The Plaza Nueva/Calle de Elvira area, at the foot of the Albaicín, is replete with bustling bars serving tasty tapas and local wine. Carrera del Darro and Paseo de los Tristes, heading northeast from Plaza Nueva along the narrow Darro valley below the Alhambra, harbour further popular drinking spots. Don't miss out on Granada's flamenco scene: away from the more touristic shows (of which there are several nightly in the caves of Sacromonte), several bars and flamenco clubs host up-close evenings of this passionate music and dance.

Bars: Good bars include down-to-earth Bodegas Castañeda, with great tapas, Calle Almireceros; Antigua Bodega Castañeda, next door at Calle de Elvira, marginally more polished and with tapas almost as good; El Rincón de San Pedro, Carrera del Darro 12, a hip bar with views of the Alhambra; and Om-Kalsum, Calle Jardines 17, with North African tapas and an international clientele.

Clubs: Granada 10, Calle Cárcel Baja, is a large and glamorous disco inside a converted cinema; Planta Baja, Calle Horno de Abad 11, is a two-level club with top DJs; and Industrial Copera, Warehouse 7, Calle La Paz, Carretera de Armilla, is an all-night electronic and hip-hop club out in the suburbs with DJs from around Spain.

Live Music: Check out El Eshavira, Postigo de la Cuna 2, a basement den of jazz and flamenco; Centro de Interpretación de Sacromonte, Barranco de los Negros, Sacromonte (website: www.sacromontegranada.com) for open-air flamenco and world music, plays and dance performances on summer evenings; and El Upsetter, Carrera del Darro 7, a bar with reggae and flamenco.