Leuven
The 30 bars that cram together on Oude Markt form one huge mass of happy drinkers whose chatter and midnight whoops reverberate around the baroque gables…
Must-see nightlife in Western Europe
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
An Egyptian-Polish couple took over and seriously upgraded Lisbeer, one of Lisbon's loungiest and least beer-geeky craft-beer bars, in late 2018. Sé's…
Chez Garcia – Cave de la Guiguette
La Rochelle
For a sweet taste of 1930s La Rochelle, follow the hipster crowd to this rough-cut wine bar where little has changed since it opened in 1933 in a…
Amsterdam
Mixologist Sam Kingue Ebelle concocts impressively inventive cocktails (€10.50 to €13) at this moody bar on Amstelveenseweg. For theatrical drama, try the…
The West End
Home of the Lonely Street, Concrete Jungle and other house cocktails named after iconic songs collected in the 'Savoy Songbook', the seriously dishy…
Latin Quarter
One of a crop of co-working cafes to mushroom in Paris, Nuage (Cloud) lures a loyal following of nomadic digital creatives with its cosy, home-like spaces…
Whitby
Walkers are pleased as punch when they find this place on the clifftop behind Whitby Abbey. There's just enough room inside the modern brew plant for…
Counties Meath, Louth, Cavan & Monaghan
Grey Goose has a vast downstairs bar with herringbone floors, stained glass and leather sofas, and a grand piano in its upstairs cocktail lounge, the…
Groningen
The hip go-to address at any time, the Concert House is a hybrid cafe, bar, and DJ and live-music space with pavement terrace overlooking one of the city…
Savoie
Jack's Bar plays it cool, but it's the slickest après-ski operator in town: stand-up comedy, themed nights, and live music from 5pm to 7pm from Monday to…
Amsterdam
Reachable via a couple of pedestrian/bike bridges from the NEMO Science Museum, this cool, laid-back waterside cafe is built from recycled materials and…
Amsterdam
Zoom up to the Volkshotel's 7th-floor bar for some of the best views in town, either through its large windows or on the open terrace. A creative-folk and…
Notting Hill & West London
This classic tavern on the brow of Campden Hill Rd has history, nooks and charm on tap. Alongside a decent beer selection and a solid gastropub-style menu…
Estremadura & Ribatejo
Leiria's coolest hostel somehow harvested the city's hankering for a culturally minded space for forward-thinking international hipsters, yielded its…
Belfast
In a city full of buzzing bars, the Sunflower is an authentic corner pub, free from gimmicks and commercial glitz. There are local craft beers on tap, a…
Groningen
With traditional, plum-painted facade overlooking the Hoge der A canal, this stylish cafe is the last word in canal-side chic. Its summertime terrace –…
Savoie
Why wait until you’re back down in the village to party? From 2.30pm every day, DJs, singers, choreographed dancers and live bands fuel a riotous après…
Aljezur
Directly across the beach, with glass walls buffering the wind and sand, O Sargo is a great place to slake your postsurf thirst, with cold-pressed juices,…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
Tucked away like a hidden seam, Discount Suit Company is one of the city's finest speakeasies – though on weekends you'll see that this closet-sized space…
Antwerp
In a series of old warehouses transformed by an artists' collective, this magical hang-out has concrete floors, barely hanging together arrays of old…
Nantes
This enchanting bar à vin with vintage green wood façade is the best spot in town to taste regional wines with a laid-back, hipster crowd. When the…
Galway City
Irish whiskeys are the speciality of this genteel old boozer. Incredible 'tasting platters' generally cost €11 to €14 – choices include an Irish Writers'…
Paris
If there's a more atmospheric bar in the 14e, we haven't seen it. Opened in 2019, Poinçon occupies a delightfully restored railway station that was part…
Arcachon
As seafront cafes go, you can't do better than stylish Café de la Plage. From sunrise to sunset and beyond, this gourmet cafe and bar by the vintage Big…
Amsterdam
Look downstairs to the open cellar to see (and, better still, smell) fresh coffee beans being roasted on the Probat at this streetwise spot. Beans are…
Amsterdam
Named after the owner’s grandmother, this charming bar in the canal-side boutique hotel, Misc EatDrinkSleep, feels like your grandma’s living room with…
Haarlem
Haarlem's most atmospheric place to drink is this independent brewery inside a stained-glass-windowed 1910 church. Enjoy brews such as citrusy Hopen,…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
Plastered top to bottom in peeling posters, an otherwise unmarked façade conceals one of Paris' hottest cocktail bars, but it's no fly-by-night. Le…
Jordaan & the West
Troost's cavernous, industrial Westergasfabriek space is punctuated by big silver tanks cooking up saison, blond ale and smoked porter varieties. The…
West Cornwall
The Tinner's may well be Cornwall's most venerable boozer; it's believed to have been built around 1271 by the masons who constructed the village church…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Snag a stool at the central circular bar at this eternally fashionable, brick-and-timber-floored cocktail bar or reserve one of a handful of tables online…
Belfast
At the Titanic Hotel, one of Harland & Wolff's two historic drawing offices has been transformed into a light-filled bar with an impressive barrel-vaulted…
London
There's something Great Gatsby–ish about The Ned hotel: the elevated jazz pianists, the vast verdite columns, the classy American-inspired cocktails. Of…
Paris
Paying homage to immortal Parisian musician Serge Gainsbourg (1928–91), this seductive bar has foliage-print carpets replicated from his 7e mansion, ruby…
Bordeaux
The decor – herringbone parquet, grandiose stained glass depicting the godly Bacchus, and sky-high ceiling – matches the reverent air that fills this wine…
Savoie
It would be an omission to leave Méribel without skiing straight up to the terrace of the 'Ronnie', shuffling to the bar in ski boots, and ordering the…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
A lime-green taqueria serving homemade tacos, quesadillas and tostadas conceals one of Paris' coolest cocktail bars through an unmarked internal door…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
The latest creation of talented chef Pierre Touitou of nearby Vivant, this jam-packed wine bar lures foodies and fashionistas with its huge selection of…
County Donegal
This traditional pub with peat fires is the best place in town for trad sessions, held throughout the year on Mondays and Fridays, and more often in…
Doolin
Right on the river where it runs into the sea, this sprawling place dating from 1832 has a rollicking atmosphere when the music is in full swing. On some…
