San Francisco pulsates with creative decadence. Restaurants and bars fill up early and stay open late. With more than 2,000 places to buy a drink, you never go thirsty. Such a huge diversity of bars makes any rule of thumb over dress codes, opening hours, cover charges and behaviour obsolete and it is best to check with individual establishments, if in doubt. Generally, however, attitude makes way for a more laid-back scene and, like all of California, smoking is not permitted. For the most part, anything goes, not least in the proliferation of gay clubs, many of which are so popular they are in danger of turning straight.

Dance spots regularly change names and identities and the club scene is in a constant state of flux but the music, from piano bar smooth to house and acid jazz and back again, keeps on playing. Many clubs charge an entrance fee but trendy coffee bars and record shops distribute fliers and invitation cards that get you in free, or at a discount, if you arrive early. To drink, you will need to be at least 21 years old and carrying identification. Generally, restaurants, nightclubs and bars are licensed till 0200.

Some districts (most often those with a young and thrusting street culture) offer many nightlife options. These include Downtown, South of Market (SoMa) and Castro. To find the action, it may be worth consulting a current copy of the SF Bay Guardian or the SF Weekly (free papers widely available in newspaper boxes throughout the city).

Bars: Bambuddah Lounge is the place to go for cocktails after a hard day on the tourist trail. Located in the swish retro Phoenix Hotel, Eddy Street and Larkin Street, it is unpredictably chic, with an interesting clientele and some of the best libations around. At the other end of the spectrum, the Redwood Room piano bar, at the Clift Hotel, 495 Geary Street, offers relaxation for the rich, with formal attire advised. The Bubble Lounge, Montgomery Street at Washington Street, offers sophistication with a choice of more than 300 champagnes and accompanying oysters, caviar and sushi. In the Castro Street area, there are around a dozen bars, including gay-friendly Café Flore, Market Street and Noe Street, which buzzes during the day, the Lexington Club, 19th Street at Valencia Street, for lesbians, and many others that provide solace until the early hours. Tonic, 2360 Polk Street, is a comfortably normal bar, popular with the occasional celebrity.

Clubs: DJs are hot property in San Francisco and at 1015 Folsom, 1015 Folsom Street (website: www.1015.com), even the uninitiated will understand their power. Music is loud enough to shake the foundations of both building and soul, with stunning lighting and some of the biggest names on the circuit. Local favourite, Club Six (website: www.clubsix1.com), at 60 Sixth Street, SoMa, draws a diverse crowd to its six dance spaces and lounges. John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom Room, Fillmore Street at Geary Street (website: www.boomboomblues.com), fills with a mixed age group, congregating for the genuine blues and boogie. The Endup, 401 Sixth Street (website: www.theendup.com), is a SoMa favourite and known for its friendliness, great dance music and delicious cocktails, while to see Mission District hipsters and hear electronic music you should head for 26 Mix, 26th Street and Mission. The gay scene finds plenty of well-oiled and muscled hunks on Saturday nights at Club Universe and on Sundays at Pleasuredome. Both have a home at Club Townsend, Townsend Street.

Live Music: Yoshi's, Embarcadero and Clay Street in Oakland (website: www.yoshis.com), is the Bay Area jazz venue known for getting the top acts. Slim's, 11th Street and Harrison Street (website: www.slims-sf.com), gets rock, blues, and world-music acts and is part owned by veteran guitarist Boz Scaggs. It doubles as a bar and concert hall and there is always a good view of the bands, many of which are more modern and alternative than you might expect. Bimbo's, Columbus Avenue at Chestnut Street (website: www.bimbos365club.com), covers a range of music, from punk to mellow solo artistes, in a retro setting that packs in the crowds. The Makeout Room, 3225 22nd Street (website: www.makeoutroom.com), has dancing to live music.