Blow Some Rings in Europe's Hookah Bars

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Jul 31, 2012 —  The Middle East, Europe, and North Africa have been exchanging cultures and ideas for millennia. The Moors ruled Spain for 800 years, Roman ruins coat the coast of the Mediterranean, and greasy kebabs line the stomachs of drunken travelers with late-night munchies as they stumble across Europe. But our favorite result of this exchange comes in the form of the many hookah bars that can be found throughout the continent. 

These authentic smoking dens provide a relaxing substitute to the continent’s ever-expanding smoking bans in bars and clubs, offering patrons a tranquil environment to escape the hustle of the streets for puffs of peach, mint, and watermelon-mango-crushed-jasmine-flower infused tobacco. But that’s not to say it’s always an ultra-mellow environment, even with the standard décor of plush pillows and Egyptian floor carpets (but god are those rugs comfortable). Some of our favorite hookah bars also double as energetic clubs, with hard-hitting beats from a DJ setting the tone for rowdy dancers, while other guests can still chill with their friends around the hookah.

Lately we’ve gotten ridiculously good at blowing rings – minds not so much – and decided to rub our magic Turkish lamp to wish for an answer to our favorite hookah bars in Europe, and this is what the genie said: