or near the Bairro Alto, Rato and São Bento – areas west and up from Avenida da Liberdade – or in a cluster in the Cais do Sodré area off Avenida de 24 de Julho.
Frágil
Rua da Atalaia, 126
Tel: 213 469 578
Among the trendiest discos in town. Right in the Bairro Alto. Good music. Closed Tuesday.
Hot Clube
Praça de Alegria, 39 (just above Avenida da Liberdade)
Tel: 213 467 369
The best place in town for jazz.
Incognito
Rua Poiais de S. Bento, 37
Open Thursday to Saturday. You have to ring a bell to get into this appropriately named place. One of Lisbon’s oldest clubs, hosting alternative sounds.
Jamaica
Rua Nova do Carvalho, 6 (near Cais do Sodré railway station)
Tel: 213 421 859
Fantastically random crowd in a small and unfancy dive, good music, ranging from 70s and 80s tunes to reggae. In the city’s red-light district, but not sleazy.
Kremlin
Rua das Escadinhas da Praia, 5
Tel: 218 957 101
Also in the Alcântara area; lively.
Avenida Infante D. Henrique Armazem A Santa Apolónia
Tel: 218 820 890
Very trendy and popular, this club in a converted dockside warehouse near Santa Apolónia station has an easy-going atmosphere. You can eat here, too. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Music Box Lisboa
Tel: 213 473 188
Rua Nova Do Carvalho, 24
Managed by a record label, this is a club and cultural space with a hip music policy, hosting great live gigs and DJs.
Porto
Aniki-Bobo
Rua Fonte Taurina (next door to the Postigo do Carvão)
Tel: 223 324 619
No food but good music.
Indústria
Avenida do Brasil, 843
Tel: 226 176 806
One of the trendiest places to be for a young crowd, filling up at around 2am.
Maus Habitos
Rua Passo Manuel, 178
Tel: 222 087 268
Arty venue with DJs.
Pitch Club
Rua Passos Manuel, 34–38
Tel: 222 012 349
A popular club, featuring music styles including drum and bass and reggae, spread across three floors.
Cinema
All films in Portugal are subtitled, not dubbed, so they are accessible to non-Portuguese speakers. There are dozens of cinemas in Lisbon – 14 in the El Corte Inglés department store alone. In towns elsewhere there are also plenty of cinemas.
Festivals and Holidays
January
1 January: New Year’s Day (national holiday).
20 January: Festa das Fogaceiras in Santa Maria da Feira – young girls in traditional dress carrying castle-shaped fogaças cakes on their heads.
February
February/March (depending on date of Easter): Carnaval celebrated all over Portugal, but especially in Lisbon, Loulé, Nazaré and Viana do Castelo.
March
Late March/early April (week preceding Easter): Semana Santa (Holy Week). Celebrated nationwide, with local variations such as Senhor Ecce Homo festival in Braga featuring barefoot, torch-bearing, hooded penitents.
April
25 April: Dia da Liberdade (Liberty Day) celebrates the 1974 revolution.
Late April: Ovibeja Agricultural Fair. Nine-day Beja fair, nightly concerts.
May
1 May: Labour Day
2–3 May: Feira das Cantarinhas. Fair of traditional handicrafts in Bragança.
Early May: Queima das Fitas, Coimbra. Local students go mad with parades, fado and the burning of gowns.
Early May: Festa das Cruzes. Festival of the Crosses in Barcelos, with concerts nightly.
13 May: Fátima Romaris. Celebrates the vision of the Virgin at Fátima.
Rock in Rio, Lisbon. Huge rock festival.
June
10 June: Portugal Day.
13 June: Festa de Santo António.
Celebrated all over the country, but especially in Lisbon.
Mid-June: Corpus Christi celebrations, Monçao. A procession and a battle between the forces of good and evil.
23–4 June: Festa de São Joao (John the Baptist), celebrated especially in Porto, Aveiro and Braga. In Porto large parties are held where people are hit over the head with inflatable mallets.
29 June: Festa de Sao Pedro (St Peter). Music, dancing and processions.
Late June: Feira Nacional da Agricultura, Santarém. Features horse racing, bullfights and bull-running in the streets.
Late June: Festa de São Gonçalo, Amarante. A large procession with single people exchanging phallic-shaped cakes as love tokens.
Late June: Festas Populares. Huge Alentejo country fair in Évora.
July
First weekend of the month, every four years, 2015, 2019 etc: Festa do Colete Encanado, Vila Franca de Xira, has bull-running in the streets; and Festa dos Tabuleiros, Tomar, showcases a procession of girls dressed in white, balancing large trays of bread and wheat on their heads.
Mid-July: Festival Marés Vivas. Cool music festival in Porto.
August
Early August: Festival do Sudoeste, Zamujeira do Mar. Large music festival with hip international stars.
Mid-August: Festival do Marisco, Olão. Celebration of shellfish.
15 August: Feast of the Assumption.
20 August: Romaria da Nossa Senhora da Agonía (Our Lady of Sorrows), Viana do Castelo. Parade of floats, music, fireworks and lots of drinking.
Mid-August to 21 September: Feira de São Mateus, Viseu. An agricultural fair featuring bullfights, fado and folk dancing.
Late August: Folkfaro, Faro, Algarve. Lots of live music.
September
8 September: Nossa Senhora da Nazaré, Estremadura. Folk dances, bullfights and processions.
Late September: Feiras Novas, Ponte de Lima, the Minho. Huge market and fair.
October
5 October: Republic Day.
13 October: Fátima Romaris, Fátima. Celebrates the vision of the Virgin; similar to the May festival.
Late October: Feira de Santa Iria, Faro, Algarve. Honouring St Irene with music and a fun fair.
November
1 November: All Saints’ Day.
December
1 December: Independence Day.
8 December: Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
25 December: Christmas Day.
Sports
Participant Sports
The standard of golf courses in Portugal is very high. Those in the Estoril/Sintra area and in Algarve are particularly popular. The following is just a selection of the many clubs around the country. Among useful and comprehensive websites are www.portugalgolfe.com and www.algarve-golf.com.
Lisbon
Clube de Campo Aroeira 1
Herdade da Aroeira, south of the River Tagus.
Tel: 212 979 100
Estoril Golf Club
Avenida da República, Estoril
Tel: 214 680 176
Estoril-Sol Golf Club
Quinta do Outeiro, near Sintra
Tel: 219 240 331
Lisbon Sports Club
Casal da Carregueira, Belas, near Queluz
Tel: 214 310 077
Penha Longa Club (Atlântico)
One of two fine Penha Longa club courses near Sintra.
Tel: 219 249 011
Praia d’El Rey
Between Óbidos and Peniche, easily accessible via the A8 motorway
Tel: 262 905 010
Setúbal
Tróia Golf Club
Torralta, Tróia
Tel: 265 494 024
Algarve
This is a selection from a large number of excellent courses:
Le Méridien Penina Golf Club
Penina, near Portimao
Tel: 282 420 200
Oceânico Golf
Tel: 289 310 333
Has no fewer than five courses on the Vilamoura estate near Loulé – of which the so-called Old Course is the most famous.
Onyria Palmares Golf Club
Meia Praia, near Lagos
Tel: 282 790 500
Quinta do Lago Golf Club
Almancil, near Loulé and Faro
Tel: 289 390 705
Vale do Lobo Golf Club
Vale do Lobo, near Loulé
Tel: 289 353 465
Costa de Prata
Vimeiro Golf Club
Praia do Porto Novo, Vimeiro, about 65km (40 miles) north of Lisbon
Tel: 261 980 800
Porto
Miramar Golf Club
Praia de Miramar, Avenida Sacudura Cabral, Valadares, near Porto
Tel: 227 622 067
Oporto Golf Club
Lugar do Sisto, near Espinho
Tel: 227 342 008
Tennis
In Lisbon, the Marinha Golf Club and Lisbon Sports Club (listed above, under Golf) have tennis courts. Try also:
Club de Ténis do Estoril
Tel: 214 662 770
Lisboa Tennis Clube
Tel: 217 609 952
In Algarve, there are courts at the Jim Stewart Tennis Academy (www.playtennisalgarve.com) at the Quinta do Lago, and more courts at Vale do Lobo (tel: 289 357 850), Vilamoura Ténis Centre (tel: 289 324 123) and at many hotels. Several towns have their own municipal courts.
Water Sports
There are few facilities for hiring equipment outside Algarve. In the Lisbon area you will find surfboards and other equipment for hire at the beaches. For sailing, there’s the Cascais Naval Club (www.cncascais.com) Windsurfers head for the long beaches and wild waves at Guincho, farther out. For deep-sea fishing, check with the local tourist office.
In Porto, the Porto Golf Club (tel: 227 342 008) has skin-diving facilities. You can also try the Leça da Palmeira Beach (to the north) for sailing.
In Algarve, all the larger tourist beaches and towns have some facilities. Near Lagos, there are windsurfing and waterskiing facilities at Luz, São Roque (Meia Praia) and Alvor beaches; the latter two also have sailing facilities. Praia da Rocha has sailing, windsurfing and waterskiing facilities; sailing and windsurfing are practised at Armação de Pera, near Albufeira. Vilamoura has extensive water sports facilities, as does Vale do Lobo. The wild coast near Sagres is particularly popular with surfers.
Walking & Hiking
The many national parks in central and northern Portugal are ideal for walking and hiking: the Serra da Estrela and Peneda-Gerês and Montesinho National Parks are three of the best. The beaches and cliffs along the Algarve coast are also excellent for walking, as are the hills around Mogadouro in Trás-os-Montes. Various local organisations offer hiking and climbing excursions.
Horse Riding
There are stables all around the country where horses can be hired. Algarve in particular has a number of riding centres. Most of the horses you will encounter are at least in part Lusitano, a famous and sure-footed Portuguese breed. Adventure centres in northern Portugal also offer horse riding trips, such as around Campo do Gerês in the Minho.
To Ski or to Scu?
The Serra da Estrela is the place for the little that Portugal has to offer in the way of winter sports. Visitors ski here, but mostly they scu – a combination of the words ski and cu, which means rear end in Portuguese. To scu, you grab a plastic bag, sit on it, and slide downhill.
Spectator Sports
Football
Football dominates Portuguese sports life. From the 10-year-olds playing in the street to the hundreds of professional, semi-pro and amateur teams, to the massive coverage the sport is given on TV and in the papers, football in Portugal is inescapable.
The three most important teams in the country are FC Porto, from Porto, Benfica and Sporting, the latter two from Lisbon. Just about everyone in Portugal, no matter where they are from, is a loyal fan of one of the three.
The football season stretches from September or October to July. Tickets for the big three teams are difficult to get, as there are many season-ticket holders. In Lisbon, try the ticket kiosk located in Praça dos Restauradores; elsewhere, try the stadiums themselves. Games are usually held on Sunday afternoon.
Portuguese bullfighting is different from the Spanish variety. It is considered less violent because the bull is not killed in the ring (however, it is killed later, out of public view). Nonetheless, it is bloody enough to upset the sensibilities of many people. The star Portuguese bullfighters are on horseback, the horses beautifully bedecked and highly trained. A striking aspect of the Portugese corrida is the team of forcados – eight unpaid local men, colourfully dressed in short coats, tight pants, waistbands and stockings – who face the bull bare-handed in an exhibition of pure machismo.
Bullfighting is popular primarily in Ribatejo (just outside Lisbon) and in Lisbon itself. The season runs from spring to autumn. In Lisbon, corridas are held in the Campo Pequeño bullring. There is also a ring in Cascais. The most famous bullfights, however, are held in Santarém and Vila Franca da Xira, northeast of Lisbon (take the train from Santa Apolónia.)
Ribatejo festivals, which are frequent in the summer, almost always feature bullfighting and the freeing of bulls in the streets.
National Parks
Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês
The Peneda-Gerês (for more information, click here) park extends over some 700 sq km (270 sq miles) and is located in the far north of the country. The highest peak in the Peneda-Gerês is 1,544 metres (5,065ft), with a view of the Minho, Trás-os-Montes, and across the border into Galicia.
The lush plant life is fed by heavy rainfall. The park is home to 17 species of plants that are found nowhere else, as well as extensive forests of oak and pine. Wild ponies, deer, wolves, golden eagles, wild boars and badgers, as well as many other animals, live within the boundaries.
You may fish, go horse riding, hike and mountain climb amid the breathtaking scenery in the park. You can also visit picturesque ancient villages. There are dolmens, perhaps 5,000 years old, and milestones that once marked the old Roman road to Braga.
Entrance to the Peneda half of the park – the northern section – is from Melgaço, at the Galician border, and Ponte da Barca. The entrance to Gerês is off the Braga–Chaves road (take the turn-off to Caniçada). There is a pousada at the edge of the park, in Caniçada.
Tourist offices in the Minho, especially in Braga, can provide information about the park.
Parque Natural Montesinho
In the far northeastern corner of Portugal, Montesinho lies between Bragança, Vinhais, and the Spanish border (for more information, click here). As in Peneda-Gerês, many varieties of flora and fauna abound. There is not only wild, heath-like scenery but also ancient villages preserving their age-old customs. Access is from Bragança or Vinhais.
Parque Natural Serra da Estrela
Granite peaks, glacial valleys and streams, lakes and boulders lie within the natural park of the Serra da Estréla (for more information, click here). The highest peaks in Portugal are also quite accessible by car (although in winter roads may briefly be blocked). The prettiest season, with wild flowers everywhere, is spring.
There are places to stay in the larger towns in or near the Serra, which include Gouveia, Seia, Covilhã and Guarda. There is a pousada in Manteigas. The Serra is about two hours by car from Coimbra.
Serra da Arrábida
Just south of Lisbon, the Serra da Arrábida’s natural beauty is accessible to anyone with a car (for more information, click here). The steep hills, with a wide variety of flowers and trees, and the blue ocean for contrast, are beautiful. The Serra da Arrábida provides wonderful views all along the highway, west from Setúbal.
A good map will show you where to find Portugal’s several other protected areas. These include Algarve’s southwestern coast, and a coastal wetland, the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, which is important to migrating birds. Many other rural areas outside parks are also astonishingly beautiful and rich in birdlife.
Shopping
What to Buy
Portuguese handicrafts range from hand-carved toothpicks to wicker furniture to blankets and rugs. The most famous items are ceramic tiles (azulejos –for more information, click here) and pottery, Arraiolos rugs, embroidery and lace (for more information, click here). The beautiful Vista Alegre porcelain and Atlantis crystal bear comparison with the best in the world.
Pottery Different varieties of ceramic work are produced all over the country; in Alentejo, for example, you will find examples of barro pottery, a simple brown clay, sometimes decorated, sometimes glazed. Decorations on ceramics tend to be paintings of fruit or flowers, or sometimes scenes of rural life. Fine pottery from around Coimbra often carries animal motifs, and looks quite intricate in comparison with the simple Alentejano decorations. Further north, blue-and-white glazed pottery appears.
Rugs Arraiolos rugs, by contrast, come from only one place, the one from which they take their name: Arraiolos, in Alentejo. (They are, however, sold in other parts of the country, especially in Lisbon.) The art of designing and stitching these rugs probably goes back to the Middle Ages.
Where to Shop
Lisbon
Lisbon is particularly appealing for its small-scale, stuck-in-time shops and new bijou fashion boutiques. The best shopping areas are central Baixa, around Rua Garrett and in Avenida da Roma, while for boutiques you are best off heading to Bairro Alto.
Lisbon also has several large shopping centres: Colombo, Iberia’s largest shopping mall, to the north of the city; Amoreiras – Lisbon’s first; the sleek Vasco da Gama in the Parque das Nações; and El Corte Inglés, the city’s largest department store. Near Cascais, Cascaishopping is just off the expressway and Cascais itself has a shopping centre called Cascais Villa.
While many regional crafts are sold in Lisbon, there is usually a much wider and more authentic selection in the provinces. The following is a list of the traditional crafts produced in particular areas:
Alentejo
Cane and wicker-work, cork products (baskets, coasters, sculpture), wool blankets, Arraiolos rugs, ceramics (barro), traditional hand-painted furniture, copper goods and lace.
Algarve
Palm and wicker-work, copper and brass articles, candles, earthenware pottery.
Coimbra and the Beiras
Ceramics (colourful animal motifs from near Coimbra; elegant Vista Alegre porcelain from the Aveiro region; black clay pottery from the Viseu region); woven rag quilts from the Serra da Estrela; as well as lace and embroidery.
Douro and Minho
Ceramics; wicker-work; straw baskets and hats; embroidery, crochet work, and regional costumes (especially from the Viana do Castelo area); religious art (from Braga). The Thursday market in Barcelos, north of Porto, has lots of handicrafts for sale. Porto is, of course, the ideal place to buy port, but it can be found throughout the country. Similarly, Amarante is the heart of the vinho verde production so it is good to buy the wine direct from local quintas.
Trás-os-Montes
Blankets; weaving and tapestries; crocheted bedspreads; black pottery from Bisalhóes (near Vila Real).