After hours, Singapore practically transforms itself from an ever-so-efficient business hub to a buzzing network of bars and nightclubs. Busy executives loosen their ties and kick up their heels to the sound of jazz swingin 'at Harry's Bar along Boat Quay, and earnest students-by-day let down their hair for some laid-back bar-hopping at famous Mohammed Sultan Road.
Pubbing and clubbing at Singapore is a must if you want to feel the night-pulse of the city; experience the city only by day and you get just half of the picture. In the past decade, bars and nightclubs have blossomed in a big way in the Lion City. Long labeled as an over-protected nanny state where its well-behaved inhabitants just don't know how to have fun, partying the night away has become a norm.

Many of the bars and clubs have taken on a unique Singapore or Southeast Asian character; you'll find restored Chinese godowns pumping out rap or retro, trendy bars of glass-and-steel exteriors and buddhist temple-style interiors, historic drinking dens that will you bring back to the days of the Raj.

It's convenient to go bar- and club-hopping in Singapore, as the golden triangle of nightspots -- Zouk - Mohammed Sultan - Boat Quay -- are all a short taxi hop from each other. Be warned, on Friday and Saturday nights the clubbing herd comes out in full force and you may have to call for a taxi to avoid waiting in queue.

Drinks - including beer -- are fairly expensive in Singapore. Most bars have happy hours, where drinks are at a sharp discount or standard drinks like vodka tonic are on one-for-one offer. Wednesday night is Ladies Night at many bars, while some bars and clubs mark out one night of the week with a special dance or music theme. The bars serve finger food, some offer the usual pub grub like fish and chips or spring rolls, while the trendier ones have sushi or teppanyaki on their menus.

If you're hungry for a real meal after all that clubbing, there's usually an Indian roti prata stall, hawker centre or coffee shop open nearby. The Newton Circus hawker centre is alive all night, while many hotels have coffee houses that welcome the tired and hungry until the wee hours of the morning.