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ABC
A beautiful creature of the clubbing world, ABC has gorgeous bars, punters who scrub up pretty darn good and a varied music selection. It attracts heaps of students and is a good all-round venue. Indie lovers should check out Thursday nights.
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Aragon Bar
A traditional bar located in this trendy part of town, with changing guest ales and board games behind the bar for those lazy afternoons. There's also a decent wine selection.
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Arches
A one-stop culture/entertainment fix, this place doubles as a theatre showing contemporary, avant-garde productions and there's also a club. The hotel-like entrance belies the deep interior, which make you feel as though you've discovered Hades' bohemian underworld. The crowd is mixed - hiking boots are as welcome as Versace.
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Art School
An impressive venue in the Glasgow School of Art (would CRM have approved?), this is where the style-cats of the student world hang out in force. It's a welcoming place and the dance nights are legendary. Cheap booze and a good selection of DJs rounds off the happy picture.
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Artà
Very much a beloved destination, this extraordinary hacienda-style place has to be seen to be believed. As its door slides open, Artá's opulent, cavernous candle-lit interior is exposed. Floor-to-ceiling velvet, red curtains reveal a staircase to the tapas bar and restaurant above in a show of decadence that the Romans would have appreciated. This mock baroque-cum-Mediterranean showpiece has a relaxed, chilled vibe and a mixed crowd. Get a woowoo cocktail into ya.
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Babbity Bowster
Babbity Bowster has a Continental feel and is perfect for a quiet daytime drink, particularly in the adjoining beer garden. There's also accommodation here. The interior has a classy vibe, with a suit crowd to match on weekday evenings. There's music on Saturday night, usually of the folky-fiddler variety.
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Bar 10
A tiny city treasure that will cause the canny Glasgow drinker to give you a knowing glance if you mention its name. As laid-back as you could ask in a hip city bar, the friendly, tuned-in staff complete the happy picture. It transforms from a quiet daytime bar to a happening weekend pub on Friday and Saturday nights.
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Blackfriars
Merchant City's most relaxed and atmospheric pub, Blackfriars' friendly staff and chilled-out house make it special. Importantly, you don't have to ask - it's a cask. There's a seating area with large windows that are great for people-watching.
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Brel
A popular watering hole on Ashton Lane, Brel's full to the brim with fancy Belgian beers and a mainly student clientele who keep the vibe down to earth and informal. There's a conservatory out the back so you can pretend you're sitting outside when it's raining and when the sun does peek through there's a beer garden, and tables on the lane out front.
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Cathouse
Don the ghostly war paint, dust off the steel caps and rejoin your Goth brethren at the three-level Cathouse, Glasgow's top indie and alternative venue. A recent makeover hasn't changed the make-up of the punters. There are two dance floors: upstairs is pretty intense with lots of metal and hard rock, downstairs is a little less scary if you're not keen on moshing.
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Corinthian
A breathtaking domed ceiling and majestic chandeliers make Corinthian an awesome venue. Originally a bank and later Glasgow's High Court, this regal building also houses a plush club downstairs in old court cells, which pumps out funk and club classics on Saturday nights. The late-night piano bar, restaurant and 'Lite Bar' are open seven days. Dress code is smart-casual, but don't wear your best shirt as cheap cocktails flow all week.
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Drum & Monkey
Jazz fans can get their fix on Sunday afternoon; the rest of the week jazz records accompany the dark wood and marble columns of this attractive drinking emporium, peppered with church pews and leather lounge chairs. Its cosy and relaxing vibe makes you want to curl up in an armchair with a pint for the afternoon.
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Firewater
A large venue constantly mobbed, Firewater is a good honest servant of Sauchiehall St. It's always lively and there are usually some pretty good bands plying their trade. Huge American pool tables, drink offers and club passes means it's a good place to get connected.
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Horse Shoe
This is a legendary city pub and popular meeting place dating from the late 19th century and remaining largely unchanged. It has the longest continuous bar in the UK, but its main attraction is what's served over it - real ale and good grub. Upstairs in the lounge are the best value three-course lunches in town.
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Jinty McGuinty's
This is a popular Irish theme pub with unusual booth seating and a literary hall of fame. There's also a spacious and popular beer garden that often spills into secluded Ashton Lane in summer. Their Guinness is brewed in Ireland.
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King Tut's Wah Wah Hut
One of the city's premier live-music pub venues, the excellent King Tut's Wah Wah Hut hosts bands every night of the week. Oasis were signed after playing here.
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Mojama
Very retro and very futuristic at the same time, it's worth popping your head into this Jetsons -like place to curl up nursing a drink in the blood-red interior. On Monday it's wannabee DJs who spin their own tracks.
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Moskito
A classic Bath St basement bar, Moskito is just the place to kick back and get boozed up. Let the inhouse DJs mellow you out with their deep beats and electronica. Grab the pool table if all this lying about drinking is getting too much.
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Nice 'n' Sleazy
Close to the Glasgow School of Art, students come here to discuss primers, Duchamp and Nietzsche over some of Glasgow's cheapest drinks. With 1970s retro decor, a relaxed atmosphere and great menu for under a fiver, it's a top spot to kick back and relish the tunes of the city's freshest live music.
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Oran Mor Brasserie & Conservatory
Now some may be a little uncomfortable with the thought of drinking in a church. But we say - the lord giveth. Praise be and let's give thanks - a converted church and an almighty one at that is now a bar, eating venue and club venue. The bar feels like it's been here for years - all wood and thick, exposed stone giving it warmth and a celestial air. There's an excellent array of whiskies. The only thing missing is holy water on your way in.
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Pivo Pivo
A cavernous downstairs beer hall with beers aplenty - 100 from 32 different countries to be exact. Add to that an impressive array of vodka and schnapps, and it may be a while before you see daylight. Buy any two drinks between and Monday to Thursday and get a free pizza - bargain.
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Scotia
Drinks have been poured down throats at Scotia, Glasgow's oldest pub, since 1792. And while the last good airing feels like it happened back in the mid-1850s, Scotia's cheery charm outweighs the grungy atmosphere.
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Sub Club
Offering up hardcore beats (not for those with sensitive hearing) to a student crowd, Sub Club, with its claustrophobic, last-one-in vibe, is not for those faint of heart. This is serious clubbing and it's all about your moves and the odd head-case on the dance floor.
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The Butterfly & the Pig
A breath of fresh air along trendy Bath St, the piggery is a little offbeat, a little zany and makes you feel comfortable as soon as you plunge into its basement depths. The decor is an eclectic bunch with a retro feel and this adds to its familiarity. You get the feeling that servicing this place regularly would be rewarded with your favourite pint being poured just as you enter the doorway.
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Tramway
This theatre and exhibition space attracts cutting-edge theatrical groups, the visual and performing arts, and a varied range of artistic exhibitions.
