What better New Year’s resolution than finding new exciting places to drink and party in 2016? Lords of the Drinks present you a selection of 16 European cities you won’t regret visiting. Each of them has its unique spirit and we tried to include places for drinking in different seasons.

1. Maastricht (the Netherlands)

This mid-size, but at the same time vibrant Dutch student city is an amazing place to go drink in 2016. The hilly city is certainly a fresh opportunity to find nice landscape in the otherwise flat Netherlands, especially if you climb the fortress. On top of it, Maastricht has an amazing medieval center. The city has a place in recent history too, because the Treaty on the European Union laying the grounds for the euro was signed here. The center is full of young people and has also nice shopping streets.

Best time to go: Spring or Autumn

 

2. Sunny Beach (Bulgaria)

This crazy Bulgarian sea resort became particularly popular recently after the BBC shot a documentary that revealed the alcohol bacchanalia in its numerous bars. Not everyone will feel comfortable around the huge crowds and the loud music banging from a different bar every square meter. But if you enjoy such craziness and look for cheap drinks & hot girls, Sunny Beach might be your choice for 2016.

Best time to go: June or July if you prefer fewer people, and August if you want it crowded

 

3. Budva (Montenegro)

Summer again: The Montenegrin sea resort has a lot to offer. For example, variety of bars and pubs, especially since many Russians invested in the seaside recently, amazing landscapes, a historical center and better beaches than the neighbor Croatia. The Montenegrin coast became quite popular after the James Bond “Casino Royale” was shot there.

Best time to go: Summer

 

4. Ioannina (Greece)

This small Greek city is undeservedly underestimated in comparison to other touristic sites in Greece. But there is a good thing about it – you will find cheap drinks, amazing food and several tavernas with excellent party spirit. These are big places that get full and loud in the evenings, and there are live orchestras.

Best time to go: Spring, Summer, Autumn

 

5: Guča (Serbia)

During the famous trumpet festival in August this place is just crazy. The loud banging of the gypsy music and the tons of rakia make this Serbian village a must-visit for the party-hardies.  According to some estimations, some 900,000 people attend the festival every year, while the population of Guča is only 2,000. Usually the headliner is the legend Goran Bregovič.

 

6. Belgrade (Serbia)

Seems like we can’t let go off those Balkans. But Belgrade is an absolutely indispensable part of this ranking. The Serbian capital has been mentioned in numerous tourist guides as a great party destination. The modern disco clubs, the kafanas with amazing food and drinks and the unique atmosphere make this city a must-visit in 2016. Even though the architecture is not the most spectacular, there is something in Belgrade that makes you wanna come back again and again. Several novels have already glorified the Serbian capital and its amazing spirit.

Best time to visit: All times of the year

 

7. Pecs (Hungary)

Another student city makes it to our ranking. Pecs is not large, but seems like a friendly city with nice architecture and even nicer places to go drink and eat for an excellent, that is – small, amount of money.

Best time to go: Spring, Autumn

 

8. Munich (Germany)

Every year, Munich hosts the amazing beer festival called Oktoberfest, and 2016 will be no exception. Millions of people will drink again millions of beers, and tons of sausages (or Wurst) will be consumed. The beer is usually XL-size – 1 liter. It is also not really cheap – about 10 euro per glass. Also, you will wait for a long time when trying to order a beer in the large tents that are always overcrowded. Nevertheless, the experience of this world-famous festival is worth it.

 

9. Berlin (Germany)

Modern, dynamic, vibrant, pulsating. Many words can be said about the German capital where life never stops. The city has a lot to offer, both in the Western and the Eastern part. Restaurants with great food and drinks are everywhere, and the disco clubs are constantly in the tourist guides’ rankings. Prepare a thick wallet and a lot of patience, though – Berlin is large and so are its prices.

Best time to visit: All times of the year

 

10. Zagreb (Croatia)

The Croatian capital is a very lively place. Large outdoor cafes, usually crowded, occupy the pedestrian zones of the city center when the weather is nice. Those pedestrian zones occupy a large part of the city center.

Best time to visit: All times of the year

 

11. Nice (France)

The French resort initially became famous as a winter destination for Europeans tortured by the cold climate of their native places. Now it is one of Europe’s most famous summer resorts. The Promenade is great, but if you swerve to the hidden streets behind the posh hotels and bars, you will find many nice restaurants with great wine and lively crowds.

Best time to visit: Summer

 

12. San Gimignano (Italy)

The Medieval Manhattan is a unique place with very well preserved old buildings. It is quite a recognition to distinguish a place among the numerous great tourist attractions of Italy, so better believe that this one is worth visiting. With a nice glass of wine, of course.

Best time to visit: Spring, Summer, Autumn

 

13. Prague (The Czech Republic)

Czech beer is a personal favourite and we would not like to omit Prague. The Czech capital is famous for its festivals, including a beer one in May and the International Music festival. Even without those happenings, Prague is always worth visiting with its numerous tourist attractions and the variety of bitter beers.

Best time to visit: All times of the year

 

14. Haro (Spain)

A wine festival starting with wine breakfast at 7 am sharp? Yes, sir, this place deserves a place in our ranking. Tidal waves of fermented grape juice shower the visitors, making everything one large purple mess. We forgive this waste, because there is a lot of wine tasting involved and the festival turns into a drinking spree anyway. It is usually held in June.

 

15. Valencia (Spain)

This modern and vibrant Spanish town will never leave you bored. It combines different styles of architecture surprisingly well, and the center is always full of the typical noisy Spanish crowds enjoying some wine. The climate is amazing – usually temperatures go above 20 °C even during the winter.

Best time to visit: Spring, Autumn, Winter

 

16. Poznan (Poland)

If you live somewhere in Western Europe, chances are that you have very cheap flights to several Polish cities. Poznan is one of those, and you can really have a cheap vacation there. Hostels are priced very reasonably, as well as the drinks and the food in the bars of this student city. The architecture is great. If you visit it in the winter, you will have the nice Christmas bazaar as a bonus.

Best time to visit: All times of the year

Nikolay Nikolov