Klub Żak in Gdańsk's Wrzeszcz is the 1957-founded cultural club whose Suwnicowa Hall holds 200 seated or 600 standing, the year-round jazz room that anchors the Jazz Jantar festival each spring and autumn.
Tip: Tickets 60-150 PLN on the venue site; Jazz Jantar runs five days in late March and late October. Arrive 18:30 for the unreserved standing rail.
Address: Aleja Grunwaldzka 195/197, 80-266 Gdańsk
Stary Maneż in Gdańsk's Wrzeszcz Garnizon is the 1,500-capacity former cavalry riding hall turned concert venue, 1,700m² under one roof, booking touring indie, jazz, pop and electronic acts year-round.
Tip: Doors 19:00 on most show nights; the standing pit fills first, the balcony tier opens with the headliner. Trams 6 and 12 stop outside.
Stary Maneż in Gdańsk's Wrzeszcz Garnizon is the 1,500-capacity former cavalry riding hall turned concert venue, 1,700m² under one roof, booking touring indie, jazz, pop and electronic acts year-round.
Tip: Doors 19:00 on most show nights; the standing pit fills first, the balcony tier opens with the headliner. Trams 6 and 12 stop outside.
Protokultura in Gdańsk's Stocznia is the three-stage alternative culture club on ul. Niterów, with an indoor concert room and the 700m² walled Patio outside stage that runs underground electronics, metal and hip-hop.
Tip: Patio operates from May to September; indoor stage runs year-round. Tickets on goingapp.pl, usually 30-60 PLN.
Hard Rock Cafe Gdańsk on Długi Targ is the two-storey rock memorabilia bar between the Green Gate and the Neptune Fountain, with a 100-cover outdoor patio and a small stage that books tribute and cover acts most weekends.
Tip: Live music nights tend to run Friday and Saturday from 21:00; the upstairs balcony is the calmer table when downstairs fills. Reserve via Facebook.
SASSY Rooftop in Gdańsk's Granary Island is the eighth-floor cocktail bar and club above the Nikka Asian restaurant on ul. Chmielna, with a glass-walled terrace looking across the Motława to the Main Town skyline.
Tip: Reserve a terrace table on besassy.pl for sunset; the floor opens 22:00 Friday and Saturday. Cocktails 38-58 PLN.
INK Above in Gdańsk's Granary Island is the top-floor cocktail bar of the Puro hotel on ul. Stągiewna, with the rooftop terrace looking straight at the Crane and the Mariacka spire across the Motława.
Tip: Bar opens 17:00 daily; the corner seats facing the Crane book first. Author cocktails 38-52 PLN, non-alcoholic 25-32 PLN.
High 5 in Gdańsk's Targ Rybny is the fifth-floor open-air terrace of the Hilton, the rooftop pool bar that looks over the Motława, the Crane and the AmberSky Ferris Wheel from one of the city's only true rooftops.
Tip: Lift to floor 5 from the Hilton lobby; the western edge catches sunset over the Old Town. Cocktails 39-69 PLN, oysters by the half-dozen.