Pijalnia Wódki i Piwa on Długi Targ in Gdańsk's Main Town is the PRL-era nostalgia bar with transistor radios on the shelves and communist posters on the walls, cheap shots and beer on tap until 05:00 on Saturday.
Tip: Entrance from ul. Kuśnierska around the side; shots and pickled-herring snacks from 7 PLN. Loud after 23:00 once the students arrive.
Address: ul. Długi Targ 35/38, 80-830 Gdańsk
Café Lamus in Gdańsk's Old Town is the 1970s-throwback dive on ul. Lawendowa with heavy floral wallpaper, scavenged sofas and a bottled Polish craft beer list that anchors the city's hipster bar scene.
Tip: Entrance is from ul. Straganiarska around the side; deckchairs outside in summer. Bottled craft beers 13-22 PLN, occasional live jazz Thursdays.
Pro'Rock Pub in Gdańsk's Oliwa is the rock-and-metal dive at Plac Dworcowy beside the Oliwa train station, the reopened RockOut with 70 bottled craft beers, six taps and rock-and-roll karaoke into the early hours.
Tip: Six rotating taps from Polish craft brewers; karaoke runs from 21:00 most nights, outdoor BBQs in summer. Pints from 14 PLN.
B90 in Gdańsk's Stocznia is the 1,700m² concert club inside the former Gdańsk Shipyard, the largest live venue in the Tri-City and the home of the Mystic Festival weekend each June.
Tip: Door 19:00 on concert nights; ticket holders queue on ul. Elektryków from 18:30. The mezzanine is the easier sightline if you arrive late.
Bunkier in Gdańsk's Old Town is the five-floor club and art gallery inside an authentic German air-raid shelter on ul. Olejarna, with two concert halls, two bars and a programme that runs Wednesday to Saturday.
Tip: Wednesday is the calmer indie night; Friday and Saturday from 22:00 are the main floor's busiest stretch. Cloakroom is mandatory.
Sfinks700 in Sopot's North Park is the seaside electronic club opened 1990 as one of the first post-communist techno venues in Poland, with a beach-adjacent room on Aleja Mamuszki and a residents-and-bookings calendar.
Tip: Doors from 22:00 Friday and Saturday on event nights; tickets on goingapp.pl or eBilet. Walk the pier afterwards before the SKM back to Gdańsk.
Klub Atelier in Sopot's North Park is the beachfront café-club in the foyer of the Agnieszka Osiecka theatre, with sea-view terraces by day and oldschool disco floors on Friday and Saturday until 05:00.
Tip: Coffee and cake by day shift to wine and cocktails after 20:00; weekend disco nights kick off around 22:00. Outdoor sofas face the Molo.