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Katowice Nightlife

Katowice’s nightlife is improving steadily, with more and more bars and clubs opening that hold themselves to a higher creative standard. While there was a time when a Saturday night on the town felt like creeping quietly through a cemetery, that has all changed in a hurry with the emergence of ul. Mariacka (D-3/4) as the city’s nightlife headquarters. A pedestrianised three-block stretch that was once all strip clubs and shady gay saunas (ok, those are still there), the city has put a lot of energy into cleaning it up and turning it into the high street it should be. Despite some dreadful urban design decisions including ugly, uncomfortable benches and some imbecilic sculpture art (if we can even call it that), the city is finally seeing results with a plethora of restaurantscafes, cocktail bars and clubs moving in to give the city centre some buzz. In summer, Mariacka is full of outdoor seating and flooded with people, but there are plenty of other hedonist hideouts to discover elsewhere with the help of this guide. The venues we list below are located throughout the Silesian urban conglomeration, with the name of the town added to the end of the address after a comma (with a map reference if applicable) if it is not in Katowice proper; districts of Katowice are shown in brackets. The opening hours we list are flexible; basically if people are drinking, the barman is pouring. Below is a list of recommendations depending on what you're looking for.

ELITE 
Katowice isn’t exactly the place to take your twenty-something arm trophy for a romantic weekend, but you can probably pick one up while you’re here. To that end try the smart Archibar, sophisticated Cocktail Bar, sexy
Oui Music Club or taxi out to Chorzów’s catty Czekolada or Sosnowiec’s stunning Kashmir. Early evening recs go to the always classy Monopol (see Cafes) and sunset views from the top of Altus Tower in Sky Bar.


LADS 
Foreign funboys can mix with the locals in the context of their own culture in the likes of Longman and Spencer, before drinking enough Guinness to lurk across the lively dancefloors of City Pub (more Guinness!), Genesis or
LemoniadaBierhalle microbrewery is also ideal for team piss-ups.


STUDENTS 
Not the most discerning demographic, students will go anywhere there’s fun music and cheap drinks, namely
Klub PomarańczaCarpe Diem and Cotton Club; those with more intent to impress will try LemoniadaCity PubGenesis or Trendy Club.

COUPLES 
Couples looking to spend a bit of face time should begin with wine and tapas in Siesta (see Latin American restaurants) or ruby their lips in Chorzów’s Manana (see International Restaurants), before retreating to the cosy cushions of Fanaberia (see Cafes) or a candlelit corner of Bellmer Café.

ALTERNATIVE 
Katowice has a fair number of cult venues with the hard-living Śruba i Przyjaciele, careless Gugalander, sepia-spirited Kredens and artsy-DIY Kato being among the best offbeat boozers in the city. Leatherheads and rockers will flock to Café Zaszyta and Kultowa, while those with more elevated musical tastes will find few finer clubs than Hipnoza, whether there’s a live concert on or not.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT