Lisbon Classic

You board at a fixed time and the boat runs a set loop, so latecomers are left on the dock. Onboard there is a bar and usually a DJ or a sound system you can plug into. Some are private charters for your group alone, others are shared with other bookings. What is included varies more here than anywhere else: some are entry only, some include a drinks package, some include food. Get that in writing before you pay. Deck shoes or trainers, nothing with a heel. It is colder on the water than on land, even in summer, so bring a layer.

Standard entry gets the group past the queue on a guest list, which matters because large male groups are the first ones a door turns away. A booth adds a reserved table, a set number of bottles with mixers and a host who looks after the table. Booths are sold on a minimum spend rather than a flat fee at many clubs, so the bottles you order count towards it. Ask what the minimum is and what it includes before you agree to anything. Dress code is enforced hard on stag groups. No sportswear, no trainers at some doors, no matching shirts, and nobody visibly drunk gets in regardless of the booking.

A host pours a flight of four to six wines and takes the group through where each comes from and what to look for, with water and something to eat alongside. It runs about ninety minutes, sitting down, at a bar, a shop or your accommodation. Some hosts turn it into a blind tasting with teams and a scoreboard, which suits a group that needs something to compete over. Measures are tasting-sized, so it is not a drinking session. Do not put it after a long afternoon, because the point is to still have a palate.

You meet the guide at a fixed point and move through a run of bars across the evening, usually four or five, finishing at a club. The guide knows the doors, so you skip the queue and the group is not turned away for being too large. Most crawls include a welcome drink or a shot at each stop, and entry to the final venue. The rest is on you. Groups from several bookings are often merged, which some stags like and some do not, so ask whether yours is private. Dress code is the club's, not the guide's. No trainers and no sportswear at the last venue, and matching shirts get refused at some doors.