Ten cities that come alive after dark: Berlin's weekend-long techno, Buenos Aires clubs that fill at 2am, New York's 4am last call and samba played on the street in Rio.
We ranked these ten by the night itself: how deep the club and bar scene runs, how late it goes, and whether it has the venues people cross borders for. Every pick hands off to a city guide with the neighbourhoods to start in.
The benchmark for clubbing. Berlin has no legal closing time, so the big weekend parties run from Saturday night into Monday morning. Go on Sunday afternoon, when the queues are shorter, and carry cash.
Nobody goes out later: dinner at ten, bars after that, and the boliches (the clubs) only fill from about 2am, many running until after dawn. Palermo holds most of it, and the tango milongas dance into the small hours.
The widest night on the list. State law lets bars serve until 4am, and the jazz clubs of Greenwich Village, the cocktail bars of the Lower East Side and Brooklyn's warehouse parties each draw their own crowd.
Seoul goes out by district: Hongdae for indie gigs and student clubs, Itaewon for house and techno, Gangnam for big-room EDM. Clubs fill after 1am and many run past 5am; night buses take over once the subway stops around midnight.
Barcelona eats at ten and goes dancing after one, in clubs that run to dawn. Time a trip for Sónar in mid-June, the electronic music festival that takes over the city by day and by night.
A big-city night at a fraction of New York prices: mezcal bars and cocktail rooms in Roma and Condesa, cantinas downtown, and salsa and cumbia at Salón Los Ángeles in Guerrero, a dance hall open since 1937. Go on a Sunday.
Bangkok drinks high and late: rooftop bars above Sukhumvit and Silom, then the club strip of Royal City Avenue. Since December 2023 venues in Silom, RCA and Ratchadaphisek may stay open until 4am; most of the city still closes at 2am.
Rio's night is samba played live. The bars and dance halls of Lapa, under the old aqueduct arches, run late at the weekend, and the Monday roda at Pedra do Sal in Saúde is free and on the street. Take a taxi between neighbourhoods after dark.
Small city, serious clubs. Amsterdam licenses a set of venues to open around the clock, and the club circuit doubles as the stage for Amsterdam Dance Event every October. Book ADE nights and beds months ahead.
Medellín parties in El Poblado: Parque Lleras for clubs that run past midnight, Provenza next door for cocktail bars and electronic music. For salsa with locals, leave El Poblado for the neighbourhood bars across the city.
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