London

Concierge.com's insider take:

The gay scene is huge in London and getting more varied and sophisticated, it seems, by the year. Pick up a free copy of QX at any bar or club for the latest listings. Trash Palace is a cool preclub option for anyone who is light on cash and wearing Converse. A red-velvet lounge plays laid-back tunes, while the downstairs beats with electropop (Sun–Thurs 5 p.m.–midnight; Fri–Sat 5 p.m.–3 a.m.; 11 Wardour St., Soho, W1; 44-207-734-0522; www.trashpalace.co.uk). Remember to pick up your queue-jump tickets at Trash Palace for Popstarz, held Fridays at Scala, which is a full-on camp experience for a young, fun crowd that parties the night away to R&B, disco-pop, and rock-indie sounds, with frequent live performances and themes (10 p.m.–4 a.m.; 275 Pentonville Rd., King's Cross, N1; 44-207-833-2022; www.scala-london.co.uk). Fiction, held Fridays at the Cross, is an end-of-week institution with a loyal, late-20s fan base. Three dance floors mix house, tribal, and funky sounds, and two outdoor terraces are packed in summer (11 p.m.–6 a.m.; 27–31 The Arches, King's Cross Freight Depot, N1; 44-207-833-3139; www.the-cross.co.uk).

Beautiful boys come out to play at the Shadow Lounge, a gay members club that will admit you even if you haven't joined up (call or e-mail ahead to get on the guest list or make sure you're a gorgeous fella—or with one). Good for an early-evening drink in plush surroundings, or for a late night that's more intimate and sophisticated than at most superclubs (Thurs–Sat 9 p.m.–3 a.m.; Mon–Wed 10 p.m.–3 a.m.; 5 Brewer St., Soho, W1; 44-207-7287-7988; www.shadow-lounge.co.uk). Hard-core clubbers looking for a consistently high standard of music should head for DTPM, held Sundays at Fabric. It's a superclub with plenty of room to talk and chill out—unlike many London sweatboxes, such as The Cock, held Fridays at the Ghetto, which has lots of dark, intimate corners and an unpretentious, dress-down crowd (10:30 p.m.–4 a.m; 5 Falconberg Court, Soho, W1; 44-207-287-3726; www.ghetto-london.co.uk). To keep the weekend going as long as possible, head to Horse Meat Disco at South Central, where resident DJs (and the occasional fantastic guest) play Italio, electrofunk, and punk funk to a diverse crowd that dances until throwing-out time (Sundays 6 p.m.–2 a.m.; 349 Kennington Lane, Vauxhall, SE11; www.horsemeatdisco.co.uk).