Kolkata is a big, sophisticated city with a broad array of evening entertainment on offer from the swish to the sleazy.

Bars and Clubs: There are many bars in restaurants around Park Street, good for a few drinks albeit in slightly boozy all-male environments (lone women should exercise judgment), and a few trendy clubs in upmarket hotels, but little in between. Kolkata is short on a middle ground of mainstream pubs popular with a mix of people, the like seen in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru (Bangalore), but there is a slowly growing number and variety of venues.

Most nightclubs have a mix of music styles, with variations of reggae, blues, disco, hip hop, trance, Hindi pop and remixed bhangra (Punjabi dance music). Dress code for hotel nightclubs is strictly smart casual; single males are often denied entry unless they are staying at the hotel in which the nightclub is located.

The city also has a history of a strong 'club culture' - that is the private members' variety, rather than dancing. Visitors may sometimes be allowed in without a member. The Tollygunge Club, 120 Deshapran Sasmal Road (website: www.thetollygungeclub.com), is Kolkata's most famous. Visitors who wish to stay here get temporary club membership.

Dublin, ITC Sonar, 1 JBS Halden Avenue, is Irish-bar-style, with a packed dance floor at weekends and different sections with contrasting ambience. The Park, 17 Park Street, has a great selection of drinking and dancing venues: Someplace Else, an English-style pub with different live music every night, Tantra, a very stylish lounge bar and club, and Roxy, which is a classy cocktail bar boasting a fantastic beverage list as well as cigars to puff on.

For an early evening beer, the tiny garden at the Fairlawn Hotel, 13A Sudder Street, is an easygoing option. Rocks, 9 Waterloo Street, is a three-level watering hole with some good live music (solo women may feel uncomfortable here).

Live Music: There are many performances of regional Indian live music throughout the week. Venues include the Academy of Fine Arts, 2 Cathedral Road (website: http://academyoffinearts.tripod.com), Swabhumi, EM Bypass, opposite Subhas Sarovar, Sisir Mancha, 1/1A AJC Bose Road, Rabindra Sadan, 1/1A AJC Bose Road next to the Nandan Complex and Kala Mandir, 48 Shakespeare Sarani. Cal Calling and local newspapers will detail other events and venues.