Santiago Nightlife

You are never short of bar options in Bellavista, but one of the most welcoming options is Bar Dos Gardenias, which has regular salsa nights. It opened in 2004 (and named after the Buena Vista Social Club number) and has regular live music. It's open until at least 0130 from Monday to Saturday, and closed Sunday. It serves bar snacks such as pizzas, and a charcuterie selection.

Perhaps the biggest magnet for overseas visitors is Flannery's Irish Geo Pub, in the financial district of Las Condes, where sports coverage and proper pints of Guinness draw large crowds. It's open until late everyday and serves typical Irish bar snacks alongside more international cuisine. St Patricks Day is, obviously, huge, but it also throws itself into any other festivity with gusto.

For the most atmospheric tipple in Santiago, head to the central La Piojera, a traditional beer hall-style drinking den, where carousing and high spirits flow at most hours. Behind an unassuming entrance is an even more unassuming bar, but one brimming with beer, folklore music and good times. It's a Santiago institution and an unmissable place.

Probably the coolest place in Santiago and one that's suitably understated, with exposed brick walls and no sign outside. There's something on almost every night of the week at this Providencia venue. It only opened in 2008 and was started as a restaurant, but now its best known for its live music, cocktails and DJ roster. It also hosts artists and avant-garde evenings.

One club that is continues to remain popular is Blondie, in Barrio Brasil, an indie and alternative haunt for many a year. Every week there's an indie party while weekends are often reserved for goth or guilty pleasure type nights. There's a good programme of live music too that has included Franz Ferdinand and The Human League in the past.

Subterraneo is a well-heeled club in Providencia featuring some reasonable DJs. It has a fascinating range of events showing some of the most cutting edge acts in Latin America. It's a big industrial space – perfect for the kind of acts who play there. Visit the website for what's on listings.

Santiago has a thriving live music scene, running the gamut of sounds from stadium rock to more intimate Latin American bolero. Most big acts perform at the Estadio Nacional (National Stadium). Acts such as Muse, Madonna and Lady Gaga have seen crowds of 40,000 singing along. There are also classical music events too.

For more than 50 years, La Chiminea has been loved as an atmospheric venue tucked down a quiet alley. It has a small stage with quality live acts most nights, most often folklore music, but also hosts touring musicians from Argentina and farther afield. It's also a place to sit down and eat before the show and there's a good selection of beers too.

Since 1943, jazz fans have made the pilgrimage to the Santiago Jazz Club in Ñuñoa. Over the years it has seen Herbie Hancock, Louis Armstrong and Billy Cobham tread its boards. Depending on the night, you'll be able to hear all kinds of jazz from ragtime to free jazz and many concerts open with a jam session.