As in Buenos Aires, nightlife in Montevideo means drinks after 10pm and dancing after midnight. For earlier entertainment, ask at your hotel or call the Teatro Solís, Calle Buenos Aires 652 (tel. 02/1950-1856: www.teatrosolis.org.uy), the city's center for opera, theater, ballet, and symphonies. For up-to-date listings, try and get your hands on a copy of Guia del Ocio (www.guiadelocio.com.uy), which comes out every Friday and costs U$10. For hardcore clubbers, check out the website www.aromperlanoche.com.

Gamblers should head to the Plaza Victoria Casino, Plaza Independencia (tel. 02/902-0111), a fashionable venue with French roulette tables, blackjack, baccarat, slot machines, horse races, and bingo. It opens at 2pm and keeps going through most of the night. Mariachi, Gabriel Pereira 2964 (tel. 02/709-1600), is one of the city's top bars and dance clubs, with live bands or DJ music Wednesday to Sunday after 10pm. Café Misterio, Costa Rica 1700 (tel. 02/600-5999), is another popular bar. The hottest clubs going to print are W Lounge, Rambla Wilson, Parque Rodo (tel. 02/712-2671), and Almodó Bar, Rincón 626, Ciudad Vieja (tel. 02/916-6665),

Tango & Candombe -- Montevideo's best tango clubs are La Casa de Becho, Nueva York 1415 (tel. 02/400- 2717; Fri-Sat after 10:30pm), where composer Gerardo Mattos Rodríguez wrote the famous "La Cumparsita," and Cuareim, Zelmar Michelini 1079 (no phone; Wed and Fri-Sat after 9pm), which offers both tango and candombe, a lively dance indigenous to the area, with roots in early slave culture. This samba-style drum performance is a sight (and sound) to behold, especially if you wander the neighborhood of Barrio Sur on a Sunday evening, when all the locals spill out onto the street to practice. El Tartamudo Cafe, 8 de Octubre 2543 (tel. 02/480-4332), is one of the city's best-known small music venues, showcasing tango musicians as well as jazz and candombe performers. The tourist office can give you schedule information for Montevideo's other tango salons.

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.