Sink a cocktail in chic avenue Louise or savour beer with the students around place Saint-Géry. There are over 450 varieties to choose from.

Just steps away from the Grand' Place, time bubbles like philosophical Goupil le Fol and 1920s' beer haven A la Mort Subite are not burst by too many tourists.

The drinks of choice in avenue Louise bars and clubs are champagne and cocktails and the dress code is designer.

Bars cluster around this studenty square. In summer, the terraces overflow with revellers.

A dressed-down hip crowd head for university district Ixelles for live music at Flagey (a broadcasting centre turned live-music venue). Nearby, the Matongé district dances to African beats.

A mixed crowd is welcome in Brussels' gay district, where Latino nightclubs, electro beats and Chez Maman's drag club glitters the night away.

Locals sip away the evenings at cocoon-like bars on this trendy street, where jazz café L'Archiduc hasn't changed much since the 1930s.

The international community find a home-from-home at Irish pubs and neutral bars.

The hippest restaurants, from Cospaia to Belga Queen, have bars to be seen at. Clubs warm up at around 12.30am and keep going until about 5am.

Eat waterzooi stew at Aux Armes de Bruxelles to Jacques Brel's haunting Ne Me Quitte Pas; dance on the tables at Le Corbeau to Technotronic's Pump Up The Jam; lounge to the arty ambience of Belgian jazz at L'Archiduc.