Night Life Overview

London's nightlife is currently buzzing with everything, from some of Europe's liveliest nightclubs, right through to stylish design bars and traditional old London pubs.

Night-time hotspots can be found across the capital, although there is a particular concentration in the West End, where Soho is still the coolest place to drink, although it remains seedy along the edges. Soho is also the best place for gay bars and clubs.

Two particularly hip areas in which to drink are the perennially cool Notting Hill/Ladbroke Grove area in the west and the Old Street/Shoreditch area in the east (where the fashionable art and media crowd has popularised 'Hoxton cool').

Many local areas, such as Camden and Angel in the north and Brixton and Clapham in the south, have great local pubs and bars and remain the areas where the best of the well-established gastropubs can be found. The legal drinking age is 18 years old and almost all of the clubs charge an admission price (often increasing after 23:00 or 00:00), which can be pricey, particularly in the West End. Dress codes vary depending on the calibre of the club but it may be wise to leave the trainers at home.

England's much debated new licensing laws came into force in November 2005. Even though in theory there are no longer any fixed closing times, in practice most pubs and bars still close at 23:00 Monday to Saturday and at 22:30 on Sunday. Clubs usually open at 22:00, fill up by 00:00 (midnight), and stay open until 02:00-03:00 during the week and usually around 05:00 at weekends, although often later.

A total ban on smoking inside pubs, restaurants and virtually every enclosed public place and workplace came into force in the summer of 2007.

Drink prices are exorbitant in London and can vary from pub to pub and club to club. A pint will cost anything from £2.50 upwards and will be much more like £3 in the West End and you can pay as much as £10 for a bottled beer in some more up-market bars.

Few venues can be defined by their music, featuring different styles on different nights, with regular sets by guest DJs. The best way to keep abreast of goings-on is to check out the listings in the weekly Time Out magazine.