The City that Never Sleeps also refuses to surrender its place as one of the world's most electric cities. Whether you're seeking a palatial club with world-famous DJs or a discretely chic after-hours lounge, a live jazz band or a late-night comedy show, New York's got it and delivers all night long. Anything is possible and everything goes in the original Gotham, where despite a cleaner, calmer spirit, the city is still infused with the very-New York notion that you can, indeed, have everything you want. For the young and straight crowd, the hottest dance spot in happening Hell's Kitchen is Ibiza-based club Pacha. Gay party pros and their fashionista friends flock to the Hiro Ballroom on Sunday nights, a cavern of Gotham glam underneath The Maritime Hotel (pictured here, Tao).

For more information: New York City

As the Mediterranean's most renowned island of nighttime decadence and debauchery, Ibiza also boasts stunning beaches, more than 300 sunny days a year, and a string of summer festivals so awe-inspiring they'll fire the imagination of even the most jaded partygoers. Marissa Anshutz, director of public relations at Syndicate, notes that "Everyone still goes to Ibiza, but maybe now to the Boujis' Annual Summer Party, rather than the opening and closing parties." July and August are clubbing season in San Antonio, home of the internationally respected ambient soundtrack producer, Café del Mar. The alarmingly hardcore party scene begins each evening on Sunset Strip and carries on all night in the festive West End section.

For more information: Ibiza

Partying is the anthem of the vibrant city of Tel Aviv, also known as Israel's nocturnal playground. Nicknamed "the city that never stops," nightlife here is cosmopolitan, ceaseless, unpretentious, and provides everything from open-air beach parties to raucous clubs. Lilenblum Street is lined with countless bars, while bigger clubs like Barzilay, Mental and Levotin 7 draw some of the world's most talented DJs.

For more information: Tel Aviv

Cool people, cheap cocktails, no dress code, and amazing music: When it comes to nightlife in Europe, it's impossible to compete with Berlin. The capital city of 3.4 million inhabitants is always buzzing, thanks to a number of clubs that stay open all night long. This may be the only city where dressing down gets you somewhere and doors of the hottest clubs remain unmarked. Head to any one of the lounges in Mitte to mix with fellow partygoers. Bar-wise, Tausend is always packed with super-chic locals and the outdoor scene at Bar 25 provides a relaxed atmosphere with river views. For music thrill seekers, the pounding 103 Club offers an array of mind-blowing live acts.

For more information: Berlin

Brigitte Bardot, Colette, Anaïs Nin and Henry Miller are just a few of the famous visitors of this gold-dripping city, more notorious nowadays for its over-the-top nightlife and unapologetic snobbishness than its literary ambience. While Saint-Tropez has received somewhat of a bad rap for flaunting its gilded side, painters still dot the beach in the once-quiet fishing village, where old-school French elegance meets American rock and roll.

For more information: Saint-Tropez

Treasured for its decadent carnivals and sinfully-gorgeous locals, Rio de Janeiro is one of South America's most festive cities. Beautiful rainforests and white-sand beaches give Rio its natural glow, and the city also boasts a number of five-star restaurants, swank clubs, and hip bars. The late-night scene at Hotel Fasano's Londra Bar and Melt in Leblon are good for gawking at elegant locals and sun-kissed travelers.

For more information: Rio de Janeiro

Buenos Aires gives the word "nocturnal" a whole new meaning. Restaurants don't start filling up with steak-eating dinner crowds until around 1 a.m. When night falls, bars in Palermo and San Telmo swarm with chic locals sipping glasses of Argentina's to-die-for wines. If you get home from a night of dancing at one of the city's mega-clubs or milonga tango hangouts before 9 o'clock in the morning, you're apt to be called a bore.

For more information: Buenos Aires

If the wallet allows, London is one of the world's most elegant playgrounds for pleasure-seekers. If you don't mind the paparazzi, Boujis Club in South Kensington is well-known for its signature "Crack Baby" shot: a mix of vodka, champagne, and fruit juice. No wonder Prince William keeps showing up at the club. "In the summer," Anshutz says, "Shoreditch House's roof deck soaks up London's sun and East End's edgy chic set."

For more information: London

Like it or not, any best-of list that leaves Las Vegas out of the party would be remiss. Crammed with casinos, high-rise hotels, rapid-fire wedding ceremony chapels, raging clubs and a range of fabulously bizarre live acts, this is America's most infamous sin city. Cliché or not, Las Vegas is a must-see for travelers with a hankering for naughtiness.

For more information: Las Vegas

Photogenic starlets, willowy models and a crop of sought-after rock bands keep L.A at the top of the list of outlandish party cities. Silver Lake hosts a range of live music performances for the hipsters while the film industry pumps out one blockbuster-style party after another in West Hollywood. This easygoing city also offers an impressive range of art galleries and museums, if you find yourself awake in daylight.

For more information: Los Angeles

Considered to be one of the world's most stunning islands, Hvar is also prized as Croatia's most popular party destination. Tiny streets lined with bars and restaurants in this culturally-rich town swarm for six months out of the year with cocktail-sipping Europeans watching their yachts float on the azure waters. By day, the breathtaking landscape teeming with lavender fields and olive trees provides a refuge for backpackers and fashionistas alike.

For more information: Hvar