Some people reckon you don’t need to join a gym in Lisbon – the city’s seven hills give you exercise enough. Then again it’s all about endurance. If you’re getting bored of trotting up and down the hills of São Jorge, São Vicente, São Roque, Santo André, Santa Catarina, Chagas and Sant’Ana, this post should help you find the gym of your dreams.
There are lots of gyms to choose from in Lisbon – whether you’re into Crossfit, weightlifting or just hitting the cardio machines. It can be a bit difficult to find information online (especially about pricing) so we’ve put together this post with the information we’ve managed to gather.
As far as we can tell, these are some of the best gyms Lisbon has to offer.
The Strength Clinic
Address: Rua dos Lusiadas 38A, 1300-352 (website)
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 9am–1pm and 4pm–7pm (classes at 7:30am, 1pm, 6pm and 7:30pm)
Short-term rates available: Yes – €139 per month
Price: €119 or €199 per month, depending on the plan. They also have a one month trial for €89.
Classes: Four per day, Monday to Saturday, on a rotating basis. Monday and Thursdays focus on strength, Tuesday and Friday focus on metabolism and Wednesday and Saturday are for stretching.
This small, family-run workout space is my gym of choice. Most of the exercises are weight focused with lots of kettle bells, squats and deadlifts so it’s great if you want to get lean. The owners are highly educated in fitness and nutrition, and take a keen interest in your development. While you exercise they offer helpful advice on posture and form. It’s a bit like having a personal trainer (plus if you want one-on-one sessions, these are available). The community at this gym is tight-knit but not cliquey, so it’s a great place to make friends.
Fitness Hut
Address: various locations in Lisbon (website)
Opening hours: 7am–11pm Monday to Friday, 9am–9pm Saturday and 9am–6pm Sunday
Price: Prices range from €6.60 per week for a basic package up to €20 per week for premium membership. €9 per week seems to be standard.
Short-term rates available: Yes, some packages have a minimum commitment of two weeks.
Classes: All Les Mills classes plus some Fitness Hut exclusives
If you’re looking for a cheap gym with cardio machines and a selection of classes (including Les Mills), Fitness Hut is a good bet. Most of the digital nomads I met in Lisbon train here, and the company has gyms across the city. Note that not all the classes have instructors: some of the early morning ones use training videos instead.
You can sign up for Fitness Hut online but, if you don’t have a Portuguese bank account, you won’t be able to pay the signup fee at the multibanco. It’s probably easier to go into the gym, and organise everything face-to-face.
Want more info? The full overview of Fitness Hut gives more information.
TimeToFitness24
Another low-cost gym, TimeToFitness24 has several locations around Lisbon including in Alameda, Alvalade, and Saldanha. The gyms are normally open 365 days of the year but, despite the name, aren’t always 24 hours (but they do have very long opening hours).
Address: various locations in Lisbon (website)
Opening hours: Varies.
Price: Starting from €3.75 per week.
Short-term rates available: You need to give a minimum of 30 days’ notice, so the minimum would be 30 days.
Classes: –
Academia Life Club
Address: Av. Brasília 254, 1200-109 (website)
Opening hours: 7am–10:30pm Monday to Friday, 9am–6pm Saturday and 9am–5pm Sunday
Price: €69 per month for full access. Reduced rates are available if you only want to attend in the morning or afternoon, or only during the quiet hours (10am-12pm and 2:30pm-5:30pm)
Short-term rates available: Yes
Classes: Yes including Ju Jitsu and Street Workouts as well as the usual Yoga, Pilates and Bike.
Located in an old warehouse building on the banks of the Tagus, Academia Life Club has a seriously enviable location. Inside you’ll find an open and airy workout space with five studios for classes. On lovely days (which there are a lot of in Lisbon), some classes take place outdoors. This gym also has a swimming pool and (yay) a café.
Clube VII
Address: Parque Eduardo VII, 1070-099 (website)
Opening hours: 7am–10:30pm Monday to Friday, 9am–9pm Saturday, 10am–6pm Sunday
Price: €69–€109 depending on the package
Short-term rates available: Yes. Day passes are €33 and week passes cost €115
Classes: Over 150, including Crossfit
This is probably Lisbon’s bougie-est gym. It’s a bit like a country club set in Parque Eduardo with six tennis courts, a swimming pool, four studios of classes and a big cardio/bodybuilding area. I’ve heard the café is nice too and a great place to meet for lunch.
Holmes Place
Address: 7 locations in Lisbon (website)
Opening hours: 6:30am–10pm Monday to Friday, 8:30am–8pm Saturday, 10am–6pm Sunday
Price: Depends on the branch you choose.
Short-term rates available: Yes.
Classes: Yes, including some Les Mills
You’ve probably already heard of Holmes Place, as it’s a massive gym company with luxury gyms all over the world. It has seven spaces in Lisbon (as well as a few just out of town in places like Cascais, Sintra and Alges). The clubs tend to boast state-of-the-art equipment, swimming pools and spas.
Where do you like to work out in Lisbon? If you think we’re missing somewhere awesome, drop us a message in the comments so we can check it out.
