Although there are only a select few venues to choose from, Lisbon nightlife is reliably active - typical night out might start in the bars of Bairro Alto, but it rarely ends come last orders. Easily the best choice in Lisbon (and arguably Europe) is Lux; a habourside superclub part-owned by style guru Manuel Reis and Hollywood actor John Malkovich. It's an established favourite with the international DJ set, but the club is somewhat frustratingly fixated with following London fashions - namely the rapid ascendance of electroclash.

Most revellers tend to flit between several clubs in one evening, planning their path not by music policy but by virtue of which club will still be open. Most start their night at 2-3am and finish at an after-hours (Paradise Garage, for instance) mid-afternoon the following day. Few clubs are exclusive to one set; utterly incongruous groups of people can pass through the same doors at different times of the night. Lisbon's club scene is sustained by a drugs culture, although few places will tolerate drug use on the premises.