The cafés around the Grande-Place and place Rihour are always buzzing with life. Rue de Paris has lots of tacky, loud, crushed bars raging at all hours, while rue Basse and nearby place Louise-de-Bettignies have some trendier spots. Bars are thick on the ground in rues Solférino and Masséna, and attract a young crowd. Art and music events are always worth checking up on - there's a particularly lively jazz scene. Pick up a copy of the free weekly listings magazine , Sortir , from the tourist office, or look in the local paper, La Voix du Nord .

 

L'Angle Saxo , 36 rue d'Angleterre (tel 03.20.06.15.06). Relaxed bar with good jazz - and you can hear yourself speak. Drinks are pricier than the pubs. Daily 9pm-2am, with concerts generally Thurs-Sun.

Bâteau Ivre , 41 rue Lepelletier. Loud music ranging from house to soul in a pleasant street in the old quarter. Mainly young crowd. Mon-Fri 3pm-2am, Sat 11am-2am.

Café au Bureau , rue de Béthune. Done out with plenty of brass and dark woodwork, and offering a hundred kinds of beer. Tables outside are crowded with young things watching the parade.

Les Deux Zèbres , 57 rue Basse. Groovy stripy bar, with an intimate atmosphere, playing Eighties music. Daily 6pm-2am.

Father Moustache , 19 rue Masséna. In a street lined with bars, this is as good a place as any to join a mainly student crowd. Daily 9pm-2am.

L'Imaginaire , place Louise-de-Bettignies, next door to the Hôtel Treille . Arty young bar with paintings adorning the walls. Mon-Sat 10pm-2am.

Les Trois Brasseurs , 22 place de la Gare. Dark, smoke-stained dining stalls surround copper cauldrons in this genuine brasserie that brews its own beer. Food is also served but it's the beer that's the main attraction.