The train city
Tokyo runs on the last train. Doors at seven, headline act at eight, out by ten so that everybody gets home, as at Liquidroom. After the trains stop at about half past midnight, the alternative is to stay out until five, which a substantial part of the city does.
The late cities
Barcelona treats midnight as the start: dinner at nine, doors at twelve, the room fills at two and Razzmatazz runs to six. Berlin goes further and does not really have an end, which is why Berghain is open on Sunday afternoon.
The early cities
Vienna ends after the theatre, with coffee houses instead of clubs. Copenhagen keeps a short, good night. London closes earlier than its reputation suggests, and the last tube decides more evenings than any licensing law.
The two-set cities
New York and Paris both organise the night around jazz sets: an early one at eight and a late one at eleven or half past. The late one is covered in the article on late sets.
Plan backwards from the transport
Check when the metro stops before you book a table. Every city page in this guide includes a timeline showing what happens at which hour, which is the fastest way to avoid arriving at a venue two hours before anybody else.
