Santiago de Compostela is a university city and the nightlife is dominated by the student population. Characterful bars and nightclubs can be found in the Old Quarter and along the Rúa do Franco, some converted from coach houses or the stables of palaces. These mostly were a deliberate attempt to enliven the district in the evenings, because the real student life goes on in the suburbs.

The rectangle defined by Rúa de Santiago de Chile and Rúa de San Pedro de Mezonzo is the focus of this, full of raucous bars swarming with students during term time, especially on Thursday and Friday night. Bars on the Rúa Nova de Abaixo are particularly popular with students. Students also make up many of the most dramatic pageants and local festivals.

Bars typically close at 2400, while nightclubs stay open until between 0300 and 0500. The official minimum drinking age in bars and clubs is 18 years, but entry is allowed to anyone over 16. The price of a drink varies drastically, depending on the venue, but a bottle of beer or glass of wine are still cheap by UK standards.

Event listings can be found in the El Compostelán and Santiago 7 Días publications, available in bars and cafes and from the tourist office. The Galician newspaper El Correo Gallego (website: www.elcorreogallego.es) is another good source of nightlife information, as is the Consello da Cultura Galega (website: www.culturagalega.org).

Bars: Fucolois, Rúa Xelmirez, 25 is a rustic pub with marble walls, an antique ambience and a young student clientele, while O Galo d'Ouro, Rúa Conga 14, is a cosy cellar bar. Nearby, Pub El Desván and Pub Conga are nice and welcoming pubs located at number 7 and 8 respectively, on the same street. If anyone needs an authentic Irish pub in Santiago de Compostela, there is Moore's, Rodrigo del Padrón, while Americans in search of a home from home should head to Café-Bar Gran Lucky, Fray Rosendo Salvado 10.

The décor of Pub Momo, Virxe da Cerca 23, imitates a street, while the wood-decorated Pepa a Loba, Rúa do Castro, is a brewery pub. Modus Vivendi, Praza de Feijoo, in the old town, also offers live music. Down in the newer part of town, near the university, Archy, Alfredo Brañas 20, is the place to start an evening's drinking. Blaster, on República de Argentina, is suave and polished, while La Ofisina, Fernando III el Santo 1, is a very popular and trendy bar.

Clubs: Sala Capitol, Concepción Arenal 5, which also offers live music, and Liberty, Rúa Alfredo Brañas 8, are two of the busiest clubs in town. Half pub, half disco and all energy, Ruta 66, Rúa Perez Constanti, can be found near the Praza de Galicia. Slightly more alternative, but with plenty of funky music, is Club Insomnia in the old town, a Santiago classic.

Live Music: Galician folk music is integral to the Galician cultural festivals, and there are usually musical events on every occasion. Much live music in Santiago de Compostela is served up in bars. Under the arcades, at Rúa Nova 13, Retablo offers live music as well as a marble bar and a 19th-century ambience. Casa das Crechas, Vía Sacra 3, is popular with students and features live Galician Celtic music. Jazz Club Dadó-Dadá, Rúa Alfredo Brañas 19, is the best place for jazz in town. For those who like to accompany their jazz with wines and occasional theatrical performances, there is La Borriquita de Belém, Rúa San Paio 22 and Café Teatro Garigolo, Algalia de Arriba 1.