This hotel is one of the most charming luxury hotels in downtown Lisbon. It’s location could not be better: right at the Praça Luis Camões.

Just like Hotel Chiado, the real price for me is the top-floor terrace. Comfortable sofas and chairs, heating and a great view.

Come at night, and have a drink here before dinner. The terrace is heated, so it’s comfortable all year round.

Expect to see a lot of (well-off) foreigners and no Portuguese at all. Prices are as expected: expensive. Best to just take a deep sigh and enjoy the view. Or have some of the free Japanese snacks.

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Hotel Bairro Alto | Bars | Beer & view € 4.00
Praça Luís de Camões 8 | Bairro Alto | +351213408288
Summer 12:30 – 00:00 daily | Winter 12:30 – 22:00 daily

So many bars in Bairro Alto, why go to Capela? Owner and resident-DJ Pedro is one of the main embassadors of Elektropop in Lisbon. Music never comes second place in Capela.

Prepare yourself for a kaleidoscope of people and styles and just let go! It looks a bit trashy, but you will get used to it.

When most bars are winding down late at night, Capela keeps just getting better. And since the place is rather small and narrow, you are guaranteed to meet lots of people.

Great combo: late dinner at Império dos Sentidos (next door) and then off to Capela.

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Capela | Bars, Music | Bacardi Limon € 4.00
Rua da Atalaia 45 | Bairro Alto | +351213470072
20:00 – 02:00 daily

Sol e Pesca is a former shop that once sold fishing equipment. It has been out of business for over 20 years. But that did not stop the new owners to launch a bar using the same theme. It feels like you are entering a “fishy” store. Besides beer and other alcoholic snacks, they have wide assortment of canned fish and sea-food (“conservas” as Portuguese call it) which can be eaten on the spot. Quite a unique mix, but it works very well and beats peanuts!

A great place to have a drink, a chat and some fish. It is located in the middle of Cais de Sodré. This area is becoming increasingly popular, with new bars opening up (or old ones being renovated). This place fits in perfectly since it respects the “harbour” spirit of the neighbourhood: a bit shafy, a bit alternativa, but very cool.

Expect the bar (and the whol street) to fill up after 02:00.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Sol e Pesca | Bars | Beer € 2.00
Rua Nova do Carvalho 44 | Bairro Alto | +351213467203
Tue – Wed 12:00 – 02:00, Thu – Sat 12:00 – 04:00

This is a nice and warm bodega in Bairro Alto, right in front of Maria Caxuxa’s bar. But different from this one, Bairru’s is more of a wine bar, a place where I go with my friends to sit, chat and have some wine or sangria.

Since I usually don’t drink that much, a couple of glasses is fine for me – it’s a good thing they sell wine by the glass. Of course, if we are more than three on the table, a bottle is much better. And of course they sell bottles too.

As companion to good wine and good friends, they play some very good Portuguese music. And the staff is chatty and friendly too, which makes the place even cozier.

After dining out in Bairro Alto, this is the place to go just after.

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Bairru’s Bodega | Bars | Glass of wine € 3.50
Rua da Barroca, nº 2 | Bairro Alto | +351213469060
17:00 – 02:00 daily

Imagine an old Parisian café, with little wrought-iron tables, old leather armchairs and vintage black and white pictures hanging on the walls.

Now you can transfer this image into Lisbon’s Bairro Alto, and add a touch of 21st century modernity – a wi-fi internet connection, Chill Out or Bossa Nova ambient music, some seriously delicious snacks, which mix Italian, French and Spanish ingredients – and you have Les Mauvais Garçons!

When we first found this spot it was love at first site – this is one of the cosiest bistrôs in town! In the same space you can find groups of friends having after-work drinks, couples in a romantic date and mysterious loners reading a book or surfing the web.

In its crowdest periods, it can be quite noisy as its different influences bring people from all over the world there – sometimes it can seem like the Tower of Babel!

But most of the times this is a top spot to go to, with a nice wine selection, famous appetizers and desserts and a trendy atmosphere!

Vee’s favourites – Amazing Desserts.

Rita’s favourites – Vintage leather armchairs, bruschettas and pan tomaquet (crusty bread with a spicy tomato sauce)

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Les Mauvais Garçons | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Wine € 2.50
Rua da Rosa 39 | Bairro Alto | +351213433212
12:00 – 00:00 daily

There is nothing sweeter than a Noobai evening! Discreet and hidden away next to the grungiest (some would say dodgy) ‘miradouro’ (viewing spot) in town, Noobai will take you by surprise. It keeps to the basics, cold beer, drinks and minimalist snacks for pecking. But the view is amazing and the environment is great for taking a rest after a long day.

I have come here often and have never had a bad time. The service is friendly and most importantly, you can keep the focus on your good company while you watch the sun come down. The view is not of a picturesque Lisbon, but a rather more realistic and crude one. The music in the background is also quite pleasant. In sum, all the ingredients necessary for a worry free time, focusing on the important things: friends and conversation.

If it’s a sunny day prepare to head over earlier around 18:00.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Noobai | Bars, Snacks | Main meal € 15.00
Miradouro de Santa Catarina (Adamastor) | Bairro Alto | +351213465014
Tue – Thu 12:00 – 22:00, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 00:00, Sun 12:00 – 00:00

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