The days of hopping on a train to Brussels are long gone, as the student bar scene has evolved into late-night clubbing, and floor-shows provide entertainment for those who'd rather sit down and watch.

When the bars close at 2am, artists, students and after-work waiters cross the cobbles from Inter Railers' hangouts and café-bars to late-night haunts. The tiny vaulted cellar of La Suite on place Louise de Bettignies is the favourite antidote to the edge-of-town mega-discos. La Petite Cave is a shrine to chanson with the music of Piaf and Brel on the menu, while the camp spectacle Le Prestige Palace cabaret reins in the heart of town.

The streets around the railway stations have become party central. Since the once suburban underground Aeronef relocated to a tower block in the Euralille business complex, hosting gigs and theme nights, subculture has become mainstream.

Around the junction of rue Solférino (or Solfé as it's known locally), and rue Masséna near the old market hall, bars change names and clientele on a whim. A youthful stayer, Le Queen, with its speciality triple-shots of spirits, has comfy chairs and a retro music policy to lure even the over 30s to a predominantly 20s hangout.

Head across town to Moulins and Wazemmes for some of the edgier clubs in town. Find a mix of gay and straight bars along rue Barthélémy Delespaul. In the pedestrian shopping streets by République, the Baignoire bar with its showbiz staircase is a favourite post-cinema venue on place de Béthune.

Bars open until midnight or 2am, and clubs from around 11pm till dawn. Most clubs are closed on Monday and Tuesday. Pre/mid/post-club munchies can be satisfied at the Chicorée restaurant on place Rihour, open daily until sunrise.

Listen to Le Chaland Qui Passe by Lys Gauty as you stroll down the banks of the Deule by the Citadelle; head for the clubs in working-class districts to the strains of the socialist anthem Internationale (composed in Lille in 1888). Shop for chocolates to Les Bonbons by Jacques Brel.