Live music in Marrakech.

Top four are the destinations. Middle four are the working rotation. Bottom four are the lower-key Gnawa rooms and Gueliz wine lounges for a quieter night.

The most famous live-music dinner room in the city. Belly dancers from 10pm, live oud and jazz fusion afterwards. The food is Moroccan, the cocktails are pan-Mediterranean. The Comptoir Mojito is the standard order. Reservation essential. The upstairs lounge stays open after the show closes downstairs.

A converted theatre next to the Es Saadi resort. Stage shows from 11pm Wednesday through Sunday, acrobats and fire-dancers in the rotation. The crowd is half tourist, half well-dressed local. The Theatro Sour is the cocktail of record. Reservation required. Closes at 4am on weekends.

A converted Medina riad with a rooftop terrace looking across to the Koutoubia Mosque. Live oud and Gnawa from 8:30pm Thursday through Sunday. The Cafe Arabe Mule on the roof at sunset is one of the better cocktails in the old city. Italian menu in the courtyard below.

A rooftop bar near the Jemaa el-Fnaa with a DJ programme from 8pm and live percussion sets four nights a week. The Kabana Mojito is the easy pour. Reservation helps at sunset. The view across the old city is the strongest argument for showing up early.

A three-floor restaurant and bar in the Medina with live oud and tabla from 9pm Wednesday through Saturday. The top-floor rooftop is the right seat. The Salama Spritz is the standard. Closes at 11pm. The right early-evening dinner before moving to Comptoir for the after-show.

A small rooftop in the Mellah quarter with a Moroccan kitchen and Friday night Gnawa sessions. The L'Mida Sour is built on argan-infused gin. Twenty seats. Book ahead. The room reads like a private courtyard and the music starts after dinner at 9pm.

A Gueliz cocktail bar with live jazz on Thursdays and DJs the rest of the week. The Pointbar Negroni is the cocktail to anchor on. The crowd is half French expat, half visiting professional. Closed Mondays. Closes at 1am. Walk-in works on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

A dinner-show room in Hivernage with a saucy cabaret programme from 10pm. The Lotus Mojito is the standard. The food sits behind the show in priority. Reservation only. Closes at 2am most nights. The right second-stop after Comptoir if the group still has energy at midnight.

The rooftop bar on top of the Pestana CR7 Hotel with a DJ programme and live saxophone Friday and Saturday at 10pm. The Sky Spritz is the right call at sunset. The view across the Atlas Mountains is the reason to come. Open from 5pm, last call at 1am.

A 1925 colonial-era brasserie in Gueliz with a small house jazz band on Thursdays. The Grand Cafe Martini is the order at the bar. The kitchen runs late. The wraparound terrace fills first. The right pre-dinner cocktail spot before walking through to the Theatre du Maroc area.

A garden restaurant on the Ourika road south of town with live percussion from 9pm and a DJ from 11pm. The Zin Mojito is the standard. The crowd skews 25 to 40 and the room runs until 3am Friday and Saturday. Cab from town is around 80 dirham. Reservation strongly recommended.

A 16th-century Medina riad turned literary cafe with Gnawa music on Friday nights and oud sessions on Sunday afternoons. There is no alcohol on the menu but the room is the reason to come. Mint tea and Moroccan pastries. The right quiet afternoon between two louder nights.

555 Famous Club anchors Marrakech nightlife on Boulevard Mohammed VI with headline DJs, live shows, and VIP tables until 5am. Read our full guide first.

Montecristo stacks four venues on Rue Ibn Aicha: a restaurant, a nightly live bar, a sky lounge, and a club. Our guide to Marrakech's busiest night out.