The area around Münchener Freiheit in Schwabing is the best-known nightlife district, with innumerable bars, cafes, restaurants, jazz venues, dance clubs and crowds of students and youthful revellers. In recent years, a large number of hip new bars have opened up on the streets radiating out from Gärtnerplatz, while the Glockenbachviertel, just south of Sendlinger Tor, is the main focus of the gay scene. Haidhausen offers a more alternative scene.

The city has a range of bars and clubs to suit most tastes but admission and drink prices can be shockingly high and bouncers have a reputation for being particularly choosy. There is a trend towards bar-bistros, bar-cafes and, as in the rest of Germany, Feierabend (after-work) disco, which run 1800-2200 on weeknights and are increasingly popular with a slightly older tourist crowd, bopping to 60s, 70s or 80s music. The hippest club nights in the city are often one-offs, so it pays to ask around.

Licensing laws are not restrictive and Munich's clubs and pubs stay open until late. The legal drinking age in pubs and clubs is 18.

Munich Found (www.munichfound.de) has English-language listings, while Prinz (www.prinz.de) is its German-language counterpart.

Bars: One of several good bars and cafes on Türkenstrasse, Alter Simpl, Türkenstrasse 57, is famous for its links to the satirical magazine Simplicissimus and retains its bohemian ambience. Tresznjewski, Theresienstrasse 72, has an arty flair and long after midnight, when it is usually jam-packed, it becomes very flirtatious, as does legendary Schumann's, Odeonsplatz 6-7, where the cocktails are to die for. In the ultra-hip Gärtnerplatz quarter, cocktail bars like Ksar Club, Müllerstrasse 31, Holy Home, Reichenbachstrasse 21, and Lizard Lounge, Corneliusstrasse 31 are always so packed with a stylish crowd that it is next to impossible to get a seat. News Bar, Amalienstrasse 55, close to the Ludwig Maximilian University, is a popular student hangout.

In the Gärtnerplatz area, some of the little bars like Morizz, Klenzestrasse 43, and Café Glück, Palmstrasse 4, which originally opened as trendy gay hangouts, have been discovered and colonised by Munich's straight population. If you want to find the latest hip gay bars, the Café im Sub gay centre, Müllerstrasse 43, serves up info as well as drinks.

The Hofbräuhaus, Platz 9, is a Munich institution, although for a less raucous experience, head to the Augustiner Gaststätte, Neuhauser Strasse 27. If you prefer your beer al fresco, visit the beer garden in the colourful Viktualienmarkt (see Shopping). For an alternative to beer, head to the Pfälzer Residenz Weinstube, Residenzstrasse 1, for a good selection of German wines and a buzzing atmosphere.

Clubs: Top spots include the Alabamahalle, Domagkstrasse 33 (www.alabamahalle.de), with varied club nights in a massive space and Babylon-2, Rosenheimerstrasse 143 (www.babylon-online.de), the largest club in Munich, with huge, packed dance floors and a laser show that is well worth seeing. Far more intimate, the Atomic Café, Neuturmstrasse 5 (www.atomic.de), is a trendy spot in the city centre, featuring pop and rock music, touring DJs and some live bands. New York, Sonnenstrasse 25 (www.nyclub.de), is the most reliably fun gay club.

If you're feeling flash, head to P1, Prinzregentenstrasse 1 (www.p1-club.de), an upmarket club, frequented by Munich's jet set - exclusive, expensive and notoriously difficult to get into. To warm up for these high-profile locations, go to the nearby Park-Café, Sophienstrasse 7 (www.parkcafe089.de), which has a similar vibe but which, over time, has lost much of its exclusivity.

Live Music: Muffathalle, Zellstrasse 4, (www.muffathalle.de), is a major popular culture venue with live music, theatre and dance performances. The on-site cafe serves food and drink during the day, transforming into a fun and friendly club venue in the evenings. Big-name acts perform at the Olympiahalle, Spiridon-Louis-Ring 21 (www.olympiapark-muenchen.de), next to the Olympic Stadium, as well as at the enormous Elserhalle, Rosenheimerstrasse 143 (www.georg-elser-hallen.com).

The Nachtcafé, Maximiliansplatz 5 (www.nachtcafe.ygg.de), offers blues, jazz and rock for a somewhat older crowd and as the name ‘night cafe' suggests, the venue closes late. Admission is free but food and cocktails are pricey. If country and western is your scene, try the Rattlesnake Saloon, Schneeglöckchenstrasse 91 (www.rattlesnake-saloon.com), on the outskirts of town. Top quality live jazz, including appearances by world stars, can be enjoyed daily at Jazzclub Unterfahrt, Einsteinstrasse 42 (www.unterfahrt.de), and Jazzkombinat, Ainmillerstrasse 1 (www.jazzkombinat.de).