Best places to go dancing in Porto

The first floor of this bar housed the one-time Porto criminal court where in 1861 Portuguese writer Camilo Castelo Branco was tried for adultery. Naughty Camilo! In the early decades of the twentieth century, the building housed the cabaret Clube Primavera. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of fun here as well as history – above all on the ground floor, where the proper club is found, powered by indie rock and electronic music. For some fresh air/fag smoke, head to the lovely garden out the back.

Plano B is a Porto nightlife

institution on Rua Cândido dos Reis. It has three proper rooms spaces plus other nooks and crannies depending on if you want to go hard or chat and chill. the decor’s also pretty Insta-swank (there’s even a statue and a fountain on the ground floor). As for the music, alternate between the stage room, where the music is more commercial, and the cube room, where it’s more electronic and where they put on foreign DJs. Always good to have a plan B.

This is one of Porto’s best bars. It has a monthly programme featuring various parties that come highly recommended (Hard AssSessions, GrooveBall, Arena, CandyWaves), gigs by Portuguese and foreign bands, film screenings, tango nights and exhibitions by independent local artists. It also has a restaurant-cum-ppizzeria Vícios de Mesa, that serves lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch (noon-4pm). It’s across the road from another bar, Passos Manuel, so make it a double.

Tendinha is one of Porto’s legendary clubs – and the one where a lot of people end up when they want the night to last through to dawn (so don’t be surprised if you come across a few tired and emotional types en route). The musical driving force here is danceable rock. Earlier in the night you should also try the nearby HD Bar to Be Wild, a bikers’ bar from the same team in Rua Galeria de Paris.