There’s more to a great city break than what happens between breakfast and sunset. In some destinations, nightfall is when things really get interesting, whether that means cocktails above a glittering skyline, live music in a legendary club, dancing until dawn or simply seeing familiar streets take on an entirely different character.
From Budapest’s ruin bars and Seattle’s musical heritage to cowboy saloons in Arizona and dhow cruises beneath Doha’s illuminated skyline, here are 10 awesome cities for nightlife around the world.
Toronto, Canada: cocktails, clubs and live music
Few cities can match Toronto for the sheer variety of ways to spend an evening. Canada’s largest city draws on its multicultural character after dark, with everything from experimental cocktails and rooftop bars to long-established music venues, LGBTQ+ nightlife and enormous clubs.
Begin with cocktails and skyline views at Lavelle or see what the bartenders are concocting at BarChef, where drinks are approached with the precision of a tasting menu. Music fans can make for The Horseshoe Tavern, a fixture of Toronto’s live scene since 1947, while the Drake Underground showcases an ever-changing programme of performers.
Later, there are clubs such as Rebel, bars hidden away in neighbourhoods including Kensington Market and plenty of places to refuel in Chinatown long after conventional dinner hours. Church-Wellesley Village, meanwhile, remains the centre of the city’s LGBTQ+ nightlife.
Budapest, Hungary: lose track of time in a ruin bar
Budapest has turned abandoned buildings into one of Europe’s most distinctive nightlife experiences. Its famous ruin bars emerged in the city’s old Jewish Quarter, filling neglected courtyards and buildings with bars, artwork, mismatched furniture and an anything-goes atmosphere.
Szimpla Kert is the best-known example and still warrants a visit, even if its reputation means you’re unlikely to have the place to yourself. Spread through a labyrinth of rooms and courtyards, it stays open until the early hours.
But Budapest’s nightlife extends well beyond its ruin pubs. Open-air parties appear during the warmer months, clubs occupy unusual former industrial spaces, and the city’s thermal-bathing tradition has even spawned late-night ‘sparties’. Order a pálinka, Hungary’s traditional fruit spirit, and settle in: Budapest is rarely in a hurry to call last orders.
West Hollywood, California: party on the Sunset Strip
It might cover less than two square miles, but West Hollywood packs an extraordinary amount of nightlife into its compact boundaries.
The Sunset Strip has been synonymous with Los Angeles nightlife for decades, particularly its live music venues and clubs. This is where rock history was written at venues such as Whisky a Go Go and The Roxy, and music remains an important part of the neighbourhood’s identity.
Elsewhere, West Hollywood has seemingly perfected the rooftop bar, with pools, cocktails and views stretching across Los Angeles. The Rainbow District is the heart of the city’s celebrated LGBTQ+ scene, with bars and clubs concentrated around Santa Monica Boulevard. The big advantage of staying locally is that much of the action is within walking distance – something of a novelty in LA.
Reno, Nevada: discover a different side to the Biggest Little City
Reno has long been associated with casinos, but its contemporary nightlife reaches far beyond the gaming floor. Midtown and the Riverwalk District have helped create a more varied after-dark scene, mixing craft breweries, cocktail bars, music venues and modern interpretations of the old-fashioned Nevada saloon.
Grab a local beer at The Eddy, an outdoor community space beside the Truckee River, or check the listings at Cargo Concert Hall for touring bands and performers. Shim’s Surplus Supplies, meanwhile, hides a speakeasy-inspired bar behind its deliberately unassuming exterior.
Those looking for something louder can find DJs and dance floors at Reno’s larger resorts and clubs, but an evening exploring Midtown’s independent bars offers a more local introduction to the Biggest Little City in the World.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: raise a glass to Pennsylvania whiskey
Pittsburgh has transformed considerably since the days when steel mills dominated its three rivers, and its nightlife now spans neighbourhood cocktail bars, breweries, rooftop terraces and an increasingly interesting craft-distilling scene.
The Strip District is a good place to begin. Once the centre of Pittsburgh’s wholesale produce trade, the neighbourhood is now packed with places to eat and drink, including Kingfly Spirits and Maggie’s Farm Rum Distillery.
There’s history behind Pennsylvania’s taste for strong spirits, too. Western Pennsylvania was at the heart of the Whiskey Rebellion of the 1790s, when farmers resisted a federal tax on distilled spirits. Today, the experience is rather more convivial. Continue into Lawrenceville for independent bars and cocktails or head Downtown for drinks accompanied by views of Pittsburgh’s bridges and rivers.
Seattle, Washington: follow in the footsteps of grunge legends
Few cities are as closely associated with a musical movement as Seattle is with grunge. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains helped put the city at the centre of alternative music during the late 1980s and early 1990s, and live music remains integral to nights out here.
The Crocodile is one of the most famous names. The original venue hosted artists including Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and although it has since moved to a new location, its programme continues to mix established performers with emerging talent.
For a broader night out, Capitol Hill combines live music with some of Seattle’s liveliest LGBTQ+ bars and clubs. Belltown provides an alternative of cocktail bars and more polished drinking spots, while the city’s seemingly endless supply of breweries means you’re rarely far from a locally made beer.
Valencia, Spain: start late and finish even later
Trying to begin a night out in Valencia at British hours can leave you wondering where everyone has gone. The answer is usually dinner. Spanish nightlife traditionally operates considerably later, with bars becoming busier around 10pm and clubs often not getting properly underway until well after midnight.
Ease yourself into local time in El Carmen, the historic neighbourhood whose narrow streets contain an abundance of terraces and bars. Order an Agua de Valencia – the city’s potent combination of orange juice, cava and spirits – before moving elsewhere.
For a very different setting, Mya sits beneath the futuristic architecture of the City of Arts and Sciences and keeps the music going into the early hours. Valencia’s warmer climate also means that much of the socialising spills outdoors, making the evening itself part of the attraction.
Prescott, Arizona: drink in an Old West saloon
For a night out with a little more history attached, head to Whiskey Row in Prescott. During Arizona’s mining era, the street became known for its remarkable concentration of saloons, frequented by miners, cowboys, gamblers and occasional outlaws.
The Palace Saloon has been operating since 1877 and lays claim to being Arizona’s oldest bar. Its carved wooden bar has an especially good story attached: when fire devastated Whiskey Row in 1900, patrons reportedly carried it out of the burning building to save it.
Today, visitors can sit at that same bar, surrounded by Old West-inspired interiors, while ordering drinks and hearty American dishes. Prescott is certainly calmer than it was during the frontier years, but Whiskey Row remains one of Arizona’s most atmospheric places to spend an evening.
Doha, Qatar: see the city lights from a dhow
Nightlife doesn’t have to mean nightclubs. In Doha, one of the most memorable ways to experience the city after dark is from the water.
Traditional wooden dhows were once essential to Qatar’s fishing, trading and pearl-diving industries. Today, many have found a second life carrying passengers along Doha’s waterfront.
Board around sunset and the city gradually changes around you as West Bay’s skyscrapers illuminate the skyline. Depending on the sailing, routes can offer views towards Katara Cultural Village, The Pearl and Al Safliya Island.
Some cruises include Arabic food or barbecue dinners, while private charters provide a quieter alternative to shared sailings. Either way, sitting on an open deck beneath the stars offers an atmospheric contrast to Doha’s gleaming modern skyline.
Los Cabos, Mexico: dance until the early hours
Los Cabos has two rather different personalities after sunset. Cabo San Lucas provides the high-energy version, while neighbouring San José del Cabo offers a more relaxed evening of courtyard restaurants, bars, galleries and live music.
In Cabo San Lucas, Cabo Wabo Cantina – founded by musician Sammy Hagar – combines Mexican food, drinks and live performances, while El Squid Roe has become something of a local institution. Spread over three levels, the exuberant club has been drawing holidaymakers and celebrity visitors for decades.
For something less frenetic, Jazz on the Rocks combines live jazz with views across Cabo San Lucas Bay, while rooftop venues provide cocktails accompanied by sunset and sea views. Over in San José del Cabo, meanwhile, the historic centre and Gallery District make it easy to build an evening around dinner, art and a few leisurely drinks rather than a packed dance floor.
Conclusion
The best nights out aren’t always about staying on the dance floor until sunrise. They can mean discovering a city’s musical heritage, sipping cocktails on a rooftop, stepping into a century-old saloon or watching a skyline illuminate from the water. From Toronto to Los Cabos, these destinations prove that some cities are every bit as interesting after dark as they are during the day – so perhaps leave that early-morning alarm switched off.
