Most French nightclubbers begin their evenings on the town by heading to the boulevard Trudaine, a thoroughfare in the town center that's very close to the Eglise Notre-Dame-du-Port. It's lined with at least 20 bars and restaurants catering to the young and the restless.

B. Box, La Pardieu (tel. 04-73-28-59-74; www.bboxclub.com), is the biggest nightclub in Clermont. Expect mass consumption of alcohol and a bevy of attractive people. Cover ranges from 10€ to 15€ and includes your first drink. It's open from 11pm to 5am Thursday to Saturday only. Two other dance clubs are Le Frog, 12 rue des Petits Gras (tel. 04-73-37-99-73), and Le Symbol, 11 rue de Serbie (tel. 04-73-31-01-01; www.lesymbol.com). Both attract a crowd over 25, including lots of single, divorced, and nominally married people looking for a dance and perhaps a fling. A popular gay bar is the Bar d'O, place de la Victoire (tel. 04-73-91-43-14), which tends to be busy during the late afternoon and early evening (4-9:30 or 10:30pm); it's open Monday to Saturday 7:30am to 1am. After that, but only Wednesday to Saturday after 10pm, gay men and, to a lesser extent, women, head for L'Enigme, 32 rue Fontgieve (tel. 04-73-31-07-63; www.l-enigme.com), the town's (and the region's) busiest and most animated gay disco. Entrance ranges from free to 10€, depending on the night of the week, and the dancing usually continues until at least 4am.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.