These are the best places to party in Europe

BEAUTIFUL people. Amazing DJs. Wild festivals. Abandoned warehouses. Here are the nine best spots to let your hair down in Europe. There’s even an island dedicated purely to clubbers ...

Hajogyari. Picture: Rego Korosi

TIRED of going to the same old local club over and over again?

Why not hop on a plane and visit some of the ultimate dancing destinations in Europe?

From Crimea to Amsterdam, here are nine places you just can’t miss if you want to let your hair down.

Go on, you know you want to.

1. Barcelona, Spain

Spain is a fantastic place for a clubbing holiday, but it’s not all about Balearic beats (a popular electric blend of DJ-led dance music that began in the 1980s). Both Madrid and Barcelona have plenty of options to help you shuffle your feet.

So which one should you choose? It’s a bit like comparing Real to Barça with the Catalan city: they’re both pretty good. Razzmatazz and Ker are a must, plus there’s the ultimate urban festival, Sónar, held in June at Primavera.

2. KaZantip, Crimea

The self-declared autonomous Republic of KaZantip, in Popovka, has been run like an independent nation since 2001. For the majority of the year it’s a small, sleepy village where there’s not much going on. But it transforms into a partygoers paradise for two weeks for the annual KaZantip festival, which begins on July 31 this year. It brings together extreme sports, beautiful people and top DJs, all right next to the Black sea.

Visitors need a “visa” to enter, which is only granted once they’ve accepted “laws” such as “be happy, have fun and enjoy life”. The quirky clubbing republic even has its own flag and national museum.

KaZantip, Crimea. Picture: Dima Bushkov

The beach at KaZantip, Crimea. Picture: Vyacheslav Argenberg

3. Berlin, Germany

Having a conversation about the best places to go clubbing in Europe without talking about Berlin would be like omitting eggs from any respectable post-rave breakfast buffet. The city dances to a techno beat with everything from abandoned warehouses to chic and intimate venues that ensure you’ll have an unforgettable night. Berghain is famously difficult to get into but even if it’s all in vain you have to try; for the techno aficionado there’s no better way to spend 24 hours (if not longer!).

4. Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Any city which has it’s own mayor specifically for governing its nocturnal activities is going to know what to do with a speaker and four walls. Amsterdam boasts iconic clubs such as Trouw, to which the mayor Eberhard van der Laan recently granted a 24 hour licence. In summer some of the action heads out to the nearby Netherlands coast for daytime dancing at Woodstock’69 in Bloemendaal aan Zee.

Melkweg, Amersterdam. Picture: Dennis Beentjes

5. Zagreb, Croatia

While Croatia is known for its beautiful beachgoers, popular club scenes in places such as Hvar (which has become known as the town that never sleeps) and festivals such as Outlook which is near Pula, the capital city Zagreb offers grittier pleasures where you’ll be more likely to be dancing alongside locals than “it girls”. Fans of EDM (electronic dance music) shouldn’t miss Sirup.

6. Budapest, Hungary

The beautiful River Danube runs right through the not-so-bad-looking Hungarian capital, and every summer many thousands of partygoers run riot on an island in its midst. Hajógyári was originally the site of a Roman palace but it now hosts a plethora of bars and clubs — one on a moored boat — as well as it being the location of Sziget Festival in August.

Hajogyari. Picture: Rego Korosi

7. Copenhagen, Denmark

Clubs like the famous Culture Box attract electronic music heavyweights to the Danish capital, and give a very serious edge to the city’s underground. As an added bonus, the club offers the liquid attraction of all-you-can-drink Heineken between 11pm and midnight.

8. London, UK

For a wild night out you could do a lot worse than London. All four corners of the city offer something different — from the north’s legendary Fabric, to the often satirised ‘Dalston Strip’ in the east. But your best option for a focus on the music rather than whether you’re wearing the right kind of shoes is south of the river where Corsica Studios and Fire deliver some of London’s best nights out.

9. Basel, Switzerland

If you’re more into deep house than Richard Strauss (a famous German composer), don’t head to the Alps for the sound of music, instead visit Basel. The country’s third largest city is a stone’s throw from the dance music heartlands of France and Germany so it’s hardly a surprise that a venue like Nordstern attracts some of the world’s top DJs.

Read more destination news and inspiration at leading travel website Skyscanner.