The epicentre of Cracow's nightlife is on and around Rynek Glowny, with pavement cafes a popular place to start off the evening. Distinctions between cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs tend to blur a bit later when cosy cellar bars become party zones, complete with throbbing dance music and sweaty dance floors. Live music tends to be rock or jazz, but there are occasionally more off-beat shows.

Every week sees the launch of a new cafe or a pub, so keeping up with what's happening in the city can be a bit of a challenge. Check the local press or websites such as www.cracow-life.com, www.krakownightlife.com or www.where2b.org for the latest hip venues.

Bars: CK Browar, ulica Podwale 6/7, is a lively microbrewery pub with stone walls and lots of nooks and crannies to hide away in. Pod Papugami, ulica Sw Jana 18, is a vaguely 'Irish' cellar pub decorated with old motorcycles and other assorted bits and pieces. Singer Cafe, ulica Estery 20, near the market in Kazimierz, is the retro-cool hangout of choice among the Cracow cognoscenti.

Clubs: Lubu-Dubu (www.lubudubu.pl) at ulica Wielopole 15 (4th floor) is grunge heaven, with DJs spinning ‘old school' tracks and a collection of objects from 1970s Poland to behold. In the same building on the 2nd floor, you'll find Kitsch (www.kitsch.pl), once gay and now everybody's favourite last port of call in Cracow. Rdza (www.rdza.pl) at ulica Bracka 3/5 is a basement venue attracting many of the city's more sophisticated clubbers, with guest DJs at the weekend. Prozak (www.prozak.pl) at plac Dominikanski 6 was once celebrated for attracting Cracow's rich and beautiful. It still attracts some of the clubbing faithful but word's got out and it's become something of a foreign mecca. El Sol (www.elsol-krakow.pl) at ulica Botorego 1 is Cracow's premier Latino club.

Live Music: Jazz is popular in the city and some of the cellar bars make for the perfect environment in which to hear bands. Jazz Club U Muniaka (www.umuniaka.krakow.pl) in a cellar at ulica Florianska 3 is one of the best-known jazz outlets in Poland, the creation of saxophonist Janusz Muniak, who often performs here. Piano Rouge (www.thepianorouge.com) at Rynek Glowny 46 is quite a posh jazz club and restaurant with a dizzying array of nightly live jazz acts. U Louisa (www.ulouisa.com) at Rynek Glowny 13 is one of the oldest jazz clubs in Cracow. Klezmer Hois (www.klezmer.pl), a hotel and restaurant at ulica Szeroka 6 in Kazimierz, offers nightly klezmer (a combination of traditional Jewish music and 1920s jazz) concerts.