Nightlife in Damascus is fairly quiet. Shopping in Souk al-Hamidiyeh (open until 2100) followed by a cafe stop to smoke a nargileh (waterpipe) and play backgammon, is a popular way to spend the evening. The an-Nofara, just beside the Umayyad Mosque, stays open late at night and has a traditional storyteller. Damascenes often head up Mount Qassioun at night to watch the city lights.

Plush hotels like the Cham Palace, Meridien and Sheraton all have bars and nightclubs, but the Christian Quarter, near Bab Touma, is where it's at, with a cluster of lively bars with dance floors and DJ beats. MarMar, at Sharia ad-Dawanna, near Bab Touma, is a small but very lively bar with a DJ after 2200 on weekends. Laterna,  situated behind Cham Palace at Sharia May 29, is a very trendy bar-restaurant while Tornado, located 10 minutes from downtown on the Damascus-Homs Highway is the trendiest nightclub in town with a DJ playing good rap, hip hop, techno, or Arabic music.