Lisbon Two Nights

Your weekend, day by day

1. 1

   Day 1

   

   Guided bar crawl

   From about 21:00 · 3 hours

   Arrival day. A short transfer from the airport, then the guided bar crawl through Bairro Alto in the evening: a run of small bars with the guide handling the doors. Lisbon starts late, so eat first. Dress for the last venue: no sportswear.

   More about this+

   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.

2. 2

   Day 2

   

   Add-on

   Treasure hunt & city quest

   From about 13:00 · 2 hours

   If the group picks the treasure hunt, teams work round the centre with clues and photo challenges, scored against the clock and finishing in a pub. Comfortable shoes, a charged phone and a jacket: it goes ahead in the rain.

   More about this+

   In Lisbon the treasure hunt is a self-run smartphone game rather than a hosted event. Teams follow GPS points through the city, unlocking clues, photo challenges and trivia, with a live scoreboard and team tracker keeping it competitive. There is no fixed start, so you begin whenever suits, and it takes about two hours. The pub version swaps sightseeing for trivia at bars you choose along the way. Lisbon's hills make it harder work than it looks, so wear proper shoes, keep teams small, and check that every phone has mobile data and GPS switched on.

   Each team gets a route, a set of clues and a list of photo or video challenges, either on paper or through an app. You work your way round the city centre, collecting points, and everyone meets at a pub at the end where the scores are read out.

   It runs two to three hours on foot and it covers a fair distance, though at your own pace. Most of the scoring comes from the challenges rather than the clues, so the daft teams tend to win.

   Comfortable shoes, a charged phone and a jacket. It goes ahead in the rain.

3. 3

   Day 3

   

   Guided city tour

   From about 11:00 · 1 hour

   Departure day. If the group picks the city tour, a guide walks the group round the landmarks and the stories behind them, pitched at the group. The gentlest way to get moving. Comfortable shoes and a jacket, and time for the airport transfer.

   More about this+

   Lisbon's hills and narrow streets are why most tours here come with wheels. Tuk-tuks collect the group from the hotel for an hour round the old districts, six to a vehicle, between about 9:30am and 5:30pm. Segway tours of downtown run an hour with a guide, at set start times through the day. The little self-drive cars follow a GPS audio route, two to a car, and each driver must be 18 or over, hold a driving licence and leave a deposit. For a half-day out, a four-hour jeep trip heads out of the city to Pena Palace. Tuk-tuks suit the morning after the big night.

   Tours run one to three hours on foot, by bike or in a minibus, with a guide who takes questions and sets the pace. The route covers the landmarks and the stories behind them, and a good guide will pitch it at the group rather than recite a script.

   It is the one activity that works with a hangover, and it is how most groups get their bearings for the rest of the weekend.

   Comfortable shoes and a jacket. Walking tours go ahead in the rain.