World's best party destinations

Posted by Kojak | 2007-07-11 | Comments: (1) | Hits: 781

Don't get me wrong, I love a good museum or art gallery as much as the next wannabe culture buff (they have clean toilets!). I also love sitting around in a cafe soaking up a foreign culture - and wolfing down some foreign food.

I love to sightsee, to wander aimlessly in a strange city and wait for something to happen. But there are always times when you're away from home when you just want to party ...

You can't beat a night on the tiles when you're overseasThe world's best party destinations. There's new beer to drink (and, hopefully, it's cheap), new people to meet, and there's that reckless sense of abandon that takes hold when you realise that no one here really knows you, and you don't have to show up for work for, oh, about six months.


Some will inevitably scoff at the thought of backpackers boozing it up on the road, but what would you rather do: go out for a few beers, or spend the night cooped up in a hotel room trying to understand Italian game shows? And the way I see it, you'll experience just as much culture drinking in another country's pubs as you will, say, eating in its restaurants.

So I've come up with a little Hornby-esque all-time desert island top-five destinations for getting on the lash. You'll notice a distinct lack of Ibiza-like party islands, which are my idea of hell.

But first, some honourable mentions, a few cities it would seem wrong to leave out.

Dublin, for one, is a great place to sink a pint of Guinness or 20 and hang out with the locals, but it's being spoiled a bit by the bovver boys on bucks' weekends.

Unfortunately Prague is going a bit the same way, although anyone who's ever sat in a cosy little den sipping dirt cheap Pilsner Urquells, or shooting absinthes, will tell you that it's still an awesome place to have some fun.

Lagos in Portugal has long been a Mecca for pleasure seekers, and I'm sure I would have included Barcelona on the list had I been able to spend more time there and really get to know the good spots.

Although I'm yet to go there (see the "News flash" at the bottom), I've also heard Buenos Aires has great nightlife, and the town that's the gateway to the Inca Trail, Cuzco in Peru, is also supposed to be pretty lively.

But I digress. Here are my top five:

Venice, Italy
Now I know what you're thinking. "Party? In Venice? Are you insane?" And the answer to all three is yes. But the reason I've included Venice is not the city itself, which is endlessly romantic but hardly lends itself to a big night - it's the campsites.

As most backpackers can't afford to stay in Venice itself, most (including all the BusAbout, TopDeck and Contiki passengers) end up at one of two main campsites: Camping Alba D'Oro or Camping Fusina. And as most people have run out of money and become sick of getting lost by the time the sun sets, everyone heads from the city back to the campsites after dark.

Then, the on-site bars start pumping. I'd love to recall a few of the nights I've had at Alba D'Oro, but, sadly, they're all just a fuzz of sambuca, cheesy music and bed sheets being used as clothes. Let's just say I've woken up still wearing a toga on more than a few occasions. Cultural? Hell no. Fun? Hell yes.

Amsterdam, Netherlands
A far more conventional choice, although the Damage isn't always what people expect. If you're going there for a club scene like, say, Berlin, you'll be disappointed. Most Amsterdam nightclubs are pretty crappy.

However, the pubs and cafes are incredible. There's nothing I've seen that can quite match the feeling of sitting at an outside table in a little cobbled square, sipping witbier with lemon as the sun sets on a cool evening.

And for something a little more energetic and unique, there's also the "delights" of the Red Light District. Febo, anyone?

Fun city ... Miriam Makeba performs at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Photo: Reuters

Cape Town, South Africa
One word: beauty. There's so much of it around in Cape Town, whether it's the beaches, the sight of a looming Table Mountain, or the locals (Best. Looking. Women. Ever.), it's almost overwhelming. And, happily, the bars are great, and the beer is cheap.

The day's drinking should be kicked off at Camp's Bay, a fairly well-off suburb with an amazing beach, and plenty of bars with outside decks looking up to Table Mountain. From there, stop by the V&A Waterfront for a meal, then it's into the city to Long Street to hang out at the swish bars with locals, or crack a few cheap Castles on the hostel balcony and do some people watching. Perfection.

Edinburgh, Scotland
There are just so many good pubs in Edinburgh that it's impossible to know where to start. Rose Street is as good a place as any, although a little touristy, then it's off to the Grassmarket to hang with the students, maybe down to the swanky new bars at Leith Shore, then maybe hit a club, although the pubs really are the place to be here.

While some prefer the edginess of Glasgow, a pint of McEwan's at an Edinburgh boozer, surrounded by the hubbub of friendly Scottish accents, is pretty hard to top.

Queenstown, New Zealand
This is a bit of a "destination" town, where almost everyone there seems to be on holidays. For a week or so of fun, Queenstown has got it over any place in the world. You can go and knacker yourself during the day doing pretty much any extreme sport or activity you can dream up, then by night take in the sights of Lake Wakatipu, and head to a pub.

My perfect Queenstown night: after a day on the slopes, head to the Cow, a tiny little pizza place set in a stone cottage, complete with fireplace and a few tables that you'll inevitably have to share with a few strangers; then, pints of Monteith's at The Bunker or Bardeaux. From there, head to bed, and get ready to do it all again in the morning.