By ESTHER MARSHALL

Published: 10:37 BST, 26 June 2025 | Updated: 10:39 BST, 26 June 2025

A leading holiday destination in Portugal has just introduced tough new rules on alcohol. 

Porto has banned the sale of alcohol from supermarkets, convenience stores, wine cellars and souvenir shops between 9am and 8pm.

The restrictions aren’t in place in the whole city but will apply to a new ‘Containment Zone’. 

Porto’s ‘Containment Zone’ covers the whole of the city’s downtown area, including the nightlife area of Rua de Galeria de Paris. 

Nightclubs, cafes, bars and restaurants will still be able to sell alcohol during those areas. 

Terraces may have limited opening hours within the ‘Containment Zone’. The new rules are in place from June 25. 

The new rules have been designed to tackle the Portuguese city’s ‘bottellon’ culture. ‘Bottelon’ is a Spanish term for gathering in the street to drink alcohol, rather than going to a bar or restaurant. 

Although the activity originated in Spain, it’s also become popular in Portugal, and city officials are reportedly worried about disruptive drinking during bottelon. 

Porto has banned the sale of alcohol from supermarkets, convenience stores, wine cellars and souvenir shops between 9am and 8pm

Porto has banned the sale of alcohol from supermarkets, convenience stores, wine cellars and souvenir shops between 9am and 8pm

The new rules have been designed to tackle the Portuguese city's 'bottellon' culture. 'Bottelon' is a Spanish term for gathering in the street to drink alcohol, rather than going to a bar or restaurant

The new rules have been designed to tackle the Portuguese city’s ‘bottellon’ culture. ‘Bottelon’ is a Spanish term for gathering in the street to drink alcohol, rather than going to a bar or restaurant

An official said ‘bottelon’ was ‘causing harm’ and ‘having an impact on urban security’ in Porto.  

According to local publication Portugal News, establishments that break the new rules could be ‘immediately closed’. 

The city’s mayor said: ‘What we noticed is that the successive application of fines did not dissuade economic agents from continuing to violate the rules, because paying the fine was worth it, because the fines were low.’ 

However, the president of Porto’s Movida Association of Bars and Discotheques, Ricardo Tavares, has said that the new rules may fail to solve the problem.

He said that many people bring drinks from home or buy them from supermarkets during the day. 

British tourists have also been warned over tougher rules against drinking in Spain that could see them fined £2,500. 

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Top holiday destination introduces major new rules on alcohol

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