It has been scientifically proven that the moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages has the power to disinhibit some people, but the truth is that you don‘ t even need a drop of alcohol to have a great time in Lisbon.
The Portuguese capital is a fantastic city for moderate drinkers who like to have an occasional drink or two to unwind from the daily grind.
From bars with the freshest “blondes”, rooftops with incredible views or even discreetbrunches, Lisbon has everything to suit all tastes.
Even for those who can’t do without alcohol! And that’s why we’ve created this guide, with some of the most incredible plans where you don’t need to touch a drop of alcohol to have a great time.
Table Of Contents
- Attend concerts by candlelight
- "Dive into the Lisbon Oceanarium
- Try a non-alcoholic brunch
- Visit a museum
- Take a walk in a Lisbon garden or park
- Travel back millions of years in the company of dinosaurs
- Spread out your towel on a "secret" beach... or relax on a terrace
- Watch a movie outdoors, or in an alternative cinema
- Bowling with friends and family
- Go to an exhibition
- Jump, jump and jump some more
Attend concerts by candlelight
The first thing that springs to mind is the famous Candlelight concerts, where you can listen to the classical music of various composers, as well as the best-known songs by your favorite contemporary artists.
Candlelight concerts are organized in cities all over the world, in incredible and intimate venues, and already have more than three million attendees globally.
The concerts you can attend range from classic songs to big names in pop and rock music, such as Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Queen, Coldplay, ABBA, among many others.
“Dive into the Lisbon Oceanarium
When it comes to non-alcoholic plans, a trip to the Lisbon Oceanarium seems to us to be one of the most sensible and fun activities, for kids and adults alike.
Inside you’ll find around 8,000 animals and plants of more than 500 species, in a space made up of five main habitats, a large central aquarium that represents the global ocean, four adjoining aquariums that represent the Earth/Sea interaction in each of the four oceans: Atlantic, Antarctic, Pacific and Indian. And of course, there are some exhibitions that are really worth a longer visit.
Try a non-alcoholic brunch
Fortunately, Lisbon has been one of the cities that has best adapted to this “new” meal of British origin, offering some of the best places where you can enjoy a hearty breakfast, especially at weekends, if you’re also one of those who likes to wake up after 11am.
For those who like sweet or savory (or both) coffees and detox drinks, “weird” pancakes or the best eggs Benedict in town, at these brunches in Lisbon you may not find any alcoholic beverages… if you stay away from cocktails, of course!
Visit a museum
We’re sure that if you don’t go to the Beer Museum in Praça do Comércio, you won’t find alcohol in any of our other favorite cultural spaces in Lisbon.
Here you’ll only breathe in art and history, in moments that can be perfectly shared with family or a group of friends. Our suggestions are:
- Pharmacy Museum
- Navy Museum
- Amália Rodrigues House-Museum
Take a walk in a Lisbon garden or park
Lisbon is a city full of gardens and green parks, where you can stroll freely and breathe in the fresh air while relaxing with family, friends, as a couple or alone, as you wish.
In many of these spaces you can enjoy a picnic without alcohol, in others you can date and in others you can just relax in the shade. What matters is that you rest!
Travel back millions of years in the company of dinosaurs
Ideal for a family day out, Lourinhã’s Dino Park is one of the largest themed spaces in Europe. It houses more than 200 life-size replicas of dinosaurs, some of our greatest childhood imaginations, which both adults and children continue to love.
If you’re looking for plans close to the city that will entertain all the kids, this dinosaur park is one of our most interesting suggestions. Children up to the age of 12 only pay €10.
Spread out your towel on a “secret” beach… or relax on a terrace
Lisbon is also lucky enough to have a wide variety of beaches to cool off on during the hottest months of the year, both on the Linha and the Costa.
However, there are some beaches close to the city that are real hidden treasures, fewer and fewer, but still less crowded than the more accessible beaches that everyone knows.
If it’s cooler, take advantage of one of the many terraces in our guide, many of which overlook the sea or the Tagus River.
Watch a movie outdoors, or in an alternative cinema
It’s especially during the summer season that you’ll find more venues showing open-air movies… and many of them are even free . and many of them are even free.
From the great classics to the biggest blockbusters, you can find movies for all tastes and moods at these screenings. Keep an eye on our list, which we update during the warmer months of the year.
During the winter, our suggestion goes straight to some of the most classic cinemas in Lisbon, the kind where watching a movie is still like it used to be.
Bowling with friends and family
Although many fans of this sport take the opportunity to go to the bar for a cold one between strikes, we’re sure that others just take advantage of these bowling alleys in Lisbon to have fun with friends or family, or the two of them together.
We suggest four places in Greater Lisbon where bowling can be a lot of fun, both at weekends and from Monday to Friday. We’re sure you’ll love it!
Go to an exhibition
Lisbon is a city that has one of the greatest cultural and artistic offerings in Europe and has, on several occasions, hosted some of the world’s most iconic works of art.
We’re not going to suggest you visit a particular exhibition because our list of exhibitions in Lisbon has shows for all tastes. So have fun!
Jump, jump and jump some more
Finally, we leave you with an activity that requires some effort, but a lot of fun. And we’re sure that after one of these sessions, all you’ll want to do is drink water.
Lisbon has a number of places where you can have fun jumping on trampolines, among other activities for all ages, which you can find in our list of the best trampolines in and around the city.
See how easy it is to have fun in the city without touching alcohol?! Lisbon has many other plans, with and without alcohol. It all depends on your mood, doesn’t it?