Your best bet here is to have a local friend; failing that, try asking someone at your hotel. The listings in the weekly Athinorama (Greek), or publications such as the English language Athens News, the Kathimerini insert in the Herald Tribune, and hotel hand-outs such as Athens best of and Welcome to Athens can be very helpful. If you ask a taxi driver, he's likely to take you to either his cousin George's joint or the place that gives him drinks for bringing you.

Wherever you go, you're likely to face a cover charge of at least 15€. Thereafter, each drink will probably cost -- ouch! -- between 10€ and 20€. Many clubs plop down a bottle on your table that's labeled as, but doesn't necessarily contain, Johnny Walker Red or Black, and then try very hard to charge you at least 100€ whether you drink it or not. It's best to go to these clubs with someone trustworthy who knows the scene.

Polis, 7 Pezmatzoglou (tel. 210/324-9587-8), a short ride from Syntagma Square, is usually open from mid-morning to well after midnight, offering up everything from recorded classical to live jazz and pop (both Greek and American). Since it's open most of the day, Polis draws regulars who hang out to read the newspaper, write letters -- and, of course, talk on cellphones. Polis serves coffee, drinks, and snacks, but not full meals.

Be especially wary of heading out of the city to the places that spring up each summer on the airport road; these spots are usually overpriced and often unsavory. That said, the Asteria Club (tel. 210/894-4558) and the Bio-Bio Club (tel. 210/894-1300) in Glyfada have been popular of late, along with Riba's (tel. 210/965-5555) in Varkiza and Gefira (tel. 210/940-9221) at 26-28 Posidonos, Tzitzifies. Expect to pay at least 20€ for a couple of drinks after paying a cover of at least that much, and quite possibly a good deal more at all these live-music joints.

Traditional Music

Walk the streets of the Plaka on any night and you'll find plenty of tavernas offering pseudo-traditional live music. As noted, many are serious clip joints, where if you sit down and ask for a glass of water, you'll be charged 100€ for a bottle of scotch. At most of these places, there's a cover (usually at 10€). We've had good reports on Taverna Mostrou, 22 Mnissikleos (tel. 210/324-2441), which is large, old, and best known for traditional Greek music and dancing. Shows begin around 11pm and usually last until 2am. The cover of 30€ includes a fixed-menu supper. A la carte fare is available but expensive (as are drinks). Nearby, Palia Taverna Kritikou, 24 Mnissikleos (tel. 210/322-2809), is another lively open-air taverna with music and dancing.

Several appealing tavernas that usually offer low-key music include fashionable Daphne's, 4 Lysikratous (tel. 210/322-7971); Nefeli, 24 Panos (tel. 210/321-2475); Dioyenis, 4 Sellei (Shelley) (tel. 210/324-7933); Stamatopoulou, 26 Lissiou (tel. 210/322-8722); and longtime favorite Xinos, 4 Agelou Geronta (tel. 210/322-1065).

Pop Music

For Greek pop music, try Zoom, 37 Kidathineon, in the heart of the Plaka (tel. 210/322-5920). Performers, who are likely to have current hit albums, are showered with carnations here by adoring fans. The minimum order is 25€. Almost next door, Brettos, 41 Kidathineon (tel. 210/323-2110) plays some pop and some traditional music in a very charming old-fashioned bar. If you want to check out the local rock and blues scene along with small doses of metal, Athenian popsters play at Memphis, 5 Ventiri, near the Hilton east of Syntagma Square (tel. 210/722-4104); open Tuesday through Friday from 10:30pm to 2:30am.

Renbetika & Bousoukia

Those interested in authentic rembetika (music of the urban poor and dispossessed) and bouzoukia (traditional and pop music featuring the bouzouki, a kind of guitar, today almost always loudly amplified) should consult their hotel concierge, or the listings in Athinorama, the weekly Hellenic Times, or Kathimerini, the daily insert in the International Herald Tribune, to find out what's going on. Another good place to ask is at the shop of the Museum of Greek Popular Musical Instruments (see above, Museums). Rembetika performances usually don't start until nearly midnight, and though there's rarely a cover, drinks can cost as much as 20€. Keep in mind that many clubs close during the summer.

One of the more central places for rembetika is the Stoa Athanaton, 19 Sofokleous, in the Central Meat Market (tel. 210/321-4362), which serves good food and has live rembetika from 3 to 6pm and after midnight. It's closed Sunday. Taximi, 29 Isavron, Exarchia (tel. 210/363-9919), is consistently popular. Drinks cost 12€; it's closed Sundays and the months of July and August. Open Wednesday through Monday, Frangosyriani, 57 Arachovis, Exarchia (tel. 210/360-0693), specializes in the music of rembetika legend Markos Vamvakaris. The downscale, smoke-filled Rebetiki Istoria, in a neoclassical building at 181 Ippokratous (tel. 210/642-4967), features old-style rembetika, played to a mixed crowd of older regulars and younger students and intellectuals. The music usually starts at 11pm, but arrive earlier to get a seat. The legendary Maryo I Thessaloniki (Maryo from Thessaloniki), sometimes described as the Bessie Smith of Greece, sometimes sings rembetika at Perivoli t'Ouranou, 19 Lysikratous 19 (tel. 210/323-5517 or 210/322-2048), in Plaka. Expect to pay at least 10€ a drink in these places, most of which have a cover of at least 25€.

Jazz

A number of clubs and cafes specialize in jazz, but also offer everything from Indian sitar music to rock and punk. The very popular -- and very well-thought of -- Half Note Jazz Club, 17 Trivonianou, Mets (tel. 210/921-3310), has everything from medieval music to jazz nightly; performance times vary from 8 to 11pm and later. The Café Asante, 78 Damareos (tel. 210/756-0102), in Pangrati, has music most nights from 11pm. At the House of Art, Sahtouri and 4 Sari (tel. 210/321-7678), and Pinakothiki, 5 Ayias Theklas 5 (tel. 210/324-7741), both in newly fashionable Psirri, you can often hear jazz from 11pm. The Rodon Club, 24 Marni (tel. 210/523-6293), west of Omonia Square, features live jazz and pop many nights from 10pm. Expect to pay at least 10€ a drink in these places, most of which have a cover of at least 25€.

Dance Clubs & Discos

In the newly trendy Psirri district, Astron, 3 Taki (tel. 0977/469-356), describes itself as "freestyle" and has both canned and live music. The cover varies at this bar, which serves wicked shots of vodka and cointreau as well as a wide range of less lethal drinks. Astron practically bursts at the seams on Saturday nights. Hidden on the outskirts of the Plaka, Booze, 57 Kolokotroni, second floor (tel. 210/324-0944), blasts danceable rock to a hip student crowd. There's art on every wall, stage lights, and two bars. If it's disco you're craving, head east to Absolut, 23 Filellinon (no phone), Lava Bore, 25 Filellinon (tel. 210/324-5335), Q Base, 49 Evripidou, Omonia (tel. 210/321-8256), or R-Load, 161 Ermou (tel. 210/345-6187). If you feel a bit too old there, head north to Panepistimiou, where the Wild Rose, in the arcade at 10 Panepistimiou (tel. 210/364-2160), and Mercedes Rex, 48 Panepistimiou (tel. 210/361-4591), usually have varied programs. If you go to a place that plays recorded music, keep an ear out for I Learned to Live Free, a medley sung by 12 monks from a monastery in Central Greece. It climbed to the top of the charts in the summer of 2000; the monks' second CD, SOS, was a hit in 2002. Expect to pay at least 5€ per drink and at least that much for the cover charge at all these places.

Open in August -- A great many popular after-dark spots close in August, when much of Athens flees the summer heat to the country. Some places that stay open include a number of bars, cafes, ouzeries, and tavernas on the pedestrian Iraklion Walkway near the Theseion. Stavlos, the restaurant, bar, and disco popular with all ages, remains open on August weekends. Nearby, the Berlin Club, which caters to a young crowd and specializes in rock 'n' roll, is open most nights; Ambibagio has quite genuine Greek music. The sweet shop Aistisis has great views of the Acropolis and stays open as late as the nearby bars.