Nightlife Cities
Real nightlife, in cities you might also visit for a hundred other reasons. Deep, year-round club and bar scenes - several anchored by world-scale festivals.
Amsterdam
Barcelona
Buenos Aires
Medellín
London
New York
Madrid
Tokyo
Pattaya
Stay near the Centrum & Leidseplein
Find your stay →Book a place within walking distance of the action. Prices and availability update live; we may earn a commission on bookings at no cost to you.
Each October the Amsterdam Dance Event turns the whole city into a festival - 500,000 attendees from 140+ countries across hundreds of venues, the largest electronic-music event of its kind. The rest of the year Amsterdam keeps a deep club scene, with several venues holding 24-hour licences.
The party scene
ADE in October is the headline - hundreds of venues, the global industry in town. Year-round, the 24-hour-licensed clubs (Shelter, De School's successors, Marktkantine) and the legendary Melkweg and Paradiso carry it. Leidseplein and the Centrum are the busy nightlife squares.
When to go
Year-round city nightlife, with the October ADE week as the unmistakable peak and New Year close behind. Summer adds festivals and open-air events.
■ Peak season ▣ Shoulder □ Off-season
Getting there & things to do
Affiliate disclosure: accommodation and booking links on this page are affiliate links, rewritten via Stay22. If you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Statistics shown cite their original source.
Stay near the Gothic Quarter & beachfront
Find your stay →Book a place within walking distance of the action. Prices and availability update live; we may earn a commission on bookings at no cost to you.
Barcelona pairs Mediterranean beach-city energy with a serious club scene, and every June the Sónar festival (120,000+ attendees) makes it a global electronic-music capital for a weekend. Beachfront mega-clubs, late Spanish hours and a dense bar culture do the rest.
The party scene
Sónar in June is the headline. Year-round, Razzmatazz (five rooms) is the big indoor club; the beachfront Opium and Pacha Barcelona run the seaside scene; El Raval and the Gothic Quarter hold the bar density. Spanish hours mean clubs fill after 1 - 2am.
When to go
Year-round, with a June peak around Sónar and a warm beach-club high season May - September.
■ Peak season ▣ Shoulder □ Off-season
Getting there & things to do
Affiliate disclosure: accommodation and booking links on this page are affiliate links, rewritten via Stay22. If you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Statistics shown cite their original source.
Stay near Palermo
Find your stay →Book a place within walking distance of the action. Prices and availability update live; we may earn a commission on bookings at no cost to you.
Buenos Aires keeps some of the latest nightlife hours on the planet - clubs that don't fill until 2 - 3am and run past sunrise. Beyond the tango cliché, the city has a strong electronic scene and a dense bar culture centred on Palermo, and it ranks among the world's best for nightlife.
The party scene
Palermo is the nightlife core - bars and clubs that start impossibly late. Crobar and Niceto carry the electronic scene; San Telmo holds the bohemian bars and milongas. The defining feature is the hours: nothing gets going before midnight, and dawn finishes are normal.
When to go
Year-round city scene. The southern summer (Dec - Feb) is warmest and liveliest; the city never really slows.
■ Peak season ▣ Shoulder □ Off-season
Getting there & things to do
Affiliate disclosure: accommodation and booking links on this page are affiliate links, rewritten via Stay22. If you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Statistics shown cite their original source.
Stay near El Poblado & Parque Lleras
Find your stay →Book a place within walking distance of the action. Prices and availability update live; we may earn a commission on bookings at no cost to you.
Medellín has become one of Latin America's hottest nightlife cities - the reggaeton capital, with a famously affordable, year-round 'eternal spring' climate. Parque Lleras in the El Poblado district is the bar-lined epicentre, packed with both travellers and locals.
The party scene
Parque Lleras in El Poblado is the heaving, bar-lined heart for visitors; Salón Amador and the electronic clubs add depth; La 70 is the more local, salsa-and-crossover scene. Reggaeton - born here - is the soundtrack. Affordability keeps it busy every night of the week.
When to go
The 'city of eternal spring' parties year-round; December and the festival weeks are the standout peaks.
■ Peak season ▣ Shoulder □ Off-season
Getting there & things to do
Affiliate disclosure: accommodation and booking links on this page are affiliate links, rewritten via Stay22. If you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Statistics shown cite their original source.