You can learn a lot about a city by ticking off its top landmarks, museums and monuments, but if you really want to get under its skin, there’s arguably no better place to start than at the bar.
From centuries-old pubs to gloriously chaotic drinking dens, Europe’s best watering holes offer a glimpse into local life that you won’t find in your usual guidebook.
Now, the European Bar Guide, an independent website which publishes reviews of the best pubs and bars across the continent, has revealed its annual ranking of Europe’s 100 best bars.
On its website, the guide says it rates venues “simply on how well they do what they’re trying to do”, with a focus on “spectacle, atmosphere, social scene, intriguing customs, local culture and yes, the quality and choice of drinks”. It also adds that “sometimes a bar’s deficiencies can be handsomely compensated for in other ways”.
That means that, unlike other rankings, glitz and glamour are not the most important thing, so it’s little surprise that Szimpla Kert, Budapest’s original ruin bar, topped the list.
