[wesleychen]

Are you saying that bars in the UK are quiet? That sounds terrible if true, but I find it hard to believe.

[ehnto]

Terrible? It's amazing. Often warm and welcoming, a murmur of conversation and you're not having to raise your voice to speak to your friends or family. You don't go to the quiet ones for a raging night out, but for catchups with friends or a dinner with family. Really it's a delight.

[andybak]

That's a particular type of pub and one that is often hard to find in a town center.

[Zizizizz]

Many pubs don't play music or if they do it's very quiet and I don't notice. They are normally loud enough with the sound of conversation

[condortg]

That's probably true of pubs, but if you want to go somewhere with a good cocktail or whisky selection, for example, it's very hard to find somewhere with low volume music.

[pmyteh]

We have both kinds, for different occasions and audiences. Many pubs have no music, or quiet background, and are decent places for conversation. Most bars have pretty loud music as part of the atmosphere. There's a relatively fuzzy line at the loud and late opening end between bars and clubs, for which music and dancing is the whole point.

[SideburnsOfDoom]

"in the UK" is a little broad.

Bars in the city of of London, in the hours after work, are far from quiet.

A suburban or village pub may be different. You get to know which one in your local area suits your needs. e.g. I could point you to a local pub with craft beer and a quiet cosy corner, and suggest to avoid the one with the loud sports TV always on.

In the actual City area, with the tall buildings, the quiet kind will be nearly impossible to find at 6pm on a Friday.

[jwarren]

That's absolutely not the case for the most part, depending on the bar and the time. Go out to a city centre on an evening, especially Friday or Saturday. Most bars and pubs will be busy, noisy, and definitely playing music.

There are absolutely quieter pubs available, but you need to know where to go.

[reidrac]

Avoid karaoke night (really, unless you're certain age and want to sing), and generally sport pubs.

Good traditiona oubsl, even the family friendly, are usually quiet.