By far, the best nightclub in Lisbon. Some even go as far as saying as the best in Europe. Co-owned by John Malkovich, Lux has served as host for some of the best gigs in Lisbon. I could start naming all the great artists who have been here, but the list would be endless.


The club is divided in two floors. The top floor, filled with very artistic decor, serves (depending on the night) lounge, hip hop or electro sounds throughout the night. The bottom floor has more of an aggressive feel to it, tribal house, techno, electro or drum and bass are regulars here. Every now and again, Lux also serves as venue for smaller gigs for jazz, folk, acoustic or other musical genres. Watch out for the giant giraffe! :)

Bob Marley, Depeche Mode or The Postal Service. Jamaica, in Cais do Sodré, is one of the few nightclubs in Lisbon that has such an eclectic mix of sounds. To add to that, the crowd is also eclectic - to say the least. Bifes, betos, freaks ("what?!", you ask - don't worry, you'll understand if you live here) and other random people come every night to Jamaica. It is an absolutely normal occurrence to see people walking down from Bairro Alto after the bars have shut to Jamaica at 4am. Also, what other city in the world can you find Jamaica, Europa, Copenhagen, Liverpool, Tokyo and Oslo all in the same street? Welcome to Lisbon :)

Everyday except Fridays and Saturday, you can come here and listen great (and sometimes, not so great) Fado. I'm not gonna bore you about the history of Fado - if you don't know what it is, look it up. All you need to really know is that Fado is beautiful, sad and melancholic. If you're into that type of thing, listening to a man or lady sing along with four (great) guitarists in the background will get you going. The Fado sung here is known as "Fado Vadio" - they're not professionals, yet they're not amateurs. Anyone can sign up to sing a Fado here - provided you actually know how to sing Fado. As an American girl I met the other said: "It's like Karaoke... but Fado Karaoke!" Uhm, not exactly. But sorta. Important thing to note is that this fado house is not as pretentious as some other places around Bairro Alto - which is good. And you can also eat well here.

"Pop Pop and Away" is the Saturday night theme every week. The bar describes it as "new wave/80s/90/s/alternativepop"; so whatever you feel comes under that so specific descriptive musical genre is played at Incógnito. Nights in this bar\club tend to start after 1 or 2 in the morning, so not really any point in getting that before. Oh, it's pretty small as well. But we like it :)

"Association of Madmen and Dreamers" is the direct translation of the name of the bar. And a bar with a name like this, it can only be good. A euro a beer, shelves and shelves full of books and a bar/basement full of madmen and dreamers in Bairro Alto. Need I say more?

A little music box opened up December 2006 in Cais do Sodré. In it, you will find music. And music. Followed by more music. Music Box promises to become a prime spot in the Lisbon nightlife scene. A variety of gigs are on every week, chosen to satisfy all rock, dance, hip-hop, reggae, dubstep... basically, all music lovers. A VJ is present every night to project images on the video wall, the decor is just right and we love those arches on Rua Nova do Carvalho (no, nothing to do with those golden, yellow, capitalistic arches that students love so much...). Drinks could be liiitttllee bit cheaper...

A bit of everything happens in Chapitô. It has to be one of the bars with the best views over a city in Europe. Excellent spot to start your nightlife with a dinner followed by drinks, and accompanied by juggling acts, performances, projections, exhibitions or whatever is on culturally. Not only is this is a bar and restaurant, but it also offers courses and workshops - check the courses section. If you are going to have dinner there, it is advisable to reserve in advance...

Granted - this is not in Lisbon as such. It is a 20 minute train ride away from Cais do Sodré. But if we put it up here it is because it is worth it. You should know that by now. Varandas is in between the Long Beach bar in Carcavelos and the "graffiti tunnel" (if you haven't seen it yet, go - it's an open air graffiti museum!). The bar is only open during the day until sunset and they don't play music. But my friends, it is on this list for a reason: Varandas serves the best caipirinhas in the whole of Lisbon - approved and verified by the Brighter Place official caipirinha-taster, Isabel. And for that to happen, it has to be a fucking good caipirinha. Oh, and the bar is by the beach. Caipirinha + beach + sunset = :)

Santiago Alquimista is a multi-purpose venue. There is always gigs, DJs, special occasion parties (eg: ERASMUS parties, record launches, etc.), comedy nights (in Portuguese) and other stuff going at Santiago Alquimista. If you are planning to watch a gig here, know that the sound system is very good and allows for unusually up-close and personal concerts. Make sure to check either A Brighter Place agenda or Santiago Alquimista's website for the coming month's agenda.

The ERASMUS spot in Bairro Alto. If you are looking for other ERASMUS students in Bairro Alto, this is the place to be. More and more ERASMUS students are finding this spot in Bairro Alto and making it their second home. Drinks are the average bar price in Bairro Alto and Margheritas are their speciality.