Nightlife

Once warm weather hits, all sorts of activities take place at the arena, including concerts and theater under the stars. The Office de Tourisme has a complete listing. For popular events such as football (soccer), bullfights, and rock concerts, you can contact the Bureau de Location des Arènes, 4 rue de la Violette (tel. 04-66-02-80-80). Tickets for higher-brow events, such as symphonic or chamber-music concerts, theater, and opera performances, are sold through Le Théâtre Municipal (Le Théâtre de Nîmes), 1 place de la Calade (tel. 04-66-36-65-10; www.theatredenimes.com).

Streets to explore on virtually any night of the week include place de la Maison Carrée and boulevard Victor-Hugo. From June to September, locals flock to the beach to patronize the shanty restaurants and bars. Bus no. 6 will take you to the Plage de la Corniches for nighttime partying.

If you like hanging out with students and soldiers, head to Café Le Napoléon, 46 bd. Victor-Hugo (tel. 04-66-67-20-23; www.le-napoleon.com). Popular with the intelligentsia is the Haddock Cafe, 13 rue de l'Agau (tel. 04-66-67-86-57; www.haddock-cafe.com), which books occasional rock concerts.

The premier jazz venue in Nîmes is Le Deep Lounge, 41 bis rue Emile-Jamais (tel. 04-66-28-11-74). Open nightly except Monday from 5:30pm until at least 2am, it offers a boozy, smoky, permissive environment where the live musicians derive from just about anywhere. Entrance is free.

Sexy, hip La Comédie, 28 rue Jean-Reboul (tel. 04-66-76-13-66), is the hands-down best for dancing and attracts a pretty crowd of youthful danceaholics. A little less flashy but a lot more fun, Lulu Club, 10 impasse de la Curaterie (tel. 04-66-36-28-20; www.lulu-club.com), is the gay and lesbian stronghold in Nîmes. Open Thursday to Saturday, it is a magnet for hip and straight folk as well. A youth-oriented contender is Le C-Cafe, 20 rue de l'Etoile (tel. 04-66-21-59-22). Open Thursday to Saturday at 11pm, the youthful clientele rocks and rolls to music from L.A. to London.