I already wrote about the best bars in Porto and a guide to the nightlife in the city. It was missing an article about what I love the most: dancing!
Thankfully, there are many options in the city that are perfect for a friends night out or romantic dates. There are also places where you can learn how to dance different styles.
To help you navigate through the world of dance in Porto, I picked the top 11 places you should check out.
Before you get ready to dance in Porto, please consider my friendly advices:
- Make a wise decision regarding where to stay in Porto. If you want to party and yet have a good night of sleep you should avoid getting a hotel / apartment at the nightlife district. Make sure to read our guide about the best neighborhoods to stay in Porto as it will help you to choose the best location according to your needs.
- The nightlife in Porto starts VERY late for any foreign standards. First we have dinner (~21h), then we go for one (or three of four) drinks and finally we head to the dance floor… at around 1am. True story.
These are the top places to dance in Porto:
Muxima Bar
Rua Maurício Lourenço de Oliveira, 206 | Vila Nova de Gaia
In Gaia you’ll find Muxima Bar, a great place to dance in Porto. The modern-looking bar has a wooden dance floor for attendants and a stage for different featured performances.
What’s cool about Muxima is that they have thematic nights each week. On Tuesdays, they host African nights which include anything from Kizomba, Semba or Funana with free entry till 1am. On Fridays and Saturdays they have Afrolatin nights where they present a featured performance of Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba or Semba.
The atmosphere makes this bar perfect for couples or friends. And if you don’t want to dance, Muxima dance performances will surely entertain you. Be prepared to take an Uber because the location is a bit far away from downtown Porto.
How to get there: take a taxi or an Uber.
Twins 19.74 Restaurant & Bar
Rua do Passeio Alegre, 1000 | Porto
Twins 19.74 is a glamorous restaurant and bar in Foz which turns into a dance club at night. The restaurant has been recently renovated and it looks very chic and elegant. Twins 19.74 features a live DJ, a bar and a nice space to dance.
This nightclub is a great place to dance in Porto for those who like house music. Their main DJ is Ricci Ferdinand, but the club has guest DJs playing Pop, Kizomba, Afrobeat and more.
This bar is suitable for friends, couples and anyone celebrating a special occasion. It’s also a good place to meet new people. Just be aware that Twins 19.74 is known to be an expensive club to go to.
How to get there: take a taxi or an Uber.
Dance Floor
Avenida de Ramos Pinto, 710 | Vila Nova de Gaia
Right in front of the Douro river, you’ll find one of the best places to dance in Porto. The place has a cool and colorful interior space to dance, but there’s also a stunning patio overlooking the river.
Dance Floor is specialized in Latin and African rhythms like Bachata, Salsa and Kizomba. They also have free workshops – a huge plus for those who want to learn or improve their dance moves.
Thanks to its romantic atmosphere, Dance Floor is the perfect place to take someone (who loves to dance) on a date, or just to have lots of fun with absolute strangers while enjoying the night view of the city.
How to get there: take a taxi or an Uber.
ALC Dance Studios
Rua do Alferes Malheiro, 42 | Porto
If you’re looking for a place to dance in Porto that doesn’t involve drinking, ALC Dance Studios in downtown is the place to go. They have two locations; one in downtown Porto and one in Gaia, both with large and clean spaces to dance in.
ALC Dance Studios have regular classes of Semba, Brazilian Funk, Belly Dancing, Kizomba, Latin, Rock N’ Roll, Burlesque, Bachata, Hip-Hop and even Contemporary.
How to get there: take the subway to Trindade. ALC is a 2 minutes walking distance.
Zoom
Rua de Passos Manuel, 40 | Porto
In downtown Porto you’ll find one of the few LGBT bars to dance in Porto. The place is spacious and well decorated.
Quite expectedly Zoom plays a lot of pop and house music, and they organise funky parties and events like the Drag got Talent.
How to get there: take the subway to Aliados station. Zoom is 4 minutes walking distance.
Rua Tapas & Music Bar
Travessa de Cedofeita, 24 | Porto
Rua is a cozy place to eat and socialize while listening to live music. When you’re done, you can join the crowds on the dance floor. The place truly feels like you’re eating and dancing in a traditional Porto street.
There is a variety of music being played live at Rua, but mostly Samba, Forró or Pop music.
Rua is not only a great place to dance in Porto, but also to dine and enjoy good live music with friends. However, it is small and it gets full very quickly, so don’t expect to practice any wild dance moves there.
How to get there: take the subway to Aliados station. Rua Music Bar is a 9 minutes walking distance.
Galeria de Paris
Rua da Galeria de Paris, 56 | Porto
In Porto’s historic center you’ll find Galeria de Paris, a quirky and fun restaurant decorated with chandelier made of trombones (true story), miniature cars and old-school radios. Besides the fun decoration, Galeria de Paris is a nice option to dance in Porto.
Every night in Galeria de Paris is different. Sometimes they play Samba, Jazz, traditional Fado or Forró. Other times, they present performances of Acrobatic Dance, Belly Dancing, Brazilian or Latin dances.
How to get there: take the subway to Aliados station. Galeria de Paris restaurant is a 6 minutes walking distance.
Fé Wine & Club
Praça D. Filipa de Lencastre, 1 | Porto
“I never made friends drinking milk”, is what you’ll read on the door when you get to Fé Club in downtown Porto. I believe that sets the tone for the rest of the night! This club has two floors with different music, so if you’re not a fan of the music playing on your floor or if you want to dance to a different style, you can just move to the next floor.
The most common genre played is electronic music including house and techno.
The drinks are known to be on the expensive side, but you can find better options to drink for cheap before heading to Fé Club.
How to get there: take the subway to Aliados station. Fé Club is a 1 minute walking distance.
Indústria Club
Avenida do Brasil, 843 | Porto
For electronic music lovers, Indústria is one of the oldest and well-known places to dance in Porto while holding a drink (or a cigarette) in-hand. The club has a modest space with interesting light shows.
What’s also cool about Indústria is that it brings in well-known national and international DJs and producers. Therefore, you can expect to hear all different genres of electronic music, mostly Techno and House with a great sound system.
However, be mentally ready to have a tiring night since most parties at Indústria start at midnight and continue until morning light. Also, how good is the night at Indústria depends on the crowd and how they’re responding to the music – some nights are more exciting than others.
How to get there: take a taxi or an Uber.
MXM Art Center
Rua do Ouro, 264 | Porto
Overlooking the Douro river there’s MXM Art Center, a great spot for dance lovers.
MXM Art Center is particularly well known for the workshops of Break Dance, Contemporary Dance, African style dances and more.
I suggest MXM Art Center for people of all ages who want to try something new, be active or dance in Porto. You can also simply watch some interesting dance battles.
How to get there: take bus 500 to Cordoaria Velha. MXM Art Center is a 1 minute walking distance.
Tendinha dos Clérigos
Rua Conde de Vizela, 80 | Porto
For rock music lovers, I had to include Tendinha dos Clérigos on my top places to dance in Porto. On the inside, red is the signature color of this club, with cool touches of wood ceilings and metal plaques.
This place is certainly dedicated to rock music, but don’t be hesitant because there are cool sub-genres of rock to be discovered like punk rock and my personal favourite, indie rock. Sometimes they have a DJ, but at other times, the music is played live.
Tendinha dos Clérigos is a great place to have a drink with friends and jam to rock music.
However, it opens from midnight to 6am (Wed – Sat), so you will have to call a taxi or an Uber to get home.
How to get there: take the subway to Aliados station. Tendinha dos Clérigos is a 4 minutes walking distance.
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