Havana nightlife is thriving and the choice of venues - especially for live music - will keep you moving and grooving all vacation long. The social scene starts to liven up by about 2200 and clubs and bars tend to close when the last customer leaves, normally between 0200 and 0300. Generally, Cubans like to look sharp, especially when out on the town, so expect to dress up when going out. To wit: many clubs have a rule of no shorts, T-shirts or jeans.

Bars: The mojitos are weak and the clientele 100% tourists, but La Bodeguita del Medio, Calle Empedrado 207, in Old Havana, remains a popular stop on every bus and walking tour. The walls are covered with autographs of famous 1950s stars such as Ernest Hemingway and Errol Flynn who frequented the old wooden bar in the 1950s. El Floridita, Calle Obispo 557, another one of Hemingway's favourite bars, is much of the same. For a more local atmosphere, with a jamming quintet most nights, try the nearby Bar Montserrate, between Avenida de Bélgica and Calle Obrapía. The small bar in La Roca, Calle 21, 102, between Calles L & M in the heart of Vedado is an intimate nook for quiet conversation and good whisky.

Clubs: Make no mistake: Cubans are well up on the latest trends in the music, dance and fashion scene, all of which come together at the city's many clubs and discos. One of the most frequented is El Chévere, in Parque Almendares, a giant open-air disco where salsa, hip hop and pop dominate. Piano Bar Maragato, in the Hotel Florida, Calle Obispo y Cuba, Habana Vieja, is a tourist hot spot and about as close to Havana gets to a lounge. Below the Teatro Nacional, Calle Paseo and Calle 39, is Café Cantante Mi Habana, which is a disco some nights and live music venue others. Habana Café in the Hotel Melía Cohiba, Paseo, between Calles 1 and 3, is the place to be seen in town. Cubans are natural performers and its no surprise karaoke is making inroads at upscale clubs like La Maison, Calle 16, 701, Miramar.

Cabarets: For real 1950s retro style, a visit to the world-famous open-air Tropicana, 4504 Calle 72, in Marianao, will not disappoint, where the nightly extravaganza features scantily dressed dancers in sequins and feathers. Tickets are best booked through a hotel tourist desk. Cabaret Parisien, Hotel Nacional, Calle O y 21, in Vedado, is similar, though on a smaller scale and more centrally located.

Live Music: Havana's live music scene is on the up, and the recent restoration and re-opening of many venues means more choice than ever. Current hot spots for big names such as Kelvis Ochoa, Carlos Varela, and Interactivo include La Tropical, Avenida 41, corner Avenida 46, Playa, and Los Jardines de Tropical, Calle 51 (Puentes Grandes) near Calle Rizo, Marianao, with the country's most majestic setting for live music.

Other places to catch famous pop and rock names include 1830, Malecón and Calle 10, Vedado, and Sala Atril, above the Teatro Karl Marx, Avenida 1ra, between Calles 9 & 10, Miramar.Cuba's top salsa bands regularly perform at a trio of clubs: Casa de la Música de Centro Habana, Calle Galiano between Calle Neptuno y Concordia, Casa de la Música de Miramar, Calle 20 corner Calle 15 Miramar, and Mi Delirio Habanero, above the Teatro Nacional (and with gorgeous views of the Plaza de la Revolución). Below the Teatro Nacional is Café Cantante Mi Habana where Havana's rockers young and old come on Sunday afternoons to dance themselves silly to Cuba's greatest rock and roll cover band Los Kents. Small and dark, Jazz Club La Zorra y el Cuervo, Calle 23, between Calle N and Calle O, in Vedado, is nevertheless Cuba's top jazz spot. Another option for jazz is Jazz Café, Calle 1ra and Malecón.