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You’d be content if this was just a watering hole – wood panelling and a healthy tradition make this one of the best drinking spots in town. Things get even better on music nights when bands play blues and soul upstairs. Tuesday is a singer-songwriter night and hosts some of Dublin’s best talent. Comedy is on Thursdays.

If you tried to break for the border in this chain bar, you’d not get very far – on a Friday or Saturday night the crowds’ gravity is sure to hold you in. Even in a club this size there are still queues and often standing room only. But then this is still a top spot and considered by many the place in town to be.

This popular nightclub is located at the Burlington Hotel and attracts an older business crowd eager to unwind. The tourists from the Burlington add to the odd atmosphere, to make a club with many layers and cultures to appreciate.

A historic venue filled nightly with young Dubliners dressed to impress. “European Designer of the Year” Ron McCulloch planned the interior. The PoD’s VIP bar is one of the city’s most popular celebrity haunts. Features all-star DJs on a regular basis.

Not the place to chill out and have a pint of the black stuff, but nothing about Lillie’s Bordello is traditional. You need to be a trend-setter to get through the door and celebrities frequent the private, reserved suites. Commoners compete to be seen and good music ties it together.

This venue attracts the best alternative rock bands and homegrown talent to its stage. Cutting-edge DJs fill the floors during the regular club nights and, once a week, the Centre hosts a salsa night (beginners welcome).

A relaxed candlelit venue where the crowd comes for the cocktail bar and performances – everything from casino nights and salsa to the “next big thing”.

A Temple Bar institution, at the Blooms Hotel. There’s a VIP lounge of some repute, great music and an interesting laser light system to add to the fun.

During the day, this bar is the smart, yet fashionable Globe, serving soups and sandwiches. Things change at 11pm. Rí-Rá opens as a thronging nightclub with a mixed gay/straight crowd.

It looks like your average pub, but walk through the bar to the back and you’ll find one of Dublin’s most happening venues.