Must-see nightlife in Great Britain

  • Black Bull

    Northeast England

    A series of low-ceilinged rooms make this village-centre tavern dating from 1755 a cosy spot to hole up.

  • Timepiece

    Exeter

    A students' late-night favourite, with nights devoted to indie, electro, house and cheesy club classics.

  • Cock & Hoop

    Nottingham

    This genteel pub adjoins the boutique Lace Market Hotel.

  • OMG

    Plymouth

    DJs at Plymouth's two-storey gay club keep the dance floor filled with crowd-pleasing tunes.

  • A Bar

    Brighton & Hove

    Extremely hip bar and sauna in the Amsterdam Hotel; its sun terrace is a particular hit.

  • Hole in the Wall

    Torquay

    A heavily beamed Tardis-like boozer with a tiny terrace; an atmospheric spot for a pint.

  • Legends Club

    Brighton & Hove

    Located beneath the Legends Hotel this is arguably the best gay bar and club in town.

  • Rover's Return

    Isle of Man

    Unassuming pub specialising in the local brew, Bushy Ales.

  • Bar George

    Isle of Man

    An elegant option for a glass of wine.

  • Inside The Missing Bean cafe

    Missing Bean

    Oxford

    Usually packed with students hunched over their laptops, this busy central coffee bar was inspired by Australia’s independent cafe scene, and benefits…

  • 'The Trout' Pub.

    The Trout

    Oxford

    Three miles northwest along the Thames from Oxford – a wonderful walk– this old-world pub has been drawing drinkers for around four centuries, and was…

  • Exterior of the pub

    Eagle & Child

    Oxford

    Affectionately nicknamed the ‘Bird & Baby’, and a favourite haunt of JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis and their fellow Inklings, this quirky, rambling pub dates from…

  • Tabac

    Glasgow

    Chilled out vibes and cocktails bring a young crowd to this lane hideaway where the cosy, contemporary interior is complemented by DJs regularly spinning…

  • Sloans

    Glasgow

    One of the city's oldest pubs, Sloans' major draw is its Friday night ceilidh where kilted Glaswegians and visitors dance together to the beat of…

  • Lamb Tavern

    London

    At the central crossroads of Victorian iron-trussed Leadenhall Market, the Lamb Tavern is an old-school boozer owned by the Young's pub chain. There's an…

  • The Wee Pub

    Glasgow

    With a fair claim to being Scotland's smallest pub, there's also a strong case for the Wee Pub to be one of the country's most charming. As soon as you…

  • x-default

    Queen of Hoxton

    Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields

    This industrial-chic bar has a games room, basement and varied music nights (including oddballs such as hip-hop karaoke and ukulele jamming sessions), but…

  • Duck & Drake.

    Duck & Drake

    Leeds

    A down-at-heel boozer with a well-worn atmosphere, a pub piano, pork pie and mushy peas on the menu, and a dozen or so hand-pulled real ales to choose…

  • Flying Duck

    Glasgow

    Venture down the graffiti-splashed stairs to this bohemian basement space, where there's a sociable studenty vibe, vegan comfort food and regular bands or…

  • Gordon’s Wine Bar

    The West End

    Quite possibly the oldest wine bar in London (it opened in 1890), cavernous, candlelit and atmospheric Gordon’s is a victim of its own success – it's…

  • Bar Polski

    The West End

    With around 60 different Polish spirits on offer – from hazelnut- and wheat-flavoured vodkas to slivowica (plum brandy) – every devotee of strong liquor…

  • Baskerville Arms

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    If you need to escape the festival crush for a quiet glass in an unfussy rural pub, the Baskerville in Clyro, just a mile from Hay, fits the bill. Known…

  • Three Goats Heads

    Oxford

    For some of the best (and cheapest!) real ale in town, head to this old-fashioned split-level pub, which exclusively serves beer from Sam Smith’s brewery…

  • Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

    London

    Rebuilt in 1667 after the Great Fire, this is one of London’s most famous – and most crowded – pubs. It has strong literary connections, with Mark Twain,…

  • Oxford Wine Café

    Oxford

    This fresh, sophisticated wine bar is popular with laptop-toting students and the after-work crowd. Choose from a fantastic array of world-spanning wines…

  • King's Head

    Swansea, The Gower & Carmarthenshire

    The centre of Llangennith's social life is the 16th-century King's Head, which serves real ales – some courtesy of the Gower Brewery in nearby Oldwalls –…

  • Fitzroy Tavern

    The West End

    In the years before and after WWII, the Fitzroy was a hangout of literary giants like George Orwell and Dylan Thomas and the sculptor Jacob Epstein. Since…

  • Robin Hood

    Southeast Wales

    Almost a tourist attraction in its own right, the Robin Hood has been providing sustenance for weary travellers since medieval times. The door itself…

  • Duke

    The West End

    As welcome (and unexpected) as sunshine in November, this secluded little pub from 1938 in the heart of Bloomsbury is like a step back in time to the…

  • Egg LDN

    North London

    Egg has a superb layout with two vast exposed-concrete rooms, a wooden loft space, a garden and a roof terrace in an old Victorian warehouse. It…

  • Guinea

    The West End

    This quiet, friendly pub in London’s most exclusive neighbourhood has something of a gentlemen’s club feel about it, with shiny brass fittings, heavy…

  • Sky Pod

    London

    Prices at this decidedly average rooftop bar are a little on the steep side (spirits from £9.50; beers from £6), but it's got the best views in the…

  • Norman's Coach & Horses

    The West End

    Once famous as the unreconstructed boozer where Spectator columnist Jeffrey Bernard drank himself to death amid a regular clientele of soaks, writers,…

  • Hansom Lounge

    North London

    Named after the old hansom cabs (horse-drawn carriages) that once waited in this very place to pick up distinguished guests of the hotel, this elegant…

  • Booking Office Bar & Restaurant

    North London

    As the name suggests, in a former life this was the booking office of St Pancras train station. The space has been transformed into a show-stopping bar,…

  • John Snow

    The West End

    Named after the doctor who established that cholera was a waterborne disease (a replica of the culprit water pump, the key to his discovery, is across the…

  • The Grapes

    Oxford

    You’ve got to laugh! This gloriously authentic century-old pub stripped out its lovely old fittings a few years ago, reinvented itself as a hip modern bar…

  • Slouch Bar

    Glasgow

    There's a basement bar for all types on Bath St, with subversive hideaways under brokers' offices and a range of vibes. This one is low-lit and casual but…

  • George Street Social

    Oxford

    This sprawling central bar-restaurant offers a full food menu that centres on an all-day brunch, but the key to its essential identity lies in the latter…

  • Horse & Groom

    Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields

    Nicknamed the 'disco pub', this relaxed venue has two intimate spaces with hedonistic nights of house, funk, soul and, of course, disco. The site's had a…

    • placement: fullWidth
    • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
    • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
    • targeting:
      {
        "position": "superzone"
      }