Nightlife

The world capital of electronic music. DC-10's open-air party, Hï Ibiza's production values, Pacha's longevity. The island operates at a frequency that is physically different from anywhere else.

Berghain is a religion, not a club. Berlin's techno scene is the world's most serious: industrial spaces, 72-hour parties, door policies based on intent rather than appearance.

Rooftop bars in Brooklyn, jazz at Village Vanguard, late-night dim sum in Flushing, comedy at the Comedy Cellar at 1am. New York doesn't really have a nightlife — it has everything, all the time.

Golden Gai: 200 tiny bars in six alleyways, each with its own dedicated clientele and atmosphere. Shinjuku at 3am. Jazz bars that have been playing the same Miles Davis records since 1965.

The milonga tradition: tango danced seriously, from midnight to 5am, in ballrooms where the skill level is a form of social currency. The city doesn't come alive until midnight.

The island that never sleeps. Little Venice at sunset, the club district from midnight. The combination of Cycladic architecture and hedonism is unlike anything else in the Mediterranean.

Rooftop bars (Vertigo, Sky Bar), the night markets of Chatuchak and Rot Fai, and a street food culture that peaks at 11pm. Bangkok's night is better than its day.

Lapa's arched aqueduct district, the baile funk favela parties, and the sambódromo in the lead-up to Carnival: Rio's music and nightlife culture is a physical force.

The Melkweg and Paradiso music venues, the coffeeshop culture, the canal-side terraces that stay open late in summer. Amsterdam's nightlife is thoughtful, diverse, and never tries too hard.

The Fabric closure and revival, the east London club scene, the late-licence jazz bars of Soho. London's nightlife map is larger than most cities' entire cultural calendars.

The rooftop bars of Marina Bay, the hawker centre meals at midnight, the Clarke Quay bar strip. Singapore does nightlife with the same efficiency it does everything else: spotlessly.

Lan Kwai Fong at midnight, the rooftop bars above Victoria Harbour, the night market in Temple Street. Hong Kong's nightlife runs parallel to its day life in energy.

The Rex Club for techno, the jazz caves of Saint-Germain, the wine bars of the 11th arrondissement at 11pm. Paris's nightlife is sophisticated without being self-conscious about it.

The world's most purpose-built nightlife destination: Hakkasan's superstar DJ residencies, the Omnia, Drai's. Also the Fremont Street Experience. Las Vegas doesn't apologise for what it is.

Rooftop bars with Burj Khalifa views, the Friday brunch scene (both sophisticated and carnivalesque), and a nightlife culture that has adapted to local licensing laws to create something genuinely unique.

South America's true nightlife capital: Rua Augusta, the underground club scene, the Vila Madalena bar district. São Paulo doesn't start until midnight and has no intention of stopping.

The Born for cocktails, Barceloneta for beach clubs, and the clubs of Poble Nou that start at 2am and stop when they feel like it. Catalan culture takes nightlife seriously.

Mar Mikhael's bar district in peacetime: the most underrated nightlife scene in the Middle East, in a city that has always refused to stop dancing.