Athens Vaults Into World's Top 15 Nightlife Cities, New Time Out Ranking Shows

Athens has climbed into the world's top 15 nightlife destinations, landing at No. 13 in Time Out magazine's newly published 2026 "Best Cities for Nightlife" ranking, putting the Greek capital's cocktail bars and underground

The annual ranking, compiled with Intrepid Travel, is based on survey responses from more than 24,000 residents across 150 cities worldwide, combined with assessments from Time Out's international editors and nightlife experts.

Athens earned a 75% approval rating from residents and 60% from the expert panel. Fifty-seven percent of Athenians described the city's nightlife as "lively," and 52% named its street life as the biggest draw after dark, followed by cocktail bars and clubbing.

The city's underground electronic scene is thriving, with venues such as AUX Club, Romantso and Oddity Club hosting international DJs alongside local collectives, while summer brings pop-up open-air parties across the city, from Petra Theater to the Dionysos marble quarry. Athens' cocktail culture remains strong at established bars including The Clumsies and Baba au Rum, along with newer spots such as The Lobby Bar at the King George hotel. Island and Bolivar remain the go-to summer clubs on the Athens Riviera, while many nights out still begin with a drink in Psyrri or Exarchia.

Bangkok topped the overall global ranking, praised for its rooftop bars, clubs and late-night street food, followed by Berlin, New York, Melbourne and Sao Paulo. Medellin, Johannesburg, Brighton, Beijing and Amsterdam rounded out the top 10, with Porto and Hong Kong just ahead of Athens.

Grace Beard, Time Out's travel editor, said the ranking shows nightlife is "far from dead," with residents increasingly favoring entire neighborhoods to bar-hop in rather than a single flagship venue.

Διαβάστε περισσότερα στο iefimerida.gr

Athens has climbed into the world's top 15 nightlife destinations, landing at No. 13 in Time Out magazine's newly published 2026 "Best Cities for Nightlife" ranking, putting the Greek capital's cocktail bars and underground club scene on the same list as Bangkok, Berlin and New York.

The annual ranking, compiled with Intrepid Travel, is based on survey responses from more than 24,000 residents across 150 cities worldwide, combined with assessments from Time Out's international editors and nightlife experts.

Athens earned a 75% approval rating from residents and 60% from the expert panel. Fifty-seven percent of Athenians described the city's nightlife as "lively," and 52% named its street life as the biggest draw after dark, followed by cocktail bars and clubbing.

The city's underground electronic scene is thriving, with venues such as AUX Club, Romantso and Oddity Club hosting international DJs alongside local collectives, while summer brings pop-up open-air parties across the city, from Petra Theater to the Dionysos marble quarry. Athens' cocktail culture remains strong at established bars including The Clumsies and Baba au Rum, along with newer spots such as The Lobby Bar at the King George hotel. Island and Bolivar remain the go-to summer clubs on the Athens Riviera, while many nights out still begin with a drink in Psyrri or Exarchia.

Bangkok topped the overall global ranking, praised for its rooftop bars, clubs and late-night street food, followed by Berlin, New York, Melbourne and Sao Paulo. Medellin, Johannesburg, Brighton, Beijing and Amsterdam rounded out the top 10, with Porto and Hong Kong just ahead of Athens.

Grace Beard, Time Out's travel editor, said the ranking shows nightlife is "far from dead," with residents increasingly favoring entire neighborhoods to bar-hop in rather than a single flagship venue.

Διαβάστε περισσότερα στο iefimerida.gr