Lisbon Classic

Your weekend, day by day

1. 1

   Day 1

   

   Boat party & cruise

   From about 15:00 · 2 hours

   Arrival day. A short transfer from the airport to the hotel, then the river boat trip in the afternoon with the group together on the water. Boarding is at a fixed time, so leave a margin. Trainers or deck shoes and a layer.

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   Lisbon's boats run on the Tagus and out along the coast, passing under the 25 de Abril Bridge and Belém Tower. The public party boat leaves from the centre, 7pm to 11pm on Saturdays from March to October and on Thursdays and Fridays in summer, with a DJ and two drinks each. Private boats and catamarans for 12 to 18 leave from marinas at Belém or Alcântara for two or three hours, day or evening. Some let you bring your own drinks, but cans only and no red wine. Anyone who arrives intoxicated is refused boarding. Bring swimwear for daytime sails.

   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.

   

   Club entry, VIP & booths

   From about 23:30 · 4 hours

   The first night finishes with guest-list club entry, past the queue. Lisbon's nights start late and run late. Dress codes are enforced on stag groups: no sportswear and no matching shirts.

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   Lisbon's clubs are sold two ways. Standard guest-list entry gets the group into a club in central Lisbon with a drink each. The VIP option adds priority entry, a reserved table and a bottle of spirits with mixers for every four people, so a group of 12 needs three bottles and the package scales by the four. Smart casual is expected and ID should be carried. Nights in Lisbon run late, so there is no rush: eat properly, work through the bars first, and save the club for the end of the night rather than heading straight there.

   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.

2. 2

   Day 2

   

   Wine & prosecco tasting

   From about 15:00 · 1 hour

   A slow morning, then the wine tasting: a host pours a flight and talks through where each wine comes from, with water and something to eat alongside. Measures are tasting-sized, so it is not a drinking session.

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   Lisbon gives you two choices. Most groups stay central: a guided tasting of three or four Portuguese wines in a bar near Largo Luís de Camões, running one to two hours with afternoon and early-evening slots, or a quick 40-minute port tasting in a bodega between 5pm and 10pm. The alternative is a vineyard tour in the Azeitão wine area, a 50-minute drive from the centre, led by an English-speaking sommelier for about an hour and a quarter; transport is not included, so it needs a minibus. Everything is 18-plus, and the port tasting makes a good pre-dinner stop.

   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.

3. 3

   Day 3

   

   Guided bar crawl

   From about 21:00 · 3 hours

   The guided bar crawl: meet the guide at a fixed point and work through a run of bars, finishing with club entry, with the guide handling the doors. Eat first so the group makes the start time, and dress for the last venue: no trainers and no sportswear.

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   Lisbon crawls start late, at 10pm every night, from a meeting point in Bairro Alto by Largo Luís de Camões, and run about four hours. The format is a shot of Portuguese liqueur at the first bar, then an hour of open bar on beer and sangria, discounted drinks after that, and club entry at around 1:30am. Club doors refuse anyone who arrives intoxicated, so pace the open-bar hour. Smart casual is expected and ID is checked, as it is 18-plus. For a gentler start, the rooftop crawl takes in three rooftop bars with views over the city in the afternoon.

   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.