Must-see nightlife in Mediterranean Europe

  • Caffe Gambrinus.

    Caffè Gambrinus

    Naples

    Gambrinus is Naples' oldest and most venerable cafe, serving superlative Neapolitan coffee under flouncy chandeliers. Oscar Wilde knocked back a few here…

  • Amnesia

    South Ibiza

    Amnesia is arguably Ibiza's most influential and legendary club, its decks welcoming such DJ royalty as Sven Väth, Paul Van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, Tiësto…

  • Pacha

    Ibiza Town

    Going strong since 1973, Pacha is Ibiza's original megaclub and the islanders' party venue of choice. It's built around the shell of a farmhouse, boasting…

  • Ushuaïa

    South Ibiza

    Queen of daytime clubbing, ice-cool Ushuaïa is an open-air megaclub, packed with designer-clad hedonistas and waterside fun. The party starts early, with…

  • Hï Ibiza

    South Ibiza

    A glitzy newcomer to Ibiza's superclub scene, Hï is part of the ever-growing Ushuaïa empire. Refreshing the site originally occupied by Ibizan clubbing…

  • Black Cat Coffee & Roastery

    Eskişehir

    The best cup of coffee you'll get in Turkey. This is serious coffee-nerd territory complete with a vintage-meets-contemporary interior vibe and baristas…

  • Spain, Ibiza Town, Ibiza. Dance floor at Ibiza night club

    Privilege

    South Ibiza

    The world's biggest club, Privilege is a mind-blowing space that regularly hosts 10,000 clubbers. The venue was originally an open-air affair called Ku:…

  • Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina An extensive cellar of Tuscan wines paired with regional dishes on a terrace opposite Palazzo Pitti.

    Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina

    Oltrarno

    Wine lovers won't do better than this serious wine bar opposite Palazzo Pitti, run with passion and humour by charismatic trio Edoardo, Manuele and Zeno –…

  • People are walking at Joy Eslava theater under Christmas decorations on a sunny day in December next to the Royal Theater and Puerta del Sol central square downtown Madrid

    Teatro Joy Eslava

    Madrid

    The only things guaranteed at this grand old Madrid dance club (housed in a 19th-century theatre) are a crowd and the fact that it’ll be open (it claims…

  • Museo Chicote: cocktails & bar snacks in an iconic 1930s locale with old photographs & live music performances.

    Museo Chicote

    Chueca

    This place is a Madrid landmark, complete with its 1930s-era interior, and its founder is said to have invented more than 100 cocktails, which the likes…

  • El Pimpi Bar, traditional bar in Malaga, Andalusia, Spain

    Bodegas El Pimpi

    Málaga

    This rambling bar is an institution. The interior encompasses a warren of rooms, and there's a courtyard and open terrace overlooking the Teatro Romano…

  • Cantina do Spade in Venice: bigoli in salsa and the cicchetti

    Cantina Do Spade

    San Polo & Santa Croce

    Famously mentioned in Casanova's memoirs, cosy 'Two Spades' was founded in 1488 and continues to keep Venice in good spirits with its bargain Tri-Veneto…

  • Stravinskij Bar in Hotel de Russie in Rome

    Stravinskij Bar

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    Can’t afford to stay at the celeb-magnet Hotel de Russie? Then splash out on a drink at its swish bar. There are sofas inside, but the sunny courtyard is…

  • At the counter of Pasticceria da Cova

    Pasticceria Cova

    Milan

    In operation for 200 years, the Quadrilatero's most historic bar was bought by LVMH and got a subsequent subtle nip-and-tuck eschewing any showy…

  • The famous cat symbol on Il Mercante's canopy

    Il Mercante

    San Polo & Santa Croce

    An hour's changeover is all it takes for historic Caffè dei Frari to transform itself into its night-time guise as Venice's best cocktail bar. If you can…

  • Longhi Bar in Venice: Stylish, old-world hotel cocktail bar with views of the Grand Canal & city landmarks.

    Bar Longhi

    Venice

    Gritti Palace's beautiful Bar Longhi may be pricey, but if you consider your surrounds – Fortuny fabrics, an intarsia marble bar, 18th-century mirrors and…

  • Madrid's La Violeta is a quaint bistro

    La Violeta

    Madrid

    This breezy little Chamberí bar has many calling cards – among them, great music and a sense of being a real old-style Madrid neighbourhood bar. But we…

  • Entrance to Café Negrito.

    Café Negrito

    Valencia

    Something of a local legend, Negrito has had a bit of a facelift in recent years and boasts a rather handsome interior. It hasn't changed its character…

  • Bobby Gin in Barcelona at Carrer de Francisco Giner 47

    Bobby Gin

    Barcelona

    With over 80 varieties, this whitewashed stone-walled bar is a haven for gin lovers, and arguably Barcelona's top spot for a perfectly mixed, artfully…

  • The Clumsies

    Syntagma & Plaka

    Look for the red neon in the hallway of this discreet bar that fills your coffee and creative cocktail needs. Founded by three award-winning bartenders,…

  • Necci da 1924: Roman pasta & meat dishes, plus Italian wines & aperitifs, at a decades-old cafe with garden patio.

    Necci dal 1924

    Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo

    An all-round hybrid in Pigneto, iconic Necci opened as a gelateria in 1924 and later became a favourite drinking destination of film director Pier Paolo…

  • Couleur Locale

    Athens

    Look for the entrance to this rooftop bar down a narrow pedestrian lane, then inside the arcade. From there, an elevator goes to the 3rd floor and its…

  • Diurno Cocktails & global dishes served in a sophisticated restaurant & bar with a DVD rental service.

    Diurno

    Chueca

    One of the most important hubs of barrio life in Chueca, this cafe-bar has become to modern Chueca what the grand literary cafes were to another age. It’s…

  • Al Timon in Venice, Italy

    Al Timon

    Venice

    Find a spot in the wood-lined interior or, in summer, on the boat moored out the front along the canal, and watch the motley parade of drinkers and…

  • MADRID - JUNE 28, 2013: Churros and hot chocolate at the Chocolateria San Gines; Shutterstock ID 1678244413; GL: 65050; netsuite: 65050; full: poi; name: erin
1678244413

    Chocolatería de San Ginés

    Madrid

    One of the grand icons of the Madrid night, this chocolate con churros (Spanish doughnuts with chocolate) cafe sees a sprinkling of tourists throughout…

  • Street view of La Fusteria

    La Fustería

    Valencia

    This former carpentry workshop is now a likeable jumbled bar and restaurant with mismatched furniture and exposed brick walls. It's a great venue for an…

  • Café Belén in Madrid

    Café Belén

    Chueca

    Café Belén is cool in all the right places – lounge and chill-out music, dim lighting, a great range of drinks and a low…

  • Hostal La Torre

    West Ibiza

    Big international names such as DJ Harvey join resident DJs for daily in-season sessions at this clifftop, sea-view, in-the-know terrace bar-restaurant…

  • Dusk by Koza

    Göreme

    Sip sunset cocktails while taking in the best view in town. Tamer and Lisa have created Göreme's most chilled-out, intimate summer drinking spot on the…

  • Lighthouse Beach Bar

    Pafos

    The recommended route here is via the 1.7km coastal path from Pafos Castle; by car it is trickier, but still possible via the Tombs of the Kings road…

  • La Vite Turchese

    Langhe, Roero & Monferrato

    This friendly enoteca is run by passionate young staff who will talk you through their good stock of local wines – from a cheap and cheerful Nebbiolo or…

  • Şeytan Kahvesı

    Ayvalık

    One of the town's best-loved and most historic cafes, Şeytan Kahvesi (the Devil’s Coffeehouse) was named after the current owner’s grandfather, who…

  • Alois Lageder Paradeis

    Trentino & South Tyrol

    Take a seat at the long communal table, crafted from the wood of a 250-year-old oak tree, at fourth-generation winemaker Alois Lageder's biodynamic…

  • Bastian Contrario

    Parma

    Owner Marco has done up this cosy neighbourhood bar, fashioning a draught distribution system made from recycled farming irrigation piping, with tap…

  • Ciacco Putia Gourmet

    Marsala

    Run by Tuscan-Sicilian couple Anna and Francesco, this irresistible enoteca is a gorgeous spot to quaff Marsala wines with locally sourced salumi (cold…

  • Cortile Verga

    Syracuse

    Take an aristocratic courtyard, add an intimate interior kitted out in vintage coffee tables and a Chesterfield lounge, and you have Cortile Verga. This…

  • Antico Caffè San Marco

    Trieste

    Opening just before WWI, and a favourite of writers Svevo, Saba and Joyce, this Viennese Secession giant is spectacularly decorated with theatrical mask…

  • Apollo Club

    Milan

    Milan’s creative crowd loves to hang at this multifunctional space incorporating a handsome vintage-style bar with club chairs and chesterfields; a 30…

  • Mimar Sinan Teras Cafe

    Istanbul

    A magnificent panorama of the city can be enjoyed from the spacious outdoor terrace of this popular student cafe in a ramshackle building located in the…

  • Chatzi Bahtse

    Thessaloniki

    A little out of the way, this is the place to go for rembetika (urban 'blues') and other unamplified strains of traditional Greek song. Three brothers…