A café by day – notable for a devotion to good coffee and locally sourced food – busy but laid-back Adriano’s becomes a cocktail venue each evening, with the after-work crowd drawn by the prospect of freshly made daiquiris, mojitos and Moscow Mules.

You can't really go wrong with Lorenzini, with its music bar, cocktail bar and New York-style wine bar. It’s been a fixture on Bern’s drinking (and dining) scene for more than 40 years. As the name might suggest, it has a particularly good choice of Italian wines.

Set at the top of the swish Hotel Schweizerhof, this terraced bar offers a breathtaking panoramic view over the rooftops of the city. The drinks selection is good too, with cocktails and champagne on the menu. And if the weather’s nippy, the hotel also has a lobby lounge bar downstairs.

The Kulturhallen Dampfzentrale hosts a regular Saturday club night and is also is a cultural centre and live music venue, putting on a diverse range of shows by performers from different parts of the world. It’s set in a one-time fossil-fuel power plant from the early 1900s.

A medium-sized alternative venue with an eclectic programme of live music, club nights and other events. In terms of genres, you might encounter anything from electro punk to psychobilly.

Spinning house and R’n’B and attracting a fashion-conscious clientele, Le Ciel has been hosting glamorous club nights since its opening in 2010. International DJs occasionally appear, and there’s a large dance floor of more than 250 square metres.

A late baroque concert hall playing home to the Bern Symphony Orchestra, the Casino has hosted ensembles from around the world for more than a century. It still schedules regular performances, from classical to jazz, and the venue also has some strong restaurants. Casino Bern will reopen in September 2019.

Putting on alternative and experimental acts since 1987, this much-loved loft venue has earned its live music stripes several times over. Recent times have seen performances from a whole panoply of rock, electronica, ska and hip-hop acts. Check the on-site listings to see who’s in town.

In Marians Jazzroom, located at the Hotel Innere Enge, Bern has one of Switzerland's finest jazz clubs, attracting leading international performers of blues, jazz, gospel, R&B and soul. It's been staging live jazz for over 25 years.