Private members' clubs in Europe: how they work and how to join
From the gentlemen's clubs of St James's to the new houses of Soho House and Cipriani, Europe's private clubs are more open, and more varied, than their reputation. Here is how they work.
Three kinds of club
The oldest are the traditional clubs, founded in the 18th and 19th centuries: the New Club in Edinburgh, the Casino de Madrid, the Grémio Literário in Lisbon. Then come the Mayfair clubs of the Birley family, Annabel's, Mark's Club and 5 Hertford Street, where dining and dancing matter more than tradition. The newest are the international houses, such as Soho House and Casa Cipriani Milano, built for people who travel and work across cities.
How to join
- Most clubs ask for an application and one or two existing members to propose you.
- Expect an interview or a meeting with the membership committee, and a joining fee as well as an annual subscription.
- Many clubs offer reduced fees for members under 30 or 35.
- Waiting lists are common. Some clubs, such as The Lansdowne Club, actively welcome new applications.
Women and private clubs
Many clubs that began as gentlemen's clubs now admit women as full members: the Casino de Madrid since 1987 and the New Club in Edinburgh since 2010. The Lansdowne Club has admitted women since it opened in 1935, and the newer clubs have always been open to everyone.
Reciprocal clubs
Traditional clubs often have reciprocal arrangements with clubs abroad, so a member in London may be able to dine or stay at a partner club in Paris, Madrid or Lisbon. Ask your club secretary for the list before you travel.
Our clubs
- The Lansdowne Club · London
Founded in 1935 in what remains of Lansdowne House, Robert Adam's great 18th-century mansion between Berkeley Square and Curzon Street. - Annabel's · London
Mark Birley opened Annabel's in 1963 and named it after his wife. - 5 Hertford Street · London
Robin Birley's club, opened in 2012 in a warren of Georgian townhouses near Shepherd Market, with Loulou's, its nightclub, below. - The Arts Club · London
Founded in 1863 by Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope and Lord Leighton for those with an interest in the arts. - Royal Automobile Club · London
Founded in 1897 and at home since 1911 in a grand Pall Mall clubhouse by Mewès and Davis, the architects of the Ritz, with a marble swimming pool beneath. - Cercle de l'Union Interalliée · Paris
Founded in 1917, as the United States entered the First World War, in a former Rothschild hôtel particulier beside the British Embassy. - Casino de Madrid · Madrid
Madrid's great private club, founded in 1836 and modelled on the gentlemen's clubs of St James's. - Círculo Ecuestre · Barcelona
Founded in 1856 by riding enthusiasts, Barcelona's grand private club now occupies the Casa Pérez Samanillo, a modernista mansion at the corner of Balmes and the Diagonal. - Grémio Literário · Lisbon
Founded in 1846 by royal charter, with Alexandre Herculano as member number one. - The New Club · Edinburgh
Scotland's oldest club, founded in 1787, on Princes Street facing the Castle. - Yacht Club de Monaco · Monaco
Founded in 1953 by Prince Rainier III and presided over by Prince Albert II, the club moved in 2014 into a clubhouse by Norman Foster shaped like a liner, looking over Port Hercule. - Casa Cipriani Milano · Milan
The Cipriani family's first European members' club, opened in 2023 in the Palazzo Bernasconi facing the Indro Montanelli gardens, with a spa, restaurants, a lounge and a handful of rooms.
