London - Nightlife

London has everything from some of Europe's liveliest nightclubs right through to stylish design bars and traditional old London pubs. You can find night-time hotspots across the capital, although there is a particular concentration in the West End, where Soho remains one of the coolest places to drink, although it's still seedy along the edges. Soho is also the best place for gay bars and clubs. Out west, the perennially cool Notting Hill/Ladbroke Grove areas are still a draw, while the Old Street/Shoreditch area in the east offers a hip alternative to town. Many local areas, such as Camden and Angel in the north, Brixton and Clapham in the south, have great pubs and bars and a character all their own.

The legal drinking age is 18 years and most clubs exact an admission price (often increasing after 2300 or 2400), which can be high, particularly in the West End. England's much debated new licensing laws came into force in November 2005. Even though in theory there are no longer any fixed closing times and a number of venues have applied for extended or 24-hour licences, in practice most pubs and bars still close at 2300 Monday to Saturday and at 2230 on Sunday. Clubs usually open at 2200, fill up by 2400, and stay open until 0200/0300 during the week and usually around 0500 at weekends, although often later. Drink prices are exorbitant in London and can vary from pub to pub and club to club.

Few venues can be defined by their music, featuring different styles on different nights, with regular sets by guest DJs. The best way to keep abreast of goings-on is to check out the listings in the weekly Time Out magazine (www.timeout.com).

Note that a total ban on smoking inside pubs, restaurants and other enclosed public spaces is now enforcedthroughout England.

Bars: If a traditional English pub is what you are after, try the 17th-century George Inn, 77 Borough High Street, SE1 - the only surviving example of a galleried coaching inn in London. In the West End, the hugely popular 17th-century Lamb and Flag, 33 Rose Street, WC2, offers two floors connected by a rickety staircase and an outdoor area in summer. For ornate Victorian interiors, The Salisbury, 90 St Martins Lane, WC2, with its gin palace atmosphere, is unbeatable. No less popular is the Lamb, 94 Lamb's Conduit Street, WC1, and the Jerusalem Tavern, Britton Street, EC1, a cosy pub serving fine ales in the trendy Clerkenwell area.

As for stylish, hugely busy, trendy bars that stay open past 2300 and do not require a membership card, Amber, 6 Poland Street, W1, is one of the nicest, while Akbar, 77 Dean Street, has a touch of exotic dcor. The beautiful people go to The West Bar at Sketch, 9 Conduit Street, W1 (see Restaurants). Multi-award-winning Rockwell, on the ground floor of the Trafalgar Hotel, Trafalgar Square, WC2, is one of the city's coolest meeting places, with its sumptuous (but pricey) cocktails and chic dcor. Another fashionable and expensive hotel bar is The Blue Bar at the Berkeley Hotel, Wilton Place SW1, a good place to spot a celebrity or two.

For gay men in Soho, there is only one street in which to pose. Almost all of the Old Compton Street pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants are gay or very gay-friendly. A popular one is G.A.Y. Bar, 30 Old Compton Street, W1, run by the unstoppable club night, G.A.Y. (see Clubs below). Off Old Compton Street, The Edge, 11 Soho Square, W1, is a well-established male favourite, while the best by far for women is The Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1.

Further west, in Notting Hill, one of the best bars in the area is Under the Westway, Westbourne Studios, 242 Acklam Road, W10. This bar is set out on the vast open ground floor of a studio/office space; the ceiling of the bar area is actually the concrete flyover known as the Westway. Unpretentious favourite Portobello Gold, 95-97 Portobello Road, W11, and one of the trendiest pubs in the area The Westbourne, 101 Westbourne Park Villas, W2, are two more worth checking out.

Heading east, Vertigo, Level 42, Tower 42, 25 Old Broad Street, EC2, at 180m (590ft) above the ground, is one of the UK's highest bars and boasts stunning views across the city and sky-high prices to match. Its worth it for the experience though. For a dance, Favela Chic, 91-93 Great Eastern Street, EC2, a Latin-themed bar with eclectic music, is a good option, as is Bar Music Hall, 134 Curtain Road, EC2. For a traditional East End boozer made-good, try the refurbished Carpenters Arms, 73 Cheshire Street, formerly owned by Cockney villains, the Kray twins and now home to harmless arty types and classy continental lagers.

Clubs:A variety of musical styles pervades clubs throughout the capital. The world-famous super-club Ministry of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, SE1 (www.ministryofsound.com), is still going strong 17 years on, with its stunning sound system pumping out popular house and garage. Its big rivals today are the more underground Fabric, 77A Charterhouse Street, EC1 (www.fabriclondon.com), Pacha, Terminus Place, Victoria, SW1 (www.pachalondon.com), which has brought a touch of Balearic glamour to Victoria, and The End, an ultra-stylish club at 18A West Central Street, WC1 (www.endclub.com).

However, despite some big players, the club scene today is probably swinging more towards smaller clubs and DJ-bars, especially in the East End where much of the action is now centred. Small-scale clubs are springing up around the now well-established grand-dame of the scene, 333, at 333 Old Street, EC1 (www.333mother.com) in Shoreditch. Plastic People, 147-149 Curtain Road, EC2 (www.plasticpeople.co.uk), Cargo, 83 Rivington Street, EC2 (www.cargo-london.com), Herbal, 12-14 Kingsland Road, E2 (www.herbaluk.com) (house, breakbeats, hip hop and drum 'n' bass), and slightly further away, 93 Feet East, 150 Brick Lane, E1 (www.93feeteast.co.uk) (hip hop, deep house and Latin nights) are all worth a punt. East Village, 89 Great Eastern Street, with its plush dcor and superb sound system, is a recent addition. More central DJ-bars playing various different tunes on most nights of the week include the hugely popular Market Place, 1 Market Place, W1 (www.marketplace-london.com), and The Social, 5 Little Portland Street, W1 (www.thesocial.com), an industrial cellar bar/club just north of Oxford Circus.

Although the east is running away with things at the moment, the west's Notting Hill Arts Club, 21 Notting Hill Gate, W11 (www.nottinghillartsclub.com) is always worth checking out, for its eclectic nights (famous for Latin nights and increasingly its fun/silly craft evenings). South of the river, Brixton's reputation for nightlife remains unscathed with The Fridge, Town Hall Parade, SW2 (www.fridgelondon.com), and New Cross's Amersham Arms, 338 New Cross Road, SE14 (www.amersham-arms.co.uk) isone of London's hottest new venues. The most popular gay night is back in Soho, G.A.Y. at The Astoria, 157 Charing Cross Road, WC2.

Comedy: The Comedy Store, Haymarket House, 1A Oxendon Street, SW1 (www.thecomedystore.co.uk), still offers the best comedy in town. Jongleurs comedy and cabaret clubs are based in Battersea, Camden and Bow (www.jongleurs.com).

Live Music: International acts play at Earl's Court Exhibition Centre, Warwick Road, Earl's Court, SW5 (www.eco.co.uk), as well as the sizeable O2 Arena, Peninsula Square, SE10 (www.theo2.co.uk) and Wembley Arena, Lakeside Way, Wembley, HA9 (www.whatsonwembley.com). Next door, Wembley Stadium (www.wembleystadium.com) is a newly re-builtvast auditorium for massive stars. For a more unique atmosphere, try The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 (www.roundhouse.org.uk), or the Brixton Academy, 211 Stockwell Road, SW9 (www.brixton-academy.co.uk). The Shepherd's Bush Empire, Shepherds Bush Green, W12 (www.shepherds-bush-empire.co.uk), and the Forum, 9-17 Highgate Road, NW5 (www.meanfiddler.com), draw medium-sized acts.

New and exciting indie acts usually play the Barfly Camden, 49 Chalk Farm Road, NW1 (www.barflyclub.com) and The Luminaire, 311 High Road, NW6 (www.theluminaire.co.uk), while pubs with regular, often unsigned live music include the Hope and Anchor, 207 Upper Street, N1 and Camden's famous Dublin Castle, 94 Parkway, NW1. For jazz andreggae,head to the Jazz Caf, 5 Parkway, NW1 (www.meanfiddler.com) or to Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, 47 Frith Street, W1 (www.ronniescotts.co.uk), a legendary venue in the heart of Soho.

Tickets for most gigs and concerts are available from Ticketmaster (tel: 0844847 2455, www.ticketmaster.co.uk), or contact the venues direct.