Unforgettable Cities to Visit Before You Turn 30

Hanoi, Vietnam

A thrumming city built in Paris' likeness, topped with illicit adventure

Backpackers in southeast Asia often skip Hanoi in favor of bigger Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon). This is a huge mistake. Still 1 million people strong and boasting a distinct, frenetic buzz, Vietnam's capital city is extraordinary to visit, a haven for expats and backpackers alike. Many bars keep clandestine hours, staying open well past the government mandated midnight closing time -- they'll shut the lights and board up and everyone has to hush until government control passes by. After-hours, nightclubs on river barges just outside city limits thump until sunrise, inevitably depositing partiers at some kind of food cart -- pho, banh mi (add an egg), you name it.

Getting home usually includes a middle-of-the night motorbike ride through this ancient-yet-modern city, twisting and turning down wide boulevards lined with French colonial homes and down dark alleys in the old quarter. To nurse your hangover, head to the local "Bia Hoi," storefronts that sell dollar beers of home brew served communally on little plastic stools on the sidewalks of busy streets. Recover, recoup, and then get ready to do this grungy free-for-all again come nightfall. -- Jackie Bryant, Thrillist contributor

Nashville, Tennessee

The debauchery of Las Vegas, but amid young people who actually have talent

Music City is known for, well, just that -- live music is its pulse, and there’s always some rockin’ event or festival going on. Nashville also boasts off-the-beaten-path art crawls, great vintage shopping, and some really cool historical sites, like Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage mansion and Printers Alley, a bar district that peaked in the ‘40s. The city’s used to tourists, so go ahead and sling back Bud Lights and bar-hop Downtown till you find the right fit... just watch for pedaling bachelorette party bikes when you’re crossing Broadway.  

To get weird with the locals, leave SoBro and head to Midtown or East Nashville for a live show at Mercy Lounge, Motown Mondays at The 5 Spot. You’re way more likely to hook up with a rising musician who’s also roommates with Blake Shelton’s back-up guitarist or get invited for a toke on the Zac Brown Band’s tour bus. Don’t get so hung over that you can’t brunch: A crepe and bloody mary at Tavern or Marché goes great with rehashing last night’s line-dancing phone footage. -- Brooke Sager, contributing writer

Lagos, Portugal

People come from all over the world with one goal: to be the life of the party

A three-hour drive south from Lisbon, to Portugal’s warm southern tip, you’ll find seemingly quaint and unassuming beach town of about 30,000. Don’t be fooled: Lagos may very well be Europe’s largest mashup of international youths -- and home to the most fun you’ll ever have in a bar the size of a bathroom.

Take for instance Three Monkeys, the town’s busiest watering hole: 2.50 euro shots served aflame, happy hours that’ll get you two-for-one cocktails (until midnight!), body shots by a charming Swedish bartender -- come ready, if you’re not up to splaying on the bar, move out of the way, there’s a line of people itching to have a go. Bring loose buddies to Lagos or just strike up conversations with other travelers. The crack of dawn is the best time to make friends and before you know it, you’ll have a couch to sleep on in every country in Western Europe, and some in Asia too -- that’s just the crowd Lagos attracts. -- Shylie Rimmer, Thrillist contributor

Havana, Cuba

See it before your parents think to vacation there

Go to Havana before the tourists ruin it, they say. Hell: Just go to Havana any time if you want to glimpse a city of the future that you can still afford. A mere $300 will cover a weekend’s expenses (but bring it all in cash; ATMs don’t read American bank cards yet). Your dollars will go even further if you exchange money on the grey market at local merchants for a better exchange rate than at the banks. Then go out on adventures, in comfortable shoes.

Delicious meals and drinks await you in this city -- if you’re willing to hunt a bit. The best restaurants and bars live down sketchy alleys and back roads. Take La Guarida, where you enter an abandoned-looking building spattered with graffiti. Up a couple flights of stairs, a mind-blowing restaurant and trendy rooftop bar await. During the day, wander around Old Havana and tuck into one of the numerous art galleries and workshops, or stroll along the Malecón at sunset for the finest in people watching. Finish the night dancing at King Bar (its entrance looks like any other house on the street). To get a ride anywhere for $2, go to a main road and point your thumb in the direction you're going while shouting the area you're trying to get to before cramming into a car maybe going somewhat near your final destination. Or, if you’re feeling rich and have $5 to blow, wait on any corner pointing your thumb at yourself and hop in the first car that stops for you. -- Hannah Freedman, Thrillist contributor

Vang Vieng, Laos

The world capital of bar-hopping from inner tubes

Perched on the Nam Song River in Laos, Vang Vieng is surrounded by enchanting limestone mountains and Tanqueray-green lagoons. But, let’s be honest, that’s not the reason anyone under 30 heads to this Southeast Asian town. Internationally known for “tubing,” Vang Vieng has become the hub for 20-somethings (and younger) who’d really like to test their ability to hold their liquor. Rent a tractor tire from town (this’ll be your mode of transportation between the bars), catch a ride to the river, hop into that tube butt-first, and let your day begin.

The aim of the game: make it to the most bars. Out of the 10, the average number of bars visited hovers at around four -- I made it to three. This is, believe it or not, a respectable number. Not only do the bars sell “buckets” (i.e., drinks mixed in pails) for as little as a dollar, you can also catch a bit of adrenaline, dropping into the river from a giant slide, zip line, or rope. Just be sure to test the water depth, because we all know how that story ends. -- Shylie Rimmer, Thrillist contributor

San Francisco, California

A kaleidoscopic utopia where freaks and geek still reign

The tech invasion has muffled SF’s be-who-you-really-are buzz, but don’t be deterred. The city by the Bay remains a playground for innovative minds from all over the globe. Lush parks, comely beaches, swirly topography, and Easter egg-hued Victorians can make a casual stroll to grab coffee feel a tumble down the rabbit hole.

Start your adventure outdoors. A Tartine pastry, six-pack, and picnic blanket are all you need to join the day party at Dolores Park: top-shelf people-watching, pot truffles hawked from copper bowls, and easy access to the city’s best bars and restaurants in the Mission. SF has some of the nation’s finest restaurants, but ignore them. Instead, gorge on an arm-sized burrito and walk it off in Golden Gate Park. Come nighttime, find yourself at a bonfire on Ocean Beach, a drag show in the Castro, live music in the Haight, or a dive-y bar in Bernal Heights. In a city where the dominant culture is now working yourself to death in front of a glowing screen, the counter-culture thrives by reminding everyone to slow down a sec and really live, for once. -- Andrea Kasprzak, Thrillist contributor

Manchester, England

The cheaper, louder, merrier alternative to London

Always known as a tough town, just being from here was once enough of a resume to score bouncer jobs throughout Britain. But tough also means real, which guarantees that you’ll truly connect with down-to-earth “Mancunian,” likely the moment you enter your first pub. UK’s second-largest city is musical, affordable, and sporty -- plus, they love Americans who rock, whether it be pop, classic, hard, or punk. Our Civil War was their cotton famine, which is why our 16th president is a local hero memorialized by a huge statue in Lincoln Square. You’re in!

The world's first industrialized city is an encyclopedia of glorious architecture: An endless sea of converted, deep-red factories grace the skyline. Part charm and part utility, many of the buildings have ornate facades and functional rears -- a mink coat up front and no knickers on the behind, as they say. All over, you’ll find pubs: fun, ageism-free/you’ll-probably-hook-up pubs where the prettiest gal might sport either a royal hair-pin or a few tats. The smoke and fog have cleared over this metropolitan mischief-maker that invented its own brand of wild.