Nightclubs, discos and live pop music
Munich has a thriving nightclub and disco scene, though in this city where money and appearances are everything, the snooty attitudes of many clubs can be rather off-putting. Most places are open 10pm-4am and entrance is about DM10/¬5. During the summer there are free rock concerts by the lake in the Olympiapark, at the purpose-built stage known as the Theatron. There are also a few venues which have regular live music programmes throughout the year.

Crash , Ainmillerstr. 10, Schwabing. Heavy metal mecca and headbanger's delight.

Far Out , Neuturmstr. 5. Central venue where chart stuff, hip-hop and techno are the order of the evening.

Jackie O , Rosenkavalierplatz 12, Bogenhausen. Just about the strictest door policy in town, so unless you're loaded and look it, forget it.

Kaffee Giesing , Bergstr. 5, Untergiesing. Run by the singer Konstantin Wecker, and usually featuring small bands or solo artists.

Kunstpark-Ost , Grafinger Str. 6, Haidhausen. Though perennially under threat of closure, this mini-city of nightclubs, housed in a network of disused factories, is at the cutting edge of Munich's nightlife scene. All kinds of musical and social tastes are catered for.

Muffathalle , Zellstr. 4, Haidhausen. This converted waterworks is a major live music venue, often attracting well-known bands.

Nachtwerk , Landsberger Str. 185, Laim. One of the city's best and most affordable nightlife possibilities. They put on occasional indie gigs here too.

Parkcafé , Sophienstr. 7. Ranks among Munich's most popular nightclubs; also has a nice beer garden.

Sugar Shack , Herzogspitalstr. 6. Standard central disco, but fun nevertheless.

Jazz
Munich has a monthly jazz magazine called Münchener Jazz-Zeitung , available in music shops and jazz venues. The city is corporate headquarters of the avant-garde jazz record label ECM, and club dates are accordingly more exciting than the German norm, attracting many big names on tour. The following venues play predominantly jazz, but check programmes for the latest details.

Alabamahalle , Domagkstr. 33, Schwabing. As you'd expect, this plays predominantly Dixieland fare.

Feierwerk , Hansastr. 39, Sendling. Has jazz, blues or rock every evening from 9pm.

Jam , Rosenheimer Str. 4, Haidhausen. A good bet for solid, reliable jazz, though don't expect any musical surprises. During the daytime, it's a regular café.

Mister B's , Herzog-Heinrich-Str. 38. Small jazz club with live music from 9.30pm. Closed Mon.

Unterfahrt , Einsteinstr. 42, Haidhausen. Munich's modern-jazz venue. Big names and unknowns play here, and the music is nearly always excellent. Closed Mon.

Folk
Predictably, the Munich folk scene is dominated by Germany's two favourite foreign imports - Irish and Country and Western.

Max-Emanuel-Brauerei , Adalbertstr. 33, Schwabing. For much of the time this is a normal Gaststätte, but it has tango evenings on Tues, salon music on Wed & Fri, and Fifties records on Sun. Entrance is upwards of DM10/¬5.

Oklahoma , Schäftlarnstr. 156, Thalkirchen. Has live C&W Wed-Sun from 7pm.

Rattlesnake Saloon , Schneeglöckchenstr. 91, Moosach. There's either live C&W or blues every evening Thurs-Sun from 7pm.

Shamrock Irish Pub , Trautenwolfstr. 6, Schwabing. Live music, usually Irish folk, is played from 9pm each evening.

Shananigins , Ungererstr. 19, Schwabing. There are ceilidhs on Tuesdays, folk music or karaoke on other evenings.

Classical music
A number of resident orchestras and two opera houses cater to a very spoilt audience. The local radio orchestra, the Bayerisches-Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, is conducted by the American Lorin Maazel, who was lured here by what was probably the most lucrative contract ever offered to a conductor. For a quarter of a century, the Münchner Philharmoniker was directed by the Romanian Sergiu Celibidache, one of the great conductors of the century, a man who developed an aura by his stubborn refusal to make records. His death left a huge question mark over the orchestra's future status, which was resolved when another highly regarded American, James Levine, was secured as his successor. Yet another member of the conducting jet-set, the Indian Zubin Mehta, is musical director of a third full-sized body, the Bayerischer Staatsorchester, whose primary function is to play for the opera, which is managed by Britain's Sir Peter Jonas. A smaller ensemble, the Münchener Kammerorchester, has gained international standing for its interpretations of Baroque music and the Viennese classics. Among several distinguished choirs , Hanns-Martin Schneidt's Münchener-Bach-Chor has long been renowned for its performances, accompanied by the Münchener-Bach-Orchester, of Bach's church cantatas. Nothwithstanding the irony of their championship of such overtly Protestant music in this stoutly Catholic city, this choir and orchestra hold a week-long Bachfest over a week in late May or early June each year. Finally, the Münchener Opernfest , an opera festival which takes place from the middle of July to the beginning of August, has a very high reputation. Classical concerts are also held at Schloss Nymphenburg and in the courtyard of the Residenz at this time of year.

Advance tickets for concerts can be bought at the relevant box offices or commercial ticket shops, such as München Ticket in the tourist office in the Neues Rathaus (Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-4pm; tel 0 89/54 81 81 81, www.muenchenticket.de ).

Theatre
Munich has a host of theatres and cabaret venues, all of which are listed in the official programmes and the local press. Almost all productions are exclusively in German.

Cirkus-Krone-Bau , Marsstr. 43 (tel 0 89/55 81 66). Germany's only permanent circus tent, located close to the Hackerbrücke S-Bahn station.

Cuvilliéstheater (or Altes Residenztheater ), Residenzstr. 1; advance tickets from Max-Joseph-Platz 1 (tel 0 89/21 85 19 40, www.staatstheater.bayern.de/schauspiel ). Munich's star venue for drama, this Rococo building saw the premiere of Mozart's Idomeneo .

Deutsches Theater , Schwanthalerstr. 13 (tel 0 89/55 23 44 44, www.deutsches-theater.de ). Features both home-grown and imported musicals.

Münchner Kammerspiele , Maximilianstr. 26 (tel 0 89/2 33 37 00, www.muenchner-kammerspiele.de ). An excellent venue, offering a wide variety of productions.

Münchner Lach- und Schiessgesellschaft , corner of Haimhauser Strasse and Ursulastrasse (tel 0 89/39 19 97). The best known of a host of cabaret venues in the city.

Münchner Marionettentheater , Blumenstr. 32 (tel 0 89/26 57 12). A puppet theatre - mainly for kids, though once a week the marionettes are put to more serious use in the performance of an opera or drama classic.

Münchner Theater für Kinder , Dachauer Str. 46 (tel 0 89/59 54 54). Speciality children's venue.

Münchner Volkstheater , Am Stiglmaierplatz (tel 0 89/5 23 46 55, www.muenchner-volkstheater.de ). Plays predominantly modern drama. Christian Stückl, who won international acclaim for his direction of the Oberammergau Passion Play in 1990 and 2000, has recently assumed artistic control here.

Residenztheater , Max-Joseph-Platz 1 (tel 0 89/21 85 19 40, www.staatstheater.bayern.de/schauspiel ). Traditional dramatic fare in high-quality productions.

Schauburg am Elisabethplatz , Franz-Joseph-Str. 47 (tel 0 89/23 33 71 71). Youth theatre venue.

Theater im Marstall , Marstallplatz; advance tickets from Max-Joseph-Platz 1 (tel 0 89/21 85 19 40, www.staatstheater.bayern.de/schauspiel ). An offshoot of the Residenztheater, specializing in experimental drama.