Nightlife in Tours is a lot more promising than in other Loire towns, with a fairly impressive selection of nightclubs, bars and cabaret-cafés. You can pick up a free copy of the listings magazine   Tours Cultures , which gives day-by-day details of musical and cultural events for the entire summer, from the tourist office or the Maison des Associations Culturelles, 5 place Plumereau (tel 02.47.20.71.95).

Clubs worth visiting include Labo , 18 rue de la Longue-Échelle, off place du Grand-Marché (free admission, drink obligatory), a café-club open from 6pm to 4am with disco music on Friday and a gay night on Sunday, and L'Excalibur , in a vaulted cellar at 35 rue Briçonnet (daily 11pm-4am; admission Mon-Fri 60F/¬9.15, Sat & Sun 70F/¬10.67), which caters for smart young clubbers. Cafés with shows include the popular Petit Faucheaux , 23 rue des Cerisiers, best known for jazz but also featuring comedians, darts, cards and chess at any time, and Le Vieux Mûrier on place Plumereau, with live music and an amazing decor of diverse objects. For gigs , try Le Bateau Ivre , 146 rue Édouard-Vaillant (tel 02.47.44.77.22), to the south of the gare SNCF , where top British and American rap/reggae/hip-hop bands play (entry 50-100F/¬7.62-15.24), or Les 3 Orfèvres , 6 rue des Orfèvres (tel 02.47.64.02.73).