Montreal offers some of the best nightclubs and cabarets to be found anywhere in Canada. The action seldom begins before 2200 and usually continues until the 0300 closing time, although on warm summer days, terrasses (patios) are spilling over with people throughout the day and the 5 à 7 (cinq à sept - 1700-1900) happy hour pulls in office workers. The legal minimum drinking age is 18 years.

Nightlife hotspots include rue Crescent, the preserve of the city's anglophones and English-speaking tourists, and the French-style jazz cafes, clubs, bars, restaurants and bistros along rue St-Denis. The best buzz in the city is on boulevard St-Laurent ('the Main'), with its upscale bars and restaurants near rue Sherbrooke and more alternative and youthful places to the north.

The gay scene is concentrated in The Village, on rue Ste-Catherine to the east of rue St-Hubert, and the whole street is closed off for a massive party following the Divers/Cité gay pride parade (website: www.diverscite.org) in early August. The big gay circuit parties, Black & Blue in early October and Hot & Dry in late May, draw thousands of visitors (website: www.bbcm.org).

For the latest on Montreal's ever-evolving bar and club scene, check the listings in the free alternative weeklies, The Mirror (website: www.montrealmirror.com) and Hour (website: www.hour.ca) or Brits Wanted (website: www.britswanted.com). The quarterly Nightlife Magazine (website: www.nightlifemagazine.ca) is dedicated to all things party in Montreal and has comprehensive listings.

Bars: On rue Crescent, Sir Winston Churchill Pub (Winnie's) at number 1459 is a perennial favourite. Irish pubs downtown include Hurley's Irish Pub, 1225 rue Crescent, and the Old Dublin, 1219a rue University. For brew-pubs, try Brutopia, 1219 rue Crescent, Le Cheval Blanc, 809 rue Ontario East or, further afield in Outremont, Dieu du Ciel, 29 avenue Laurier West.

For French-Canadian culture, Les Deux Pierrots, 104 rue St-Paul East in Old Montreal, is a lively, noisy spot; Pub St-Paul, in a 19th-century building next door at number 124, is a bit quieter on weekdays. In the Latin Quarter, Le St-Sulpice, 1680 rue St-Denis, draws a young, francophone crowd to its huge terrace, while L'Ile Noire, 342 rue Ontario East, is a more laid-back whisky bar. Downtown, stylish bar-club Phillips Lounge, 1184 Place Phillips is chic and unique serving up terrific cocktails while surrounding you with quality contemporary art. At Bily Kun, 354 avenue du Mont-Royal East, stuffed ostrich heads overlook a bilingual crowd drinking local brews to loud music. In Mile End, at L'Assomoire, 112 rue Bernard, patrons can dine on heaping platters of oysters, among other delights, while savouring expertly prepared cocktails.

If you're on boulevard St-Laurent, it is best to simply walk along and find a bar that appeals. Worth checking out are the cool pool tables at Le Swimming, 3643 boulevard St-Laurent, and the dive-bar comfort of Miami, 3601 St-Laurent. DJ bars like Blizzarts and Laïka, further north at numbers 3956A and 4040, draw a hip young crowd.

In the Village, Sky, 1474 rue Ste-Catherine East, is one of the most popular of the many gay bars. The multi-storey Drugstore, at number 1366, offers something for both sexes. Cabaret Mado, at number 1115, is renowned for its drag shows.

Clubs: Altitude Club 737 (website: www.promoclub737.com) is a disco-bar-restaurant at the top of Montreal's tallest building, 1 place Ville Marie: the place is hugely popular for its breathtaking panoramic views of the city. Newtown (website: www.newtown.ca) is a four-storey complex of restaurant, lounge and heaving dance club at 1476 rue Crescent. Infamous during the Days of Disco, the resurrected 1234, at 1234 rue de la Montagne, is once again dispensing glorious good-times and nearby Light Ultraclub (website: www.lightultraclub.com), 2020 rue Crescent, caters to the serious party-goer who favours House and Hip-Hop. Angel's, at 3604 boulevard St-Laurent, draws a more mainstream crowd. The stylish House (website: www.housenightclub.com) is a bit further north at number 4521, while still further is the trendy designer lounge Mile End Bar, with packed upstairs dancefloor at number 5322. The hottest gay clubs in the city are Parking (website: www.parkingbar.com), 1296 rue Amherst, and Unity II, 1171 rue Ste-Catherine East. Funky Town, 1454 rue Peel, comes with a lush, velvety 70s retro ambience and plenty of funky disco music. Dance, house music, and pretty young things fill the dancefloor at Tokyo (website: www.tokyobar.com), 3709 boulevard St-Laurent. Salsa and samba get people dancing at Club La Boom, 1254 rue Stanley, while mesmerising African rhythms attract crowds to the long-established Balattou, 4372 boulevard St-Laurent. A big celebrity draw is Tribe Hyperclub, (website: www.tribehyperclub.com), 390 rue St-Jacques, in Old Montreal where techno and house music drive a wild time on the dancefloor.

Montreal's after-hours clubs include Circus After Hours, 1493 rue St-Andre near Ste-Catherine, and Stereo, 858 rue Ste-Catherine East. They stay open until around 1000 the next morning and play a good selection of house and techno music.

Comedy: The best time to visit Montreal for comedy is during the Festival Juste pour Rire (Just for Laughs Festival) in July (website: www.hahaha.com). Otherwise, Comedyworks, 1238 rue Bishop (tel: (514) 398 9661; website: www.comedyworksmontreal.com), and Comedy Nest, 2313 rue Ste-Catherine West (tel: (514) 932 6378; website: www.comedynest.com) are amusing options.

Live Music: Big-name recording artists play the Bell Centre, 260 rue de la Gauchetière West, and occasionally the city's mid-size venues: Club Soda (website: www.clubsoda.ca), Café Campus (website: www.cafecampus.com), Metropolis (website: www.metropolismontreal.ca) or Kola Note (website: www.kolanote.com). Les Foufounes Electriques, 87 rue Ste-Catherine East (website: www.foufounes.qc.ca) is renowned for alternative and punk bands. For a loungey, martini-soaked atmosphere, Jello Bar, 151 rue Ontario East (website: www.jellobar.com), conjures up the appropriate music. Balattou, 4372 boulevard St-Laurent, is the best spot in the city for African music. Upstairs, 1254 rue Mackay (website: www.upstairsjazz.com) is the place for jazz. Casa del Popolo, 4873 boulevard St-Laurent (website: www.casadelpopolo.com) is an intimate performance space with an eclectic line-up from rock to spoken word. In Old Montreal, Pub St Paul, 124 St Paul has rock a-plenty at weekends and Les Pas Sages, in the Plateau at 951 rue Rachel, features a cosy bar atmosphere and up-and-coming acts.