Whether it's riding an elevator to a sun-drenched rooftop terrace in Madrid or squeezing your way to a barstool in one of Tokyo’s bustling neighbourhoods, there’s nothing like having a drink in a local establishment to get a true sense of a city’s spirit. Knowing that variety is everything, a new study has been released that reveals which top global destinations boast the most bars.
Compiled by Alpha Travel Insurance, the study looked at 100 of the top cities around the world, cross-checking them with data from TripAdvisor. Topping the study to claim the title of the destination with the most bars in the world was London, with a total of 1327. A popular tourist destination famed for its selection of authentic pubs, it may come as no surprise that the English capital scooped the top spot.
In second place with 955 was Tokyo, a neon-tinged metropolis with bars of every variety, including the much-loved Golden Gai in Shinjuku, where visitors can visit hundreds of tiny shanty-style drinking houses, some of which can only fit a few people at a time. New York, the city that never sleeps, came in third position with 875 bars, making it just one of two US cities to claim a place in the top ten.
Seven of the top ten destinations with the highest number of bars were in Europe, including Madrid (at number four with 865 bars), Barcelona (fifth with 733 bars), Prague (sixth with 601 bars) Berlin (seventh with 596 bars) and Istanbul (tenth with 421 bars). In ninth place with 517 bars, and the second US city on the list, was Chicago, a vibrant destination that boasts everything from sports bars and craft beers microbreweries to jazz clubs and traditional Irish pubs.
The full interactive map is available at the official Alpha Travel Insurance website.
