Top 5 party getaways for those seeking serious Summer fun

While traversing the continent this summer, I find that intercontinental travel in Europe (and especially in the Eurozone) is relatively cheap and easy even at the level of luxury at which you’re accustomed. Between Eurail passes and relatively inexpensive airfare, you can cover the whole of Europe during the course of an extended vacation. When you’ve tired of feeding the pigeons in Trafalgar Square, during your layover in London, have no fear. I’ve scoped out the few nearby fiestas where you’re sure to have a blast. While the following destinations feature year-round debauchery, the huge crowds of summer beckon. Keep in mind though, the best time to visit is late summer/early fall, when the crowds have scattered and true sneak-freaks stay behind and await your arrival!

Biarritz

Surfers come from all over the world to hit the coast of France’s tiny Basque waterfront site known as Biarritz. Its relative proximity to both London and Paris has enabled this former Euro royalty hangout to develop quite the party scene for trust-funders and beach bums from around the globe.

Ibiza

Current international techno-house capital of the world, Ibiza, just off Spain’s southern coast, is the premiere party destination on the Mediterranean. Over the decades, Ibiza rose from relative obscurity to the place where a global jet-set crowd heats it up. Littered with half-naked bodies, it earned its risqué rep from the frequency of summer parties to suit every fetish. The visitors are drop-dead gorgeous and the nightlife offers something for everyone: from the fairly mundane to 24 hour party people crowd. Ibiza’s location also offers an abundance of water sports, accessible from both the beach and the imagination.

Barcelona

Probably the most dynamic city on the coast of Spain, Barcelona has become a perennial stomping ground for every walk of life. Whether you’re there for a respite from the everyday hub-bub of the western world, partying or on a brief sojourn from nearby Sitges or Ibiza. Barcelona has it all. With a history populated by native and visiting eccentrics from Picasso to Orwell and the trippy architecture of Gaudi dotting the skyline, there’s plenty to do, whether you’re in for the weekend or longer.

Mykonos

From its maze of streets originally intended to confuse invading pirates, to its proliferation of nude beaches, Mykonos, Greece’s premiere jet-set party island, is a fantasy getaway for most visitors and continuously rocks from June to October. With the onset of September and shorter nights, the nightlife gets an earlier start. Long the preferred destination of artists and intellectuals from around the world, Mykonos has maintained its status as THE place to escape in Europe. For a quasi religious experience take a day trip to nearby Delos, birthplace of Apollo and Artemis!

Ios

The final resting place of Homer and perennial party island of the Cyclades since the late 1960s , when flower-power wielding hippies from northern climes descended upon its craggy shores, Ios is where you go to get wasted, laid and return well bronzed. With an almost equal population-to-bar ratio and two of the finest beaches in all of Greece, Ios is the best bet for a surf, sand and sun getaway. Go and have your own authentic Mama Mia experience!

Savas Abadsidis is Editor-in-Chief at Preferred Escapes.

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