Vie nocturne  :  Les incontournables

No matter your taste in evening activities, London can accommodate. Quiet drinks with friends, an animated round of trivia, an intimate hotel bar, or a cavernous club flooded with sound and rhythm – they’re all easily attainable. Friendly pubs, the lifeblood of British sociability, pepper every neighborhood, readily serving pints and good cheer. If dancing issues its call, the West End (and especially Soho) makes a good stomping ground. Big names on the club-going front include the Ministry of Sound, Fabric, and Heaven, all of which can easily help you find your groove. For upscale drinks, head to Notting Hill, whose stylish bars and pubs provide the sought-after trendiness that travelers demand. Hotel bars also promise a refined setting in which to pass an evening, as evidenced by the old-school elegance of the Library Bar at The Lanesborough and the Sanderson Hotel’s Long Bar, a contemporary haunt. In fact, most of London’s best neighborhoods tout plenty of places that’ll give you that authentic, big-city nightlife experience. And if you’re ever in doubt, just keep an eye out for the crowds. Popularity’s hard to hide.