Most of Santiago's popular after-hour venues are located outside the downtown area. The Bellavista district is regarded as the city's artistic quarter and is home to many of the most buzzing bars, restaurants and nightclubs. Its main drag is Calle Pío Nono, a lively but sometimes tacky strip through the heart of the area. Less hectic and more comfortable bars can be found on Calle Constitución, the next street across. Bellavista is where the legendary Chilean poet Pablo Neruda used to spend his time when in Santiago - and pockets of the area are still infused with the same bohemian spirit, despite a creeping commercialisation.

Less discovered but perhaps more genuine is the area around Barrio Brasil, an old part of town with turn-of-the-20th-century architecture and a lively student population. There are several bars, most with a laid-back, young vibe, and some fine restaurants clustered in the streets around leafy Plaza Brasil, the suburb's centrepiece.

Meanwhile, the tidy middle-class district of Ñuñoa is gaining in popularity as a place for a night out among those disaffected by the kitsch of Bellavista. The best bars cluster around Plaza Ñuñoa. More upmarket venues but less interesting places (mostly US-style chains) are found in the El Bosque Norte and Las Condes areas of the city.

One area now best avoided is around Avenida Suecia. Once its US-style bars used to attract huge crowds of Chileans and foreigners but it has declined into a seedy shell of its former self.

Chile's legal drinking age is 18 years. There are no licensing hours in operation. Most bars stay open until 0200 and nightclubs will see the dawn in until around 0700. Dress code is generally casual, although there are more exclusive places where smart shoes and shirts are a prerequisite.

Bars: Perhaps the biggest magnet for overseas visitors is Flannery's Irish Geo Pub, Encomenderos 83, in the financial district of Las Condes, where sports coverage and proper pints of Guinness draw large crowds. For the most atmospheric tipple in Santiago, head to the central La Piojera, Aillavilú 1030, a traditional beer hall-style drinking den, where carousing and high spirits flow at most hours. The Phonebox Pub, Avenida Providencia 1652, attracts homesick Brits. You are never short of bar options in Bellavista, but one of the most welcoming options is Bar Dos Gardenias, Antonia López de Bello 199, which has regular salsa nights. Over in Barrio Brasil, Café del Teatro, Riquelme 226, is now the upmarket watering hole of choice.

Clubs: Nightclubs tend to lag behind European and American trends in Santiago, although fashions are just as notoriously fickle here as they are elsewhere. One thing you can be sure of is that most venues don't start cranking up until around midnight. Most will go through to dawn especially on weekend nights. One club that is still going strong is Blondie, Avenida Bernardo O'Higgins (Alameda) 2879 (website: www.blondie.cl), in Barrio Brasil, an indie/goth favourite for many a year. In Bellavista, Havana Salsa, Dominica 142,  is one of the liveliest and most flamboyant of the many salsotecas in the neighbourhood. Subterraneo, Paseo Orrego Luco 46 (website: www.subterraneo.cl), is a well-heeled club in Providencia featuring some reasonable DJs.

Live Music: Santiago has a thriving live music scene, running the gamut of sounds from stadium rock to more intimate Latin American bolero. Most big acts perform at the Estadio Nacional (National Stadium), Avenida Grecia 2001, or the Teatro Municipal, Calle Agustinas 794. Jazz fans should make the pilgrimage to the Santiago Jazz Club, Avenida José Pedro Alessandri 85 (website: www.clubdejazz.cl) in Ñuñoa and fans of up-and-coming indie bands would do well to head to the same area - La Batuta, Jorge Washington 52 (website: www.batuta.cl), has some of the best shows in the city. In Bellavista, there is live music practically at every turn - wander the streets to choose between flamenco, folk and many other types of music at your leisure. La Chiminea, Principe de Gales 90 (website: www.lachimenea.cl), is an atmospheric venue tucked down a quiet alley, which has a small stage with quality live acts most nights.