World's Best Bar Streets For Drinking (Slideshow)

Locals have made the most of the luxury hotel cluster along Jumeirah's beachfront with an array of decadent bars each more glamorous than the last — it's worth a visit for the views alone. Don't miss a local favorite, the stunning ex-pat bar Barasti, on TimeOut Dubai's best bar shortlist. 

The city's original high street is seeing a sweeping nightlife revival along its two-mile meander down to Sydney Harbor. Highlights include the quirky heritage bar 3 Wise Monkeys, complete with a giant monkey statue above the entrance, and Ivy, a multi-level complex with 18 bars, a ballroom, and rooftop cabana.

Also referred to as the Latin Quarter, this incredibly long and winding bar-lined street has everything from pubs, to cocktail lounge bars, smokey whiskey dives, tiny wine bars, and even your beer-and-lager sports bars. An added bonus is that it's mostly off the tourist trail, so expect more students and locals. 

Gone are the days when sake ruled the Tokyo bar scene — nowadays the city has a thriving underground cocktail scene where skilled bartenders specialize in recreating the golden era of cocktail combinations, a throwback to the days of elegance and speakeasies. Visit some of the wine, whisky and sake bars along this stretch and end at The High Five Bar, voted the third best bar in the world in 2013.

Steeped in old-world charm, Istanbul is abundant with spicy and rich drink options — from the traditional raki to peppery wine, and strong Turkish coffee, all coupled with magnificent views of the river, the souks, and mosques; this bar street combines that ambience and variety. Try the Litera Bar for cocktails and sweeping views of the Bosphorus Strait.

In a city that prides itself on the unique and spectacular, Bleecker leads by sheer variety. Coiling through the West Village it harkens back to old New York while still affording patrons a deluge of bar options, from Peculiar Pub and its offering of 500 global beers, to classier wine and cheese bars with some interesting cocktail combinations like The Dove (lavender-infused gin, anyone?).

When in Rome... well, Romans tend to prefer a languid evening drinking good wine and people-watching in one of the cities many piazzas. Via Cavour is one of those major arteries that draws hoards of patrons because of its proximity to the Roman Forum and the main piazzas, plus there is an inexhaustible number of charming wine bars and pubs dotted along the way, including the well-stocked Cavour 313.

Shanghai's first ever bar was opened here, and it remains the oldest and largest bar street in the city. Busy, though not overwhelming, the former French Concession is leafy and lined with some impressive architecture, from old European-style homes (most now converted to pubs and bars) to a gothic church.

Rio can arguably claim to have some of the most inventive, spectacular cocktail combinations in the world; and with the city's bartenders and mixologists in constant competition to outdo each other, new bars open and close fasters than patrons can keep up with — though the better bars tend pop up along this vibrant byway through Ipanema.

There's an utter overabundance of bar offerings in London, yet a consistent favorite remains this busy strip located in the heart of Soho. Make sure to drop in at The Langham, which has both the Gin Palace, one of London's first gin houses operating since 1865, and the incredible Artesian, officially voted the best bar on the planet in 2013.