The Best Gyms in Lisbon

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Written by: | Last updated on February 8, 2024 | Est. Reading Time: 4 minutes

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.

Holmes Place

Address: multiple 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.

It is more expensive than other options, but it has nice facilities and the higher price point means that it’s less crowded than other gyms in Lisbon.

Solinca

Address: Multiple location in Lisbon (website)

Solinca gyms in Lisbon offer a premium fitness experience for those looking to prioritize a well-rounded and less crowded workout environment. While slightly more expensive than some alternatives like Fitness Hut, Solinca justifies its pricing with a range of excellent facilities that can vary depending on the specific location. Some branches feature swimming pools, adding a luxurious touch to your fitness routine.

Moreover, Solinca provides an array of group classes, including Fittraining, BumBum, and TRX, catering to diverse fitness interests. For those seeking personalized guidance, Solinca also offers personal training services, making it a versatile and upscale fitness option in the heart of Lisbon.

The Strength Clinic

Address:  Rua dos Lusiadas 38A, 1300-352 (website)

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)

If you’re looking for a cheap, no-frills gym with cardio machines and a selection of classes (including Les Mills), Fitness Hut is a good bet. Unfortunately, however, cheap can also mean very crowded, especially during peak hours. It’s also worth noting 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.

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)

Academia Life Club

Address: Av. Brasília 254, 1200-109 (website)

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.

Club 7

Address: Parque Eduardo VII, 1070-099 (website)

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.

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.

Written by

James Cave is the founder of Portugalist and the author of the bestselling book, Moving to Portugal Made Simple. He has visited just about every part of Portugal, including Madeira and all nine islands of the Azores, and lived in several parts of Portugal including Lisbon, the Algarve, and Northern Portugal.

You can contact James by emailing james@portugalist.com or via the site's contact form.

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There are 18 comments on this article. Join the conversation and add your own thoughts, reviews, and stories of life in Portugal. However, please remember to be civil.

Comments

  1. Hi
    I’m looking for best gym in Lisbon with best trainers, I want to do professional bodybuilding workout, anyone please share with me your experience.

    Reply
  2. I greatly enjoy Cycle classes, and I was wondering whether, when you refer to gyms having “classes,” that should be understood to incorporate Cycle classes? Also, do you know whether any of the above clubs offer towel service and shampoo/body wash products? Thank you for the great article!

    Reply
    • Hi Salina,

      This post is quite old now and in need of an update. Unfortunately, a lot of gyms were closed during the covid period so it was difficult to update it then. Hopefully, be able to do one in the next few months.

      Reply
  3. Hello! Thanks so much for this very helpful guide! We are moving to Lisbon from Canada this summer with our baby. I’m wondering if any of the gyms you mentioned offer temporary childcare while the parent works out? Another thing I am looking for is a pool with a Masters Swim program. Any information you might have would be most welcome! Thanks!

    Reply
  4. It took less than 15 minutes. I went to the gym and inquired. Carla, one of the manager/trainers signed me up
    and gave me an entry PIN.

    Reply
  5. Hi!
    I joined Fitness Hub for the week for 25€. I joined for the weight training options but they also offer lots of classes. I was there during the lunch hour (Friday) and it was pretty busy. The club is very clean and the equipment and cardio machines are up to date. Be prepared to bring a lock, towel and soap/shampoo as nothing is provided.
    Ed

    Reply
  6. Hi there! My husband and I will be in Lisbon for 4 to 5 weeks in the fall of 2019 and we’re looking for a gym that has mid morning Les Mills or similar type of classes plus all the regular trimmings – treadmills, free weights. A swimming pool would be a bonus!

    Any suggestions? Thank you

    Reply
  7. Hi we are only in Lisbon for just 4 days, and was looking to go to the gym on a pay as you go basis. Any ideas on where we can go that can do this, close to central.

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Hi Jason,

      Fitness Hut allow you to do this on a one-off basis, but their gyms don’t really have receptions so I’m not sure how easy this is in practice. There is an app called Trainaway that’s all about buying one-off passes, so it might worth having a look at that.

      If you haven’t booked your hotel already, you could just look at booking a hotel with a gym. It might be the easiest option.

      Reply
  8. Hi – We are staying in an apartment in Alfama for four weeks and wanted to find a low cost gym. We joined Fábrica do Físico for 35€ for the month plus 15€ which seems to be an annual fee for “sports insurance.” They have a good selection of cardio equipment, free weights, and resistance machines. There are some evening classes but we are only interested in working out on our own. The staff are friendly with a limited knowledge of English, but we got along OK.

    I considered Fitness Hut, but they never responded to my e-mails. Someone at Fábrica do Físico replied to me within a day with a good bit of detail. The e-mail was in Portuguese, but Google Translate took care of that.

    Also, I read in another article that Fitness Hut only takes credit cards from European banks and does not take cash. Don’t know if that’s true or not since they never wrote back. Fábrica do Físico is cash only, which is OK with us.

    https://fabrica-do-fisico.webnode.pt/

    Reply

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