Roman nightlife retains some of the smart ethos, Romans like taking it easy; and nightlife of Rome may seem rather tame to those accustomed to the cutting-edge buzz of other European cities. A typical night out for Romans usually involves a long dinner with a group of friends, starting after 9pm and continuing until after midnight.

Bars in the centre of town are good places to start. Most have tables outside where you can sit around and people-watch until the small hours. There have lately been initiatives oriented at reducing noise by earlier closing hours, but this isn't yet widespread. Campo dei Fiori, the Piazza Navona area, and Trastevere are some of the best places for an evening out. Locals and tourists alike stroll around the streets all evening, or sit at the many welcoming bars, which range from the stylish to the homely. If you want drunken good times, meeting other foreigners and predatory locals, head for one of the hundreds of Irish/Scottish pubs.

Rome's clubs run the gamut. There are vast brightness palaces with stunning lights and sound systems, predictable dance music and an over-dressed, over-made-up clientele - good if you can afford it and just want to dance (and observe a good proportion of Romans in their natural Saturday-night element). For nightclubs, discoteche, the best area to head for is Testaccio. The area around Piramide metro station and spreading down the Via Ostiense contains the highest concentration of nightclubs. In the summer most nightclubs close down, and nightlife relocates to the seaside and to 'villages' around the edge of town. Visitors from the UK will be surprised and maybe shocked at young people's night-time reliance on cars and scooters - and the cavalier attitude to drink-driving. Be prepared for venues surrounded by traffic chaos, which are hard to reach by public transport. Research your transport options; take taxi funds.

Some recommended Rome bars:

Bar del Fico: (Centro Storico) Tel: 00 39 668 65205.
Description: Formerly a neighbourhood coffee bar, now a street-side institution that gets so packed on summer nights you may think you�re queuing for a Roma game. There are few cooler places to order a long-glass drink and soak up the sun while watching the beauties pass by.

Jonathan's Angels (Centro Storico, Via della Fossa, 16) Tel: 00 39 6689 3426.
Description: Nothing to do with bikers or Charlie's but a cult spot all the same. Located in Centro Storico, you enter an extraordinary space decorated in all manner of colourful kitsch, with pop art and plastic furniture scattered around like it�s Warhol�s Factory. A large variety of beers and cocktails lubricate the atmosphere and before long you've made friend's with everyone around you. Check out the outlandish loos before you leave.

Zest - Es Hotel (Termini, Via F. Turati, 171) Tel: 39 06 444 841.
Description: Miami chic wings its way to Rome at the seventh-floor roof top bar of the ultra-sexy Es Hotel. With an interior of sleek ergonomic chairs, polished black surfaces and a clean-lined bar counter, it�s definitely got a touch of Ian Schrager, which you may or may not approve of.