A stag party, night or weekend is traditionally an event that happens some time before someone is due to get married to symbolise their last night/day/weekend as a single person. Whether you see it like that or just an excuse to celebrate your upcoming nuptials, like most men, you will want it to be as memorable as the wedding day itself.
But deciding where to go and what to do can be difficult as there are so many stag do destinations available where you can mix fun, with madness, with partying, watching sports like football or just sightseeing.
If you are planning a lads weekend, or stag do abroad which you don’t want to cost a fortune then you have a lot of travel options. You’ll want a destination, either in the UK or abroad, with drinks, good restaurants, nighttime entertainment and also which people can afford.
Here are our top lads weekend destinations in Europe for some nights of mayhem.
1. Riga, Latvia
The young upstart challenging Tallinn in the Baltic lads’ night league table, Riga Town Hall Square has that fascinating and fabulous architecture as a backdrop before a mazy dribble through a stunningly colourful collection of buildings in the old city. And it’s not too expensive.
2. London, England
Where to start? Rather than trying to cover the whole city you could pick a certain area, such as Camden, Clapham, Soho or Notting Hill. Covent Garden alone will provide everything you need for a night of chaos. You could do worse than checking out TwentySomethingLondon to plan your eating and drinking around the city’s attractions.
3. Krakow, Poland
Poland has several great venues only a short flight away – Warsaw and Wroclaw are also superb – but Medieval Krakow seems to be the number one travel destination. Simple maths: Bars which scream rustic and shabby chic such as Alchemia and Singer Café, plus Eastern European beers of brutal strength, equals fun.
4. Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg, a major port city in northern Germany and is a really popular weekend European break destination. Hamburg is Germany’s second largest city and often overlooked in favour of Berlin, but there are so many reasons to book a stag do here. Hamburg lively with so many bars and clubs and a slightly seedy red light district.
5. Budapest, Hungary
Are you looking for a cheap stag do destination abroad, where you can mix cheap nights out with a bit of culture and also amazing tourism activities? Travel to Hungary’s capital city! Taking a dip in The Gellert Spa is equivalent to ‘taking a bath in a Cathedral’, so the saying goes – and it might also be the perfect place to sweat out a hangover. The Hungarian capital is actually two cities in one (Bude and Pest) with a different vibe – whatever you do check out the Ruin pubs, which are among the finest in the world.
6. Liverpool, England
Liverpool is a vibrant university town is bursting with excellent bars and venues for a raucous night. Live music fans will be well aware of the O2 Academy, and most might know of the Leadmill, but it would be remiss to visit the Steel City without a slow jaunt along the host of quality bars and pubs. If you like live music Liverpool is the place to go, you can ride the Magical Mystery Tour Bus, or enjoy Beatles classics in the Cavern Club. Concert Square is a hive of activity with clubs open till the early hours. Be sure to include football and Anfield in your itinerary, this is one of the best stadiums in Europe.
7. Ibiza, Spain
An alternative to Barcelona and Madrid, the island promises a great night of discotecas, Tapas, Flamenco, and devastating killer cocktails of liquor, champagne, pineapple juice and cream. Plus you might be able to go along to one of the most amazing clubs in the world.
8. Prague, Czech Republic
A tried and tested venue for lads looking for a weekend of fun, Prague is one of the top places to go in Europe, its a fascinating smorgasbord of castles and royalty, neo-renaissance museums, strip joints, and hipster multicultural bars and pubs such as the Crossclub and its musical dramaturgy. Prague is also fantastic value for money and the city isn’t huge so getting around is easy.
9. Newquay, England
Voted “one of the nation’s favourite seaside towns”, Newquay and its beaches represent a great lads’ night out on a super summer evening. Combine surfing, kayaking and other water sports with a host of bars such as the Sailors Arms and Chy Bar, and you’ll enjoy a really amazing experience.
10. Belfast, Northern Ireland
When you think about Ireland everyone knows about Dublin, but what about its counterpart across the border? Anywhere that has a ‘Filthy Quarter’ has got to be worth a peek, especially at a venue that has its own Oktoberfest, ‘Gypsy Lounge’ and Secret Garden. There’s also some brilliant history for the morning after, including the museum of Titanic Belfast.
11. Bournemouth, England
Bournemouth is one of the best stag do destinations in the UK and it is easy to see why. The 7 mile long beach is stunning and the city centre is small enough to walk around. The city centre is very lively with lots of bars and clubs, one of the best, Aruba, being located on the famous Bournemouth pier with an outdoor area and views over the ocean. If you are looking to take a stag do during summer, Bournemouth should be near the top of places you consider going.
12. Dublin, Ireland
Dublin is an amazing stag do weekend and world known for bars and drink. Temple bar is a must visit destination to sample the local Guinness whilst lots of companies offer stag do activities and packages.
13. Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam needs little introduction and is a bit of a cliche stag do destination, but it is still one of the best places to visit. Bars, clubs, weed cafes and a red light district – Amsterdam offers so much. There are so many activities and things to do in Amsterdam that can be arranged online in advance or in person. Seeing a live Ajax football game is highly recommended.
14. Newcastle
Possibly one of the more surprising locations featured on our list but still a great destination. View the iconic bridges as you take a rampage along the Quayside to visit bars such as the Pitcher and Piano, before heading inland for the mixologists’ dreams that is Pleased to Meet You, the chic style of Livello, and the North East Bar of the Year Winner No.28. Whether you want real ale in Newcastle, or just spend a weekend of fun, activities and drinking, Newcastle won’t disappoint.
Top Tips How to Plan a Great Stag Do
If you are tasked with planning the perfect, action packed stag do for either yourself or one of your mates, then hopefully our article has been of help to you and our list of top European stag do destinations has given you some ideas for where to go.
The word planning is very important to ensuring that the stag you are preparing is a memorable one. There is a famous saying “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” There are a number of initial considerations that you should make before deciding on destinations and activities. Such as who will be attending the stag do. If there is going to be a wide spectrum of guys of different ages you need to come up with a destination and activities that will suit all in attendance and not exclude anyone, as that wouldn’t be very fair. Paint balling or white water rafting might be out of the question if your dad is coming along and he is pushing his old age.
Now it is time to get down to the more interesting side of things, where are you going to have it? Where and what will happen on the stag very much depends on budget. A trip to Las Vegas or even Dubai may sound exciting and like a great way to celebrate the stag, but these trips may not be viable with everyone’s budgets.
If you are looking for a great night out, then you may want to travel to a well-known party place such as Amsterdam or Ibiza as featured on our list. Remember though, if you want to have your stag event abroad you need to allow a certain amount of time to ensure you can book flights and that those attending can sort their passports out.
However if you would like to have a more activity based stag then there are plenty of options including the aforementioned paintballing, quad biking, go karting or even white water rafting. Having an activity based stag do on domestic soil will negate the need for flights, passports and accommodation and will thus save you and your attendees money.
Whatever you decide upon it is also important that you keep all of the guys invited to the stag in the loop as to what is happening and any changes in location or the dates when it is happening. If this is all seeming like to much work and you feel like you need help with planning your stag to make it the very best it can then some companies can help organise everything including the destination, date of stag, how long it is, the size of your stag group and what you will be doing in the way of activities. Some websites have years experience doing what they do and are always happy to help.
Now go plan and enjoy the most epic trip ever!
