aoifegh

Me and my three friends ( two 18 year olds and two 19) are looking for a holiday for about a week in the end of June.
We don't want to go to an overly touristy destination- someplace tacky and too busy. However we do want some place with a little night-life- maybe some clubs or cocktail bars.
Sun would be preferable and a beach would be lovely.
If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it!
Thank you!

sandralist

You should probably take Italy off your list Italian nightlife at the beach, except on weekends, really only kicks in around mid-July and August. Until then, Rome would be the best bet. You can find some nightlife scene in town during the week but on week-ends, if the weather is nice, head to some of the clubs at the beach.

sandralist

By the way, the zone to stay in Rome for nightlife is Testaccio, which is away from the typical tourist zone.

inspiredexplorer

Many of Europe's beach destinations with nightlife will be at least minimally touristy. In many cases, you can stay away from the major club areas in another town/city/part of island, and sometimes be extremely removed from the main tourist trail.

sandralist has given great ideas on Italy, here are some on France and Greece (not familiar with German nightlife + beaches).

The French Riviera could offer you some interesting options. But if you're looking to avoid touristy things, maybe look into Nice specifically, which is a big city, plenty of things to do, very cool charm, in addition to access to the rest of the Cote d'Azur and their parties (Cannes, maybe St Tropez) and being home to a solid nightlife scene.

In Greece, being at the early opening of the season in Mykonos and Crete mean that there are fewer people, but the beach clubs will start to open and there will be plenty of nightlife options, but more sedate and less people than July/August. And both islands are large enough to escape the tourist trail or stay somewhere close to the action but removed enough for a relaxed time.

You didn't tag Spain, but I think there are some good options there that could work for what you are looking for, and I bet some other experts will chime in on Spain.

Ibiza's party calendar gets pretty full by end of June (take a look at the June 2014 archive on ibiza-spotlight.com), and there are quieter areas to explore and stay at. So you can get the mega nightlife, some lower key nightlife, and some super relaxed, calm experiences in one place.

Barcelona would give you access to nightlife plus access to beach. It's a major city, so while it's definitely a major tourist destination (+8 million visitors a year), you can avoid areas you perceive to be "touristy".

Malaga has beach access and a decent nightlife scene in June, same for Marbella and Alicante (though both might be a bit too touristy for your liking with less ability to escape in June).

PalenQ

But avoid Bendirom - the epitome of schlocky touristed town frequented by British lager louts - more Brits than locals - BTW what country are you from?

bvlenci

In Rome, the San Lorenzo district is popular with the university crowd.

kerouac

Think about Montpellier.

Christina

I don't think too many places are tacky unless they are resorts that are built solely for holiday purposes, and many cheap ones. I never consider any real city to be tacky, even if popular with tourists and if it has a beach (ie, I agree with Barcelona). For example, Krakow is too popular with some British people who like to drink and party (unfortunately), but it isn't tacky. Heck Madrid is full of partiers and Seville, but neither is tacky per se. None of those have beaches, Barcelona does, though.

Malaga has what you want, I was just there last October, and Malaga itself as a whole is not tacky. I think maybe some of the resorts that are off by themselves up and down the coast may be (wasn't there), but the town itself was not IMO.

karameli

Can't recommend it personally, but Alacati is on my short list of places I want to visit -- apparently not very touristy at all and lots of low-key beach bars.

brotherleelove2004

I would not categorize the end of June as anywhere close to the "early opening of the season." Once schools close for the summer holidays the Greek islands begin to come alive, and by the end of June it will be busy everywhere. Perhaps not as busy as July and August, but still VERY busy. That said, if you want to visit a Greek island have a look at Naxos, Paros or Antiparos. There will be lots going on, but no cruise ship hordes to deal with. They don't stop at these particular islands.

Jean

San Sebastian, Spain

Somewhat legendary nightlife, great tapas/pintxos, nice beaches, surfing, a little culture, some hiking nearby (one mountain has a funicular), some cycling, an aquarium.

There's a big party at the summer solstice in June.

crosscheck

My son (age 21) just spent 4 months in Madrid and visited 10-15 cities, including many beaches, all over Europe. He would agree with Jean - San Sebastian was his favorite beach destination. Hvar and Split, Croatia were close seconds - also very happening, but not at all tacky.

mariha2912

I will add Kos Town and Nydri on Lefkas on the Greek Island suggestions.

Odin

(Kato) Paphos in Cyprus would be really nice, big of culture very close by if you want it, some very nice hotels, lovely seafront and plenty of cocktail bars and nightlife if you want it. Ayia Napa is the real party town but mega tacky even though it is not purpose built and was originally a quiet village. Pity, since the beach is stunning.

Heimdall

Late June is a good time for going to the Greek Islands. As brotherleelove wrote it's not exactly beginning of the season, but not as busy as mid-July to August either. Weather will be hot and sunny by then, and there are good beaches practically everywhere in Greece. Posters on this board seem to concentrate on Crete and the Cyclades, but there are many other parts of Greece from which to choose. Busy resorts tend to be on islands with international airports, where charter flights arrive from all over Europe.

Within the Cyclades Island group Naxos and Paros would be good choices. They have excellent ferry and plane connections from Athens, but no international flights. Both islands have lots of good restaurants and bars, and a few nightclubs too. In June they are popular with Scandinavian families, whose schools break up for the summer earlier that month.

mariha2912

Hey aiofegh, maybe you could share where you start from and if you look for a package holiday, direct flights or a DIY trip?
If you look on a package and/or direct flights this will somehow help to narrow your choices down. Have a look on what is available, make a sort list and come back to help you chose!

aoifegh

Thank you so much to everyone for the responses. I am from Ireland if that helps... Love the suggestions, am going to look into a lot of them. Keep the ideas coming!!!! x

kerouac

Try Montpellier.

sandralist

If you are flying from Ireland you obviously have a lot of choices for cheap flight destinations, but they are not infinite choices, so it would make sense if you took a look at the destinations map of the airport you will be using, and the timetables for flights to see what your real options are.