Porto Minus The Booze: Portugal City Restricts Night-Time Alcohol Sale

If you’re looking for a laid-back vacation in Europe (and we guess you most probably are), Portugal is one of the best places to visit. We’re talking about scenic beaches, vibrant streets, and the laid-back culture that’ll make you stop, breathe, and unwind. However, if there’s one thing about Portugal’s culture that baffles most tourists, is its open, accepting drinking culture, including that in Porto – one of the most visited cities in Portugal. The sad news is that it will soon be toned down – the city has restricted alcohol sales in a bid to reduce streetside drinking. Here’s what we know about this new rule in Porto that might alter the city’s vibrant culture.

Botellon – An Open Culture Of Social Drinking

Before we understand more about this new move, let us first take a look at the ‘Botellon culture’ of Portugal, where no one would bat an eye even if you’d drink some alcohol on the streets. Social drinking in public places is encouraged and celebrated. 

People meet outdoors in restaurants, social gatherings, and public spaces like town squares and promenades to socialize over glasses of wine and other kinds of liquor, along with delicious food. This culture celebrates the joy of socializing over food and drinks, strengthening social bonds and bringing the community closer.

Here, alcohol is available almost anywhere you go – not just restaurants and bars but also convenience stores, wine cellars, supermarkets, and souvenir shops! As the birthplace of the world-famous port wine, Portugal doesn’t shy away from making its port wine accessible to its people!

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Restricted Alcohol Sales in Porto

While social drinking is generally accepted in the country, residents of Porto aren’t particularly pleased with the rise in night-time drinking among local youth. To control night-time public drinking and prevent anti-social activities, a new rule is being enforced in the city’s ‘containment zone’. This zone includes the entire downtown area of Porto, including popular tourist attractions situated here.

The city bans the sale of spirits and alcohol in supermarkets, wine cellars, convenience stores, and souvenir shops between 9 PM and 8 AM. During this time, alcohol can only be sold in restaurants and bars and not supermarkets and other establishments. And worry not, for now, this move targets only establishments selling alcohol and not individuals consuming them in these places.

The city council stated that they’ll be enforcing stricter inspections as well as harsher sanctions on establishments that choose to violate this new rule. Moreover, authorities now have the power to directly shut the operations of such establishments! While there were fines in place, they were not efficient enough in dissuading streetside drinking. The enactment of this new move in Porto will likely control streetside drinking at night and improve urban security.

While the move has been largely lauded by locals, hoping it would bring them nighttime peace and security, many supermarket chains, wine cellars, and souvenir shops aren’t particularly happy with it. Some believe that this new move in Porto might not help solve the problem despite it promising to do so on paper.

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Why Visit Porto: History, Francesinha, And Port Wine

Despite the new move penalizing streetside drinking in Porto’s containment zone, the city makes for a great tourist destination in Portugal. As the second largest city in the country, the city has a deep history, reflected through its art, music, architecture, and of course the drinking culture.

It is home to iconic attractions like the Dom Luís I Bridge, Clérigos Tower, Gaia Riverfront, Kitty’s Rock, and the Serra do Pilar Monastery among many others. Plus, the food and drinks in Porto are what truly make you feel at home – from the iconic francesinha (a layered, cheesy sandwich of sorts) and grilled sardines to bolinhos de bacalhau (codfish cakes), and serradura (layered cream dessert). Port wine needs no introduction here – it is to the Portuguese what chai is for most Indians!

The city is a haven for history buffs and travel enthusiasts, filled with tons of historic monuments, religious sites, sculptures, and buildings dating back to centuries! While in the city, you must visit the Palácio da Bolsa, Church of Saint Francis, the Livraria Lello, and Clérigos Church among many others to get a taste of the city’s history.

Summing Up

Porto, one of the most significant cities in Portugal, has just made its rules stricter to control streetside drinking at night. This move will likely foster peace and control incidents of chaos and anti-social activities at night, improving the security in the city. While it has generated a mixed response, what do you think of this new move in Porto?