Nightlife in Porto, Porto, Portugal

Porto has a surprisingly intense nightlife that may be a bit confusing to visitors, especially after you’ve had one too many Super Bocks. Here’s the low down on where to find the best late-night parties in town and what to expect when you go out in Porto.

Generally speaking, people might start Happy Hour at a local snack bar in Ribeira or Clérigos, where you can get cheap drinks and something to fill your stomach. It’s not uncommon to see these places brimming with people after quitting time every day, especially on the weekend. Popular places like Espaco 77, where you can get 50 cent beers, and Casa Guedes, which is better known for its pork sandwiches than its beer, might be hopelessly packed if you come at the wrong time.

But the locals of Porto aren’t about getting wasted quickly and petering out early. Instead, they’ll go to places where they can refuel on snacks and drink coffee to keep their energy up, even as late as midnight. Restaurants that usually close at 10 or 11 pm on a weekday may have extended hours as late as 1 am on weekends so you can have a full meal before even starting your night.

You’ll find a huge concentration of bars and night clubs in the area near Clérigos Tower, known as Galerias for short. They’re a series of streets that are nightlife end to end, the main ones being Galeria de Paris and Rua de Candido dos Reis. The streets look like Mardi Gras on your average Saturday night until 5 and 6 am when people stream out from all the clubs after last call. Here you’ll find dance clubs as well as more laid back dive bars. Many people grab a drink and just walk around enjoying it on the streets, where you can hear music coming from all the places around. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).