Athens has a lively nightlife scene that takes place in the streets as well as in the hundreds of bars, tavernas and clubs throughout the city. Bars open until around 0400 and nightclubs until 0400 or 0600. The legal drinking age in bars and clubs is 18. Prices vary although punters can expect to pay around €6 for a beer or €8 for a whisky. Admission prices vary dramatically from place to place, often increasing at the weekend. Greeks tend to dress informally but stylishly for a night out.

Winter is the best time to enjoy the full range of after-dark entertainment, as many establishments move to the coast during the summer. For an authentic Athenian evening, find a bar or club offering bouzouki or rembétika music. Alternatively, numerous nightclubs and bars cater for international tastes. These are to be found mainly in the Syntagma, Thissio, Psirri, Gazi and Kolonáki areas of central Athens, as well as in the suburbs, such as Kifissia, Glyfada, Vouliagméni, Voula and Varkiza.

Kathimerini (website: www.ekathimerini), an English-language insert available with the Herald Tribune, provides information on what's on in Athens.

Bars: The most 'happening' area of town is now Gazi, thanks to the new Kerameikos metro station, which has made it infinitely more accessible. Venues worth looking in include Hoxton, Voutadon 42, a former warehouse converted into an industrial-chic lounge-bar, and Tapas, Triptolemou 44, a cosy, Spanish-themed cocktail bar serving tapas and playing a good mix of eclectic music till late. Closer to the centre, Psirri caters for more mainstream tastes, with its once down-at-heel workshops which have been renovated to create popular bars, tavernas and restaurants. Here, Soul, Evripidou 65, tops the league in terms of atmosphere, with a cocktail bar, lounge and restaurant in a stunning courtyard with deep red walls and lush planting, plus a dance floor upstairs.

To rub shoulders with the Athenian elite, try the upmarket area of Kolonaki. Business visitors favour Central, Platia Kolonki 14 (see Restaurants), while those in search of something more colourful should check out Mommy, Delphon 4, a glamorous bar-restaurant with 1970s décor and a young, rich, trendy clientele.

For a drink under the stars with an Acropolis view, try the open-air cafes lining Apostolou Pavlou in Thissio and Adrianou near Monastiraki.

Clubs: Athens' top clubs include Boudoir at Deligianni 50 and Georganta in Kifissia, a smart suburb north of the city centre, Envy at Ag Eleoussis and Kakourgodikiou, and Mao at Ag Anargiron and Agatharhou 3, both in Psirri close to Monastiráki metro station. During summer, most of the big clubs move out to the beach.

Live Music: For the best jazz in town, visit Halfnote Jazz Club, Trivonianou 17, Mets. Rock music enthusiasts might prefer the more informal Gagarin, Liosion 203-205, Atiki (website: www.gagarin205.gr), staging live concerts. Many of Greece's top bouzouki stars play at  Athinon Arena, Pireos 166, Gazi. To hear authentic rembétika (blues sung by immigrants from Asia Minor who came to Greece in 1920s), try the Stoa Athanaton, an atmospheric venue, in the arcade inside the Central Market.