With its distinct urban flavour, Manchester has a plethora of traditional pubs, trendy bars and clubs liberally scattered around the city. Catering to young urbanites, a 60,000-strong student community and legions of traditional drinkers, Manchester really is a city with everything to choose from and you don't have to walk far before you find something that suits your mood.

Although now becoming something of a tourist attraction, Manchester's Gay Village along Canal Street is a thriving area that is busy throughout the day and really comes to life at night.

Bars: Nightspots abound and are popular with both the gay and straight scenes. Many venues on Canal Street serve meals during the day and early evening before the space is turned over to dance floors for the evening crowd; try Velvet for its good atmosphere and great service. West of here is the bustling area of Castlefield and Deansgate Locks that are awash with trendy bars and clubs. Set along the picturesque canal, Castlefield has lots of outdoor drinking venues so is great for summer drinking; try Dukes 92, 18 Castle Street (website: www.dukes92.com), for its large outdoor area. Several of Deansgate Lock's lounge bars have late licences and keep open well past midnight. Popular places include Loaf, Arches 3A & 5; Revolution, Arch 7; and Baa Bar, Arch 11. Heading south out of the city along Oxford Road into 'Student Land', the Sand Bar, 120 Grosvenor Street, is a great place for a drink that is popular with the city's trendy folk and the more discerning student clientele.

Clubs: Clubbing is an integral part of the city's nightlife. Modern day clubbing institutions include Sankeys, Radium Street (website: http://sankeys.info) and Dry Bar, Oldham Street (website: www.drybar.co.uk), both in the trendy Northern Quarter close to Piccadilly Gardens. There are several good places at The Printworks, 27 Withy Grove. Paparazzi is a sexy, stylish club with great music and variously themed party nights, Pure offers dancing until daybreak, and Norwegian Blue, a chill-out coffee place during the day, has a good party atmosphere at night.

Live music: With a rich musical heritage that spawned such bands as the Smiths, the Happy Mondays, the Stone Roses and Oasis, needless to say the city supports a thriving live music scene. Larger acts perform at the Manchester Academy, Oxford Road University (website: www.manchesteracademy.net), the Apollo, Ardwick Green, the MEN Arena, Victoria Station (website: www.men-arena.com), or the massive G-Mex, Whitworth Street (website: www.g-mex.co.uk). For smaller, more intimate venues try the Night and Day Café, 26 Oldham Street (website: www.nightnday.org), with its mix of funky bands or the Roadhouse, 8 Newton Street (website: www.theroadhouselive.co.uk), for indie and rock acts. Jilly's Rockworld, 65A Oxford Street (website: www.jillys.co.uk/rockworld), has a reputation as one of the best rock clubs in the UK, with a repertoire including classic rock, nu-metal, emo, ska, punk, indie and thrash.