THE 50 BEST PARTY CITIES IN THE WORLD
Too many people have too many ideas about what makes for a good vacation spot – food, scenery, local history, arts and culture, etc. – but we here at Guyism know you care more about one thing than any other: the partying. Yes, we know you’re looking to have a good time without having to contend with snot nosed brats running around everywhere or grandpa with his camera taking pictures of every old brick in town. And on that note, and because we love you, we’re pleased to bring you this: the 50 best party cities in the world.
50 Chicago, USA
49 Pattaya, Thailand
48 Lima, Peru
47 Krakow, Poland
46 Copenhagen, Denmark
45 Melbourne, Australia
44 Osaka, Japan
43 La Paz, Bolivia
42 Tokyo, Japan
41 Reykjavik, Iceland
40 Marrakech, Morocco
39 Gothenburg, Sweden
38 Thessaloniki, Greece
37 Cape Town, South Africa
36 Los Angeles, USA
35 Tallinn, Estonia
34 Airlie Beach, Australia
33 Popovka, Ukraine
32 Belgrade, Serbia
31 Baku, Azerbaijan
30 Buenos Aires, Argentina
29 Prague, Czech Republic
28 Sydney, Australia
27 London, England
26 Moscow, Russia
25 Tel Aviv, Israel
24 Barcelona, Spain
23 Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
22 Madrid, Spain
21 Istanbul, Turkey
20 Montreal, Canada
Montreal is one of the top party cities in all of North America, boasting an incredible blend of foreign travelers looking to party, bilingual natives and some of the most beautiful women in the world. It has a laid back feel that gives way to a party scene at night that boasts everything from modern nightclubs where you can dance your way to bliss to old school jazz clubs. And for the Americans reading this, it’s just right across the border.
19 Berlin, Germany
Berlin has a little bit of everything, and a whole lot of partying. If there is a city that rivals New York’s “city that never sleeps” status, it’s Berlin, where people can be found partying at all hours. Of course, it’s also the home to one of the best music scenes in the whole world. And hey, what would Germany be without some truly outstanding beer?
18 Sao Paulo, Brazil
Rio might get all the headlines, but Sao Paulo is actually Brazil’s largest city and it more than holds its own against its sexier neighbor. It’s an ugly city but don’t let that turn you off. Dig just a little beneath the surface and you’ll find perhaps the most culturally vibrant city in all of South America, and wherever “culturally vibrant” can be found, “badass partying” usually isn’t far behind.
17 Ayia Napa, Cyprus
Ayia Napa used to be a nice family resort but in recent years it has become known more for being a place where degenerates from all over Europe come to get wild. It’s a natural progression given Ayia Napa’s killer Mediterranean Beaches, and if you learn anything here it’s that where there are amazing beaches there are tons of beautiful women – and lots and lots of awesome nightclubs. If you really want to dive into the scene the beach you want is Nissi Beach. Harbour Beach is bigger but is more family oriented and hey, you’ve got your own family back home and they weren’t invited.
16 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam probably seems slightly underrated here, but that’s just because while it certainly has its share of hotspots its allure isn’t necessarily its late night raves but its relatively carefree attitude towards some of the more, shall we say… seedier sides of the human experience. Still, that’s enough all on its own to make Amsterdam a must-visit for anyone looking to indulge their party gene.
15 St. Tropez, France
St. Tropez is infamous for being the playground of the rich and beautiful and while chances are you’re neither that doesn’t mean that you can’t crash their party. In the end, when the booze is flowing and the sun is shining bright on a beautiful beach, no one will care how you got there, just that you’re there and you’re there to have fun.
14 Miami, USA
Miami is Miami. You all know what that means. It means sun, beaches, ridiculously beautiful women, alcohol and, uh, other intoxicants and everything else you might want out of a party experience. Miami parties so hard that most people can’t handle it. It’s just too damn hot – both literally and figuratively.
13 Lagos, Portugal
Another beach town? Another beach town. But Lagos isn’t just any beach town. No, Lagos is a beach town known for almost unprecedented amounts of insane partying. Twenty-somethings from all over Europe descend on Lagos like zombies, only they crave alcohol and sex rather than brains. Then again, I’m sure someone has actually accidentally eaten a brain or two in Lagos.
12 New York City, USA
It’s the city that never sleeps. That about sums it up. While the bars close earlier than in many cities on this list, you can always find a killer after-party or warehouse party to keep things going. New York is also basically the capital of the world and chances are if something cool is going on, it started in New York.
11 Mykonos, Greece
Mykonos is a heavyweight when it comes to partying. Some of the clubs stay open 24 hours a day and the dancing starts on the beaches during the day and ends up in the clubs at night. Mykonos is basically an island paradise in the Mediterranean, and island paradises always – always – attract their share of party hounds out for a good time.
10 Punta del Este, Uruguay
Punta del Este is probably the dark horse of the top ten, the one you’ve probably never heard of, but you should know about it because there aren’t many places on Earth that can beat it for its combination of cool excess and natural beauty. Located where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Rio de Plata, Punta del Este is basically where people from Buenos Aires go when even that badass city isn’t enough for them. It’s an upscale paradise where weekday angels turn into weekend devils.
9 Ios, Greece
Ios pretty much exists as a place for young Europeans to come and party their cares away. It’s one of the birthplaces of modern hedonism and many pay homage to Ios today by flocking to its endless parties. Forget nightclubs, people don’t even bother to leave the beach to get wild in Ios.
8 New Orleans, USA
Forget all the horror stories you’ve heard about New Orleans because no city in America has as much character – or as relaxed an attitude towards partying – as the Big Easy. People drink day and night, openly and without care, pub crawling down Bourbon Street even during months when nothing’s going on. When the city is home to one of its infamous festivals, though – especially Mardi Gras – things get kicked up a notch and New Orleans becomes the party capital of North America.
7 Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok is a lot like Amsterdam in that its appeal doesn’t lie so much with giant parties, but with the endless amount of carnality that is available to anyone with enough money and an absolute lack of conscience. You can lose yourself – and your soul – in Bangkok, and anytime you can talk about a place in terms of soul loss you know that it’s a premier party city.
6 Cancun, Mexico
Spring break, woooooooooooo!!! Half of you reading this had that go through your head as soon as you saw the name Cancun. That pretty much says it all right there, doesn’t it?
5 Koh Phangan, Thailand
Once a month, the beaches of Koh Phangan on the Gulf of Siam play host to the massive “Full Moon Parties” where DJ’s spin all night long and thousands of people dance and party on the beach all while a giant, gorgeous full moon sits on the horizon. It’s perhaps the world’s biggest – and most awe inspiring – rave.
4 Goa, India
Speaking of raves, the venerable Goa, India basically invented the rave. A favorite of hippies for decades, Goa developed the infamous Goa Trance, which is pretty much what people think of when they think of the stereotypical rave. The modern party scene almost originated in Goa. Anytime you can say that, you’ve earned a place of high honor on a list like this.
3 Las Vegas, USA
“Vegas, baby!” “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” “Sin City.” You’ve all heard those before and with good reason. Vegas has marketed itself as the ultimate lost weekend destination and people from all over America flock there hoping to get their own version of The Hangover. You come to Vegas for one reason, and that’s to party harder than you’ve ever partied in your life.
2 Ibiza, Spain
The island of Ibiza is basically the modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. The whole island exists just as a place for people to get utterly debauched and do all of the things that they’d never dare to do back home. It’s a madhouse of carnality, with clubs that go through the night featuring world famous DJ’s and beaches that are lined during the day with perfect party people. Go there for a whole summer – or at least until the money runs out – and just follow the party.
1 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The beaches of Rio might be the most famous in the world with thongs everywhere and people ready and willing to indulge their basest party instincts. For God’s sake, the “Brazilian Wax” originated here. And like New Orleans, Rio takes what’s already a wonderland of hedonism and turns up the dial all the way to 11 when it’s festival time. Yes, the world famous Carnaval happens in Rio and when that’s going on, Rio becomes such a powerful party entity that you’ll be lucky to even get out of the city without dying of dehydration. You can imagine how. It’s basically an orgy of music, drinking and, well, actual orgies. It takes the best parts of every other city on this list and says “You know what, we can do even better.” It’s the world’s party capital for a reason.
All the descriptions for #21-50 can be read at
SOURCE.