The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Oh, those summer nights!
Dine out, drink up and dance the night away – the hottest things to do when the sun goes down in Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Rome and Barcelona
Forget the coast and the countryside. The city is where you want to be in summer – especially at night when the sun goes down but the temperature stays high, life spills out on to the café terraces, the street lights seem to sparkle and there is a festival atmosphere in the squares and embankments. It’s easy to get swept up with it all. A meal out turns into a late-night drink and before you know it you are dancing into the small hours. You are less of a tourist, and much more of a local.
But where do you go for a taste of the best summer nightlife? We’ve picked out five cities which offer good options: Berlin, which has a fantastic club and party vibe and, with its parks and swimming lakes, is also a great place to be in summer; Paris, which even has its own latenight beach scene on the banks of the Seine; Rome, where the piazzas become open-air living rooms, humming with social life. Then there is seaside Barcelona, which combines the best of beach and boulevard; and finally Amsterdam, which has one of Europe’s great outdoor classical music festivals in August. Staying up late has never been more enticing.
Paris
There is no micro-environment as unmistakable as the Parisian café or restaurant terrasse in summer. The bohemian chic that wide-eyed London entrepreneurs might spend years trying to create exists in effortless abundance on every street corner. It’s the perfect place to people-watch on a warm summer’s evening. But the Paris that can be so endlessly alluring for tourists can also feel intimidating – impenetrable even – especially when it comes to going out at night. It is so easy, on a short trip to Paris, to find yourself eating overpriced soupe à l’ognion in a tourist trap off the ChampsElysées, all the time wondering where the good stuff is happening. The City of Lights has so much to offer at night, and its logical topography makes for easy bar-hopping.
Summer night happenings
Bastille Day has pased, so now is the time for a more relaxed sortie, to check out the film screenings (mostly English language) at the seasonal outdoor cinema at La Villette (Terrasse du Parc; lavillette.com), or head over to the Paris Plages, the popular “beaches” (including real sand and deck chairs) which pop up on the banks of the Seine from midJuly to August, and are open until midnight. For a bit of culture, try the (free) Paris Jazz Festival, which runs every weekend in the Parc Floral de Vincennes until the end of this month or book tickets to Rock en Seine (Aug 26-28, rockenseine.com) Paris’s main rock festival – acts this year include Massive Attack and Iggy Pop.
Evening entertainment
To get your pulse racing, try the outrageously outré Désirs (from €105), the show at Paris’s most exclusive cabaret Crazy Horse (12 Avenue George V; lecrazyhorseparis.com). A more rustic form of cabaret – think of a wine-fuelled variety show – is on offer in Montmartre’s historic Au Lapin Agile (22 Rue des Saules; aulapin-agile.com) or St Germain’s Aux Trois Mailletz (56 Rue Galande; lestroismailletz.fr), which runs to the early hours and serves food all night. Next door, is St-Germain’s Le Caveau des Oubliettes (52 Rue Galande; 0033 14634 2309) the place for late-night jazz.
Where to eat late
Few Paris restaurants serve after 11pm, but La Poule au Pot (9 Rue Vauvilliers; 0033 14236 3296 lapouleaupot.com) is a charming exception – the zinc-clad retro eatery, dating from 1935, serves French fare until 5am. For something more 21st century, try the summer terrace at Monsieur Bleu (20 Avenue de New York; 0033 14720 9047; monsieurbleu.com), located in the new wing of the Palais de Tokyo modern art gallery; expect delicious brasserie cuisine with a show-stopping view of the Eiffel Tower. A dash of Provence sunshine can be found at Chez Janou (2 Rue Roger Verlomme; 0033 14272 2841; chezjanou.com) in the Marais, which also has 80 varieties of pastis.
Where to drink late
Most Paris bars stay open until 2am. On a hot night in the city, the most refreshing option is a cool drink on the decks on one of the hip barge-bars, moored to the banks of the Seine. Rosa Bonheur sur Seine (Pont des Invalides; 0033 14753 6692) or its stylish neighbour Le Flow (Pont Alexandre III; 0033 14551 4951) – each has a fabulous view of the magnificent Alexandre III Bridge. For Montmartre atmosphere, there’s L’Eté en Pente Douce (23 Rue Muller; 0033 14264 0267), whose terrace overlooks a picture-perfect staircase up to the Sacré-Coeur. For something offbeat, try summer pop-up Le Ground Control, which enjoys a huge, atypical outdoor area thanks to its location in an old SNCF depot (26 Ter Rue
Ordener; 0033 148 24 2597).
Where to dance late
For celebrity spotting, try your luck at David Lynch-designed members’ club Silencio (142 Rue Montmartre; silencio-club.com), which opens its doors to the public after midnight. Keep cool after hours in Brazilian-themed restaurant/club Favela Chic (18 Rue du Faubourg du Temple; favelachic.com). At 11pm, tables are cleared away for a palm tree-bedecked dance floor, where revellers move to South American beats until 4.30am. Trendy Nuba (Quai d’Austerlitz; 0033 17677 3485; 36; open until 5am), located on the roof of La Cité de la Mode et du Design, offers a magnificent view over the Seine. Hannah Meltzer
Rome
Rome seems designed for summer. Unlike business-oriented Milan, which melts in the heat, the Eternal City comes into its own between mid-June and early September when the piazzas and vicoli (cobbled lanes) of the centre become open-air living rooms once the cool of the evening has descended, while concerts and foodie events pop up all over. August is traditionally the month when Rome empties as locals flee to the beach – but the summer
movida continues, making this a good time to visit if you can take the plus30C daytime temperatures.
Summer night happenings
Each year at about this time a raft of concerts, street fairs and other events sets sail under the Estate Romana (Roman Summer) umbrella – estateromana.comune.roma.it – highlights include an open-air opera season (info and booking at operaroma.it) amid the atmospheric ruins of the Baths of Caracalla. On this year’s slate are Nabucco, the Barber of
Seville and Madam Butterfly (opera tickets from €25). The tasty al fresco concert season put together by Rome’s
premiere concert venue, the Auditorium (auditorium.com) features, among others, violinist David Garrett (July 21); tickets from €15.
Evening entertainment
The quays that line the Tiber on the Trastevere side of the river come alive in July and August with food stalls, pop-up birrerias and wine bars, and free concerts (including Friday classical recitals by young talents from the Santa Cecilia conservatory) – check the programme at lungoiltevereroma.it, and for something a little different, book a tour of Rome in a vintage 1947 tram that includes aperitifs, dinner served by a guest chef, and an on-board jazz concert (tramjazz.com, €65 a head).
Where to eat late
A real insider secret, Vivi Bistrot (Via Vitellia 102; 0039 6582 7540; vivi bistrot.com) is an organic restaurant in Rome’s Villa Pamphili park; it’s open until midnight from July-September (booking essential). Centro storico classic Da Francesco (Piazza del Fico 29; 0039 6686 4009) feels like every film you’ve ever seen about Rome in summer – it’s basically a loud, sit-down street party that runs until well after midnight on a diet of pizza (the thincrust local variety), pasta and rough and ready house wine. When even the late-opening restaurants are closing up, everyone heads to La Base (Via Cavour 270; 0039 6474 0659; labaseristorante.it), a huge, kitsch barn of a restaurant-pub-pizzeriasteakhouse near the Colosseum that keeps going until 4.30am, every day of the week.
Where to drink late
Set in a small park between the tramlines in the quietly hip residential district of Flaminio, north of Piazza del Popolo, Scandi-style bar-restaurant Tree Bar (0039 63265 2754; treebar. it; open until 1.30am) is a good place to unwind on a hot summer night. In the heart of Rome’s cute Trastevere district, buzzy cocktail bar and bistro Ombre Rosse (Piazza di Sant’Egidio 12; 0039 6588 4155; ombrerosseintrastevere.it; open until 2am) has tables outside in a pretty piazza, and regular live music. Magick Bar (Via Lungotevere Oberdan 2; 0039 391 398 6539; facebook. com/TheMagickBar; until 2am) – an offshoot of the capital’s celebrated Goa nightclub – offers an update on those old Dolce Vita era Tiber-houseboat clubs (as in Roman Holiday), in a decked riverbank club and cocktail bar whose vintage furnishings take the indoors out.
Where to dance late
A former Tiber boatyard in the Ostiense district, Cantiere Marconi (Lungotevere Dante 273; 0039 6594 1038; cantieremarconi.com) is the venue for cool Roman cocktail bar APT’s Thursday night Summer in Wonderland events throughout the season, with their psychedelia-slanted DJ sets and live music. It’s not hard to guess the day of the week when another local club-scene one-nighter, Any Given Monday, takes over the Bosco delle Fragole (Piazzale dello Stadio Olimpico 8; 0039 6323 6086; facebook.com/anygivenmonday), a sprawling open-air venue in the pine woods behind the city’s main football stadium. Each week has a different theme. Lee Marshall
Amsterdam
Amsterdam swelters on steamy summer nights. The population pours outdoors to lounge on terraces, party in the parks, and putter in boats along canals, or simply to stroll the waterways, as a slow-setting sun gives a warm glow to the historic gables. Imaginative young chefs venture out with hot new seasonal dishes, and entertainment steps into the open, too, with festivals aplenty: in parks, on the water, in city squares. And of course there’s still the Concertgebouw, opera house and plenty more world-class entertainment and music indoors, for those days when the weather doesn’t want to play along.
Summer night happenings
Opera, popular classics and chamber music come outdoors, on stages erected in some of Amsterdam’s most beautiful locations, during the Grachtenfestival (Canal Festival, August 12-21, grachtenfestival.nl, prices vary). And a former jetty in the Western Docks becomes the scene of an outdoor waterside cinema, Pluk de Nacht (August 3-13, plukdenacht.nl, Westerdoksdijk 707, donation to book a deckchair), screening art films and unreleased indie movies (in English or sub-titled).
Evening entertainment
Outdoor venues open for the summer, with fun shows through the day and late into the night. The Vondelpark Open-Air Theatre has a bag brimming with dance, cabaret, and a wide variety of music (openluchttheater.nl, free). The Parade brings cabaret, circus-style entertainment, adventurous theatre and even the odd fairground attraction to the Martin Luther King Park, performed in tents and outdoors, (deparade.nl, general entrance €7.50, individual shows from €2). In hip Amsterdam North (across the water, behind Central Station) the Tolhuistuin (IJpromenade 2, tolhuistuin.nl, around €20), set in a large garden, has a café pavilion, indoor and outdoor stages, and hosts world music, jazz and more.
Where to eat late
Dinner after 10pm doesn’t really happen in Amsterdam, even in summer, but, wherever they can, restaurants spill out on to terraces: snaking along pavements, under trees, on the waterside. Riva (Amstelboulevard 1; 0031 2760 2030; caferestaurantriva.nl) has a wooden deck on the Amstel River, and serves such summery delights as soft-shell crab and squid salad. Hipsters head to Pension Homeland (Kattenburgerstraat 5; 0031 20723 2550), a former naval officers’ mess, where (with a view of historic ships) you can tuck into Dutch oysters. On a large square, beneath ancient wingnut trees, beside a white wooden church, and with a view of the Prinsengracht, Nel (Amstelveld; 0031 20626 1199 nelamstelveld.nl) serves simple, summery fare.
Where to drink late
All bars open late, until 1am or 2am/3am at weekends. One of the liveliest spots in town, with a beer-garden atmosphere and a view across the Eastern Docks, Hannekes Boom (Dijksgracht 4; 0031 2041 99820; hannekesboom. nl,) draws a mixed crowd, is always laid-back and fun, and often has live entertainment. For a more neighbourhood feel, try Café Ruis (Van der Helstplein 9; 0031 20 364 0354; www.café-ruis.nl), on a secluded square a step back from the busy drink-and-dining quarter of De Pijp, under trees lit by lights embedded in the paving. De Ysbreker (Weesperzijde 23; 0031 20 468 1808; deysbreeker.nl, ) has a large terrace beside a stretch of houseboats on the Amstel River, and is a favourite with artsy Amsterdammers.
Where to dance late
Successor to the uber-hip club Trouw, De School (deschoolamsterdam.nl, Dr Jan van Breemenstraat 1, €15) opened this year in the cavernous bike shed of a former technical college. It has a 24hr licence and generally rocks on until 5am, though parties that finish at 9am-10am have been known. Still hot after nearly half a century as a music venue, converted church Paradiso (Weteringsschans 6-8; clubparadiso.amsterdam, usually €15, open until 4am) has club nights at weekends, with everything from indie to hip-hop and techno. Club Canvas (volkshotel.nl, Wibautstraat 150, €10, until 4am) has a great allround view over Amsterdam. Rodney Bolt
Berlin
Berlin is a great summer city – you can absorb the heat of the day in the huge parks and dozens of lakes in and around the centre – but it is in the evenings when the German capital really comes into its own. The
al fresco season perfectly matches a city where dress codes are hardly ever an issue, where restaurants and cafés spill naturally out on to the pavements, and where the wellknown nightlife and cultural scenes effortlessly shift outdoors. From open-air cinemas to rooftop cocktail spots, beer gardens to outdoor clubs, below are recommendations for exploring the city at night.
Summer night happenings
You can catch everything from Strauss to orchestral covers of Chris de Burgh at Classic Open Air (July 21-25; classicopenair.de; tickets from €39.50) at the Gendarmenmarkt. Beer fans won’t want to miss the International Berlin Beer Festival, where almost a million visitors descend on Karl-Marx-Allee for beer tastings (2,000-plus varieties) and music (August 5-7; bierfestival-berlin. de, free). At the end of August, the Long Night of the Museums (August 27; lange-nacht-der-museen.de; €18) provides a rare opportunity for latenight explorations of more than 70 museums and cultural venues.
Evening entertainment
There’s plenty of outdoor theatre, film and cabaret to be enjoyed in summer, too, as various stages put on al fresco entertainment. Mitte’s Monbijoupark has a beach bar with regular Latin and jazz bands, and an amphitheatre (monbijou-theater. de; tickets from €4) that hosts productions of everything from Goethe to Shakespeare. The city is well known for its open-air kinos, too, which screen alternative, art house and mainstream classics in summer, usually in the original language with English or German subtitles. Favourites can be found in Friedrichshain, Potsdamer Platz and Kreuzberg (see visitberlin.de/en).
Where to eat late
Berlin’s restaurants generally take orders until 11pm or midnight, and it’s often fine to stay later if you want to continue drinking. A classic evening dining experience can be had at the city’s many leafy and hugely atmospheric beer gardens, which span the simple sausage-and-beer pleasures of the Prater Garten in Prenzlauer Berg (the oldest in the city; Kastanienallee 7-9; 0049 30 44 85 688; pratergarten.de), to Tiergarten park’s Cafe am Neuen See (Lichtensteinallee 2; 0049 30 254 4930; cafeamneuensee.de), which has a lake, pizza and pasta self-service stalls and a decent restaurant. If you want more high end cuisine, Grill Royal’s famous steaks can be enjoyed on the restaurant’s Spree-side terrace (Friedrichstrasse 105b; 0049 30 28879288; grillroyal.com); or, if you prefer, you can dine into the night on some deliciously innovative regional cuisine in Katz Orange (Bergstrasse 22; 0049 30 983208430; katzorange.com).
Where to drink late
The city’s abundant watering holes – from dingy all-night dive bars to classy cocktail spots – generally stay open until at least 2am, and often much later. Try the rooftop bar at the Amano hotel (Auguststrasse 43, amanogroup.de) and the Monkey Bar at 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin (Budapesterstrasse 40, 25hourshotels.com) which has views of the neighbouring zoo and a terrace overlooking the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church; both are open until 2am. For something low-key but hip, Klunkerkranich (Karl-Marx-Strasse 66; entrance varies; klunkerkranich. de, usually open until 1:30am) is hidden away on top of a department store and offers comfy, shabbychic couches, occasional bands and films.
Where to dance late
Berlin’s clubs usually start around midnight and go on until at least 5am, with many not kicking out until later the next morning or even afternoon. At Alexanderplatz’s House of Weekend (Alexanderstr. 7; 0049 152 2429314; houseofweekend.berlin), you can get eye to eye with the TV tower while enjoying a cocktail on the roof terrace (open from 7pm), before heading to the club’s 15thfloor dance floor from 11pm. Or you can head to the Arena Park complex in Treptow, where you can catch a live band and ice-cold beers at punkesque bar-restaurant White Trash Fast Food (Am Flutgraben 2; 0049 30 55150 6587; whitetrashfastfood.com), groove to techno at the canal-side Club der Visionaere (Am Flutgraben 1, 12435 Berlin; 0049 30 69518942; clubdervisionaere.com, open noonopen end), or party at the Arena club (Eichenstrasse 4, 12435 Berlin, 0049 30 533 2030; arena.berlin). Paul Sullivan
Barcelona
It doesn’t have the searing heat of Madrid, but there is a certain stickiness in the Catalan capital in the warmer months, and narrow medieval streets that grant muchneeded shade during the day feel somewhat muggy at night. The best place to spend your evenings is close to a sea breeze or up on a hill. Where no hills are available, a rooftop will do, and thankfully the city is increasingly finding uses for these previously unloved terraces, with their panoramic views and cooler air. Hotels, particularly, have realised the potential of their roofs, laying on live music and cocktails, and they are almost always open to the public.
Summer night happenings
The Grec Festival (lameva.barcelona. cat/grec/en) straddles theatre, music and dance, and fills spaces around town (most notably the outdoor Grec amphitheatre) with performances throughout July. The series known as Musica als Parcs (ajuntament. barcelona.cat) sees parks and gardens hosting free jazz and classical concerts until the end of August.
Evening entertainment
On July evenings, grab a blanket and a picnic and head to Sala Montjuic (Castell de Montjuic; salamontjuic. org/en), which turns the moat of the castle into a huge outdoor cinema. Jazz is hugely popular in Catalonia, and a favoured venue is the roof of Gaudi’s La Pedrera (lapedrera.com), with its warrior-shaped chimneystacks, and has al fresco concerts in summer. There’s nothing Catalan about flamenco, but you’ll still see more performers here than at home, especially at Los Tarantos (Placa Reial 17, Barri Gotic; masimas.com/tarantos).
Where to eat late
There are myriad beachside dining choices for balmy nights, though you’ll find they are closed by midnight. None is more popular with a young and dressed-up crowd than Pez Vela (Passeig del Mare Nostrum 19-21; 0034
932 216 317; grupotragaluz.com/en/ restaurante/pez-vela), which serves mostly seafood and paella at end of the beach, under the W Hotel. Salamanca (Carrer de l’Almirall Cervera 34; 0034 932 215 033 restaurantesalamanca.es) also riffs on a seafood theme, but is more rambunctious, with a huge sprawling terrace. Far from the crowds that promenade the seafront even late at night, La Venta (Placa Doctor Andreu, Tibidabo; 0034 93212 6455 restaurantelaventa.com/en) is high on the Tibidabo hill and serves sophisticated French-influenced food on an outdoor terrace.
Where to drink late
Back on the seafront, CDLC (cdlcbarcelona.com/carpe-diemlounge-club, Passeig Maritim 32, Barceloneta) is favoured by the young and glamorous, with a terrace on the beach. It closes at 3.30am. For more tranquillity, rooftop hotel bars are best. One with prices that won’t break the bank, is the Duquesa de Cardona (Passeig de Colon 12, Barri Gotic; 0034 932 689090; hduquesadecardona.com, which doubles as a restaurant and looks over Port Vell and out to sea. The nearby bar crowning the Serras Hotel (Passeig de Colom 9, Barri Gotic; 0034 93 169 18 68 hoteltheserrasbarcelona.com, ) has a cocktail bar and plunge pool. Both close at 1.30am.
Where to dance late
For those al-fresco hands-in-the-air Ibiza moments, head up the Montjuic hill to La Terrraza (laterrrazza.com, Avinguda de Francesc Ferrer I Guirdia, Montjuic), which is open until 5am on Thursday, 6am on Friday and Saturday. Sala Apolo (salaapolo.com, Carrer Nou de la Rambla 113, Poble Sec) is a gorgeous old dance hall that keeps similar hours and has techno, electronica and funk nights. Barcelona’s top classic club is Razzmatazz (salarazzmatazz.com), Carrer Almogivers 122, Poblenou), which has five dance floors. Sally Davies