St Petersburg has a vibrant, varied nightlife. Depending on your tastes, you can visit the ballet or opera, take in a play at the theatre or dance the night away at bars, clubs, music venues and dance parties. However, the scene is constantly changing, so check the weekly events listings in the St Petersburg Times (website: www.sptimes.ru).

Most of the nightlife is concentrated in the city centre. Bars open from 1100 and start closing around midnight, although some remain open until 0200 or 0400. Drinking regulations are strict, with the minimum drinking age set at 21 years. Nightclubs have varying hours but most open from the afternoon through till dawn. Smart-casual dress is the norm in bars and clubs, though some places ban jeans and trainers. Russian women generally wear dresses and heels for a night out, while Russian men prefer button-up shirts to T-shirts.

Although many nightspots in St Petersburg are controlled by the so-called Russian mafia, most visitors will have no contact with this undesirable aspect of Russian life. Most clubs, bars and venues are indistinguishable from similar places in the West. Casinos are now illegal after a government ban was enforced on 1 July 2009 in the hope of reducing criminal activity.

Bars & Cafes: Most of St Petersburg's bars double as clubs or venues for live music (see the headings below), but there are numerous beer halls in the city, many mimicking traditional English or Irish pubs. Expats frequent venues such as Mollie's, Rubensshtyena ulitsa 36, the Office Pub, Kazanskaya ulitsa 5, and James Cook, Shvedsky pereulok 2, for draught beers and a reminder of home.

Many locals prefer the quieter drinking environment of a cafe. Look out for poetry readings, DJ nights and live acoustic music at Stray Dog Cafe, Iskusstv ploschad 5, and Che, Poltavskaya ulitsa 3. Another popular cafe hangout is The Idiot at naberezhnaya reki Moyki 82, with its board-games and shelves of reading material.

The alternative set still frequent the smoky and grungy Cynic, hidden away in a courtyard at Goncharnaya ulitsa 4 while punters seeking the downright weird visit the bizarrely named Sakvoyazh dlya beremennoy shpionki (A Briefcase for a Pregnant Spy), Malaya Konushnaya ulitsa 11, with its dangling suspended tables and chairs.

Clubs: The best clubs for younger revellers are arranged in a line along Konyushennya pereulok near the Church on Spilled Blood. Neighbours Achtung Baby and Bubble Bar throb nightly to live dance DJs. The biggest all-night party is offered by Revolution on Sadovaya ulitsa - many punters stay till dawn to watch the sunrise from the top floor. Set in a basement at Apraksin dvor 13, Money Honey (website: www.moneyhoney.org) attracts a young, party crowd with boisterous rockabilly music. Located in a former bomb shelter, Griboedov, Voronezhsakaya ulitsa 2A, stages everything from rock and ska bands to hardcore techno and house nights.

Live Music: Set in the alternative arts centre at Pushkinskaya ulitsa 10, reached via an entrance on Ligovsky prospekt 53, Fish Fabrique hosts an eclectic line-up of rock and alternative bands. Next to the dance venues on Konyushennya pereulok, Club Mod has a nightly programme of live bands that appeal to a young, student crowd.

Jazz fans make a beeline for the Jazz Philharmonic Hall, Zagorodny prospekt 27, founded by the legendary jazz violinist David Goloshchokin. Jimi Hendrix Blues Club, Liteiny prospekt 33, has live blues bands on at midnight, every night.