Watch CBS News

Getaway Guide: Memory-making Bars Around The World

Every barroom has a story; it's just that some are better than others. There are bars that render yarns of "Papa" Hemingway. Some evoke golfing greats or tales of the sea. There are saloons that recall Prohibition and taverns where history was made. Today, you can still lean on their mahogany, put a foot on the rail and order a pint, or whatever your poison might be. So, let's take a tour of a few favorites near and far. – Jay Lloyd

Paris
(credit: Jay Lloyd)

HARRY'S NEW YORK BAR

5 Rue Daunou
Paris, France
www.harrysbar.fr/en/homepage

Ernest Hemingway held court here in those dazzling days between the Great Wars when the American expat community was centered in Paris. Harry's is still the kind of small, cozy bar that attracts an international crowd looking for a connection to the creative spirit that brought Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Picasso and Parker together here to share drinks, ideas and spontaneous adventures. Pictures of the bar and its patrons against 1930s backdrops fill the walls. Stop in day or night and you'll meet today's characters with tales of their own. My last visit was spent swapping yarns with an Australian photo journalist who was also a Hemingway fan.

Barcelona Waterfront
(credit: Jay Lloyd)

FASTNET PUB

Passeig Don Joan Borbo 22
Barcelona, Spain
http://thefastnet.com

The lively Fastnet bar is named for a lighthouse on a craggy rock at the southern tip of Ireland. For sailors, it's a vital guide to a safe passage. The namesake pub on the Barcelona waterfront is also a sailors' landmark. It's an Irish pub and a haven for mariners who speak many languages, but have one in common: English. They fly the flags of many nations that flutter along the docks lining the main quay. Everyone here is eager to chat - to talk about voyages, gain local knowledge and meet new people. One of my most fascinating conversations involved a 27-year-old Canadian woman who was earning a living as a bush pilot for an African cargo plane operator. If you're a soccer (known as "football" to the rest of the world) fan, it's constantly on the telly.

Foxy's
(credit: Jay Lloyd)

FOXY'S

Jost Van Dyke, B.V.I.
http://foxysbar.com

When I first dropped anchor in Jost Van Dyke 55 years ago, the population on the small island in the British Virgins was 40 goats. Today, there are a few people and one of the best known bars, which is run by one of the most beloved calypso singers in the Caribbean. Foxy's is a beach bar with stools, lounge chairs and hammocks. Shoes and shirts are not necessary and are seldom worn. You arrive here by boat, and if you have to clear Customs and Immigration (British), you'll likely find the customs man at the bar. On our last visit, Foxy would croon a tune at the pour of a beer to the crowd, which is made up of young fugitives from stateside offices who are now scratching out a living on nearby tourist islands, as well as boaters cruising through the Francis Drake Channel. If you're in the neighborhood, don't miss it.

Swizzle
(credit: Jay Lloyd)

SWIZZLE INN

Baileys Bay, Bermuda
www.swizzleinn.com

Any island nation that has been settled for over 400 years and has been a Mecca to visitors for a century has more than its share of classic bars. The Swizzle Inn near the Bermuda airport doesn't rate a historic or classic designation, but it has welcomed more visitors and then sent them on their way with a silly smile than any other tavern on this fabled island. It does it with an original cocktail, the globally famous Rum Swizzle. A Swizzle blends local rum, orange juice, pineapple juice and something called falernum. After a few, you won't care what's in it, though. Best to take a cab or local bus here, but whatever you do, don't leave the bar on a rented motor bike.

McSorley's
(credit: Jay Lloyd)

McSORLEY'S OLD ALE HOUSE

15 E. 7th Street
New York City, NY 10003

McSorley's is believed to be the oldest continuous operating saloon in New York. It probably got the distinction by never having to shut down during Prohibition -- everyone simply looked the other way. This spot was a regular haunt for Tammany Hall politicians, local businessmen and wheelers and dealers all of all stripes. The place doesn't look much different today. It's heated by a wood-burning pot belly stove, the chairs and tables are rickety and they serve only two kinds of beer, dark and not dark. When you order, the bartender hands you two mugs and tosses your money on a well behind the bar. Tourists often take one look at the memorabilia and then leave, and the locals prefer it that way. It's a fun place with a 1920s attitude. In fact, until 1970, only men were allowed in. That changed and this is where I quaffed the first beer bought for me by my New York-oriented daughter.

McGillin's
(credit: Chelsea Karnash/CBSPhilly)

McGILLIN'S OLD ALE HOUSE

1310 Drury Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
www.mcgillins.com

There was a time in Philadelphia when if you wanted to find the mayor or council, politicians of both parties and those who deal with them, you looked at the Hunt Room in the Bellevue. Ad men and broadcasters were at Arthur's. Bankers and business people sipped at the Vesper Club. Now, you go to McGillin's Old Ale House, a 155-year-old Irish pub near City Hall that predates the Civil War. It has become a universal watering hole with food that transcends the free lunch of bygone days. But it's the crowd that matters. The people who hold the keys to the city, sports figures, players and wannabes, all crowd the bar during happy hour and create a buzz at lunch. It's a comfortable Old World spot where if you don't make a deal, you really don't care. Just hoist another Guinness.

Cheers!

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.