Bars in Lagos, Portugal

Bar lists go out of date within a season here — places change hands, rebrand, or close over winter. What does not change is the shape of the scene. There are five types of bar in Lagos, and knowing which is which tells you where to be at any hour.

1. Sunset and beach bars

Out towards Meia Praia, along the marina, and up near the cliffs. These are for the 19:00 to 21:00 slot: a drink with a view while it is still warm. They are relaxed, a bit more expensive than the old town, and they empty as soon as the light goes. Nobody's night finishes here, but plenty of good ones start here.

2. Hostel bars

Not open to everyone, but they are where the town's nightlife is generated. Pre-drinks run roughly 19:00 to 21:30, and the groups that form during that window are the groups that walk into the old town later. If you are staying somewhere without one, this is the piece of the evening you are missing and it is worth finding a substitute.

3. Old town backpacker bars

The core of the scene. Small rooms on the narrow streets behind the main squares, loud music, cheap shots, and a crowd that spills onto the cobbles because there is nowhere else to stand. Beer pong tables and drinking games live here. These fill from about 22:00 and peak between 23:30 and 01:00. Most bar hopping happens within a few streets, so you can try four in an hour without effort.

4. Portuguese tascas and local bars

Easy to walk past and worth not walking past. Small, plain, older clientele, football on the television, drinks at prices that will surprise you after a week of traveller bars. They tend to close earlier than the backpacker places. If you want a conversation rather than a shot, go here at 21:00.

5. Late bars

The handful of places that carry the gap between the old town closing down and the clubs filling up, broadly 01:00 onwards. Louder, later, and increasingly indistinguishable from a small club. This is the last stop before the actual club, and by this point the whole town is in about three rooms.

The order that works

• 19:00-21:00: sunset bar or hostel pre-drinks. Build a group.
• 21:00-22:00: a tasca or a quieter old town bar while the main streets fill.
• 22:00-01:00: old town bar hopping. Do not settle in one place.
• 01:00-04:00: late bar into a club.

Practical notes

• Most old town bars have no cover charge and no dress code.
• Carry some cash. Card machines exist everywhere but fail regularly on busy nights.
• Bring physical ID. Doors ask.
• The streets are residential above the bars, so noise on the walk between them matters.
• Outside April to October, expect a large share of these places to be closed or on short hours.

Why bar hopping beats picking a favourite

In a town this compact, the best bar on any given night is whichever one filled up first, and that changes weekly. Locking yourself into one place at 22:00 is how you end up in an empty room at midnight. Move every forty minutes or so, and follow the noise.