Nightlife is just life in Madrid.Staying out late is just the way it is, however old you are. If you just go out for dinner and a drink or two afterwards you’ll be lucky to get to bed before 2am. Any time before that is regarded as an early night. While tight regulations mean a lot of bars and clubs close between 2am and 3.30am, there are plenty more that don’t get going till after 3am. Getting home in daylight is the norm rather than the exception. In summer, you just move from terraza to terraza. By day these might be innocent-looking pavement cafés, but as darkness falls they turn into outdoor clubs. Knowing which strip of pavement has been deemed the cool place to hang out at any given time is a bit hard to keep up with, but there are usually a few in vogue along the Paseo de la Castellana. Key nightlife areas include Plaza Santa Ana, La Latina, and Malasaña. Chueca is the main gay area, though it is also very fashionable in general with a lot of mixed bars. After dinner, it’s unusual to drink wine, and a lot of bars and clubs don’t even stock it. Most people order beer, cocktails or mixed drinks, which are served long and strong. Always – and I cannot stress this enough – specify a brand when ordering spirits (particularly whisky) otherwise you might be given the rough cheap stuff which will give you a killer hangover...believe me.And don’t worry too much about what you’re wearing. It’s really not as important in Madrid as in other European capitals.