Whether you’re happiest in a wine bar, love dancing until dawn, or enjoy listening to live jams over a cocktail, you’ll find something to suit your tastes in Shanghai’s varied nightlife scene. As Shanghai has grown over the past couple of decades, nightlife hubs have come and gone.

Maoming Road in the Old French Concession was once a thrumming bar street, but the action moved to Tongren Road to make way for development. Now Tongren Road has been cleared for a new retail complex and many of the bars have been relocated to a bizarre, underground Vegas-style compound called Datong Mill on Julu Road.

Often, visitors to Shanghai don’t venture beyond the swanky hotel bars that overlook the city (and charge big money for the privilege), but there are some excellent, convivial, and innovative bars that don’t cost a fortune.

It’s possible to drink for free if you’re female in Shanghai, thanks to the proliferation of Ladies’ Nights at many clubs and bars. It’s also possible for both genders to get tipsy for cheap at “open bar” events, where the cost of a ticket entitles you to unlimited drinks all night.

The drinking and clubbing habits of local Shanghainese people tend to be different from the resident Western community. While KTV (karaoke) and dice games form the backbone of Chinese entertainment, expats tend to prefer cocktail lounges, terraces, and sports bars. That isn’t to say that the twain never meet; weekends at the big clubs see a good mix of locals and foreigners and the scenes are gradually converging.

Shanghai’s Best Nightlife

• Best Live Music: Yuyintang
• Best Location: Barbarossa
• Best People-Watching: Bar Rouge
• Most Low-Key: Constellation 3
• Most Glamorous: Glamour Bar
• Best Theme: Rhumerie Bounty
• Longest Parties: The Shelter
• Best Place to Club like a Local: G Plus
• Best Glass of Wine: Dr. Wine