The Nightlife in Barcelona

What makes Barcelona stand out?

Many of you would know that Barcelona is the capital and by far the largest city in Catalonia, Spain. It stands second in terms of population in the country. It is also recognized as the city of marvels pertaining to its art and architecture in and around. If you ask anyone what else it is known for, you will most probably hear “It’s nightlife”. Bars, nightclubs, clubs, beach parties, pub crawls, groovy music, etc. that makes it a heaven for the owls to hang out.

Prerequisite of having the best night of your life in Barcelona

It is always a better idea to get acquainted with the know-how of the city before you step in. Here are few points to note:

• Mostly the clubs are less crowded and you can enjoy your time till 6 in the morning.
• It is advisable to take a nap in late evening before you step out of your hotel to be energized for the rest of the night ahead
• Barcelona has got various options to commute within the city namely,
  • Metro which is operational till 2 am on Fridays except for Saturday when it is open for the entire night
  • In Buses, you also have night buses for your convenience
  • Cabs/taxis at nights are usually won’t cost you much, you can consider them as well
• Most striking feature of city streets is you can find local selling beer (which is illegal). So, if you run out of it, you can always get it wherever you want
• There is no specific dress code for you to follow, the city quite chilled out in that case. Ladies can go with shorts for the beach parties and clubs and men can go with T shirts. Think about going out wearing flip flops for beach. But, there are few clubs following the dress code, so it is better to check before you leave
• In general, Barcelona is considered to be a safe destination for tourists, but it is better to be vigilant of your surrounding and always use well lit streets

Nightclubs, Discos and Bars that will amaze you

If you are looking for a venue that provides you entertainment package of live music, DJ and dance floors. In order to have the best time, make sure to read the dress code specific to each night club else you might be denied an entry. We have brought you the complete guide to experience the nightlife with a district wise guide which will walk you through the best places to hang out with your friends or your partner. The list ranges from the heartily welcoming nightclubs to never forgettable special events such as night tour and boat parties.

You might feel that it lacks the vividness to the likes of London or New York but given that Barcelona is the second largest city of Spain, it undoubtedly gives you a reason to unveil the entertainment package it has to offer. You will undoubtedly find sufficient things to do after the sun goes to sleep.

So let us walk you through the nightlife of Barcelona, District by District

Las Ramblas – A starting point

Most probably you will start from Las Ramblas if you are a newbie and you will find narrow streets just like a medieval old town. It is considered to be the busiest place in the daytime while by the time sun sets down, the streets will be crowded with artists giving their performances. That’s time when tourist will start heading towards bars and clubs for drinks and dinner.

The Kiosk La Cazalla and Boulevard Culture Club are few of the renowned places in Las Ramblas. When move down the street, you will find a proper irish setting, Wild Rover Irish Pub, in Barcelona. When you are looking for a more classy spot, go to Le Pop Cocktail Bar. You will be amazed by the creative cocktails and sparkling aperitivos this bar has to offer. The bar claims to have the best bartenders in the town which is undoubtedly true.

Gothic Quarter – Keeping it Small and Vibey

Usually, Las Ramblas is considered to be a crossing point to the merrier side of the nightlife in Barcelona. To experience the genuine local spots for nightlife, Gothic Quarter is worth a visit. There is a stylish Milk bar which offers a prodigious cocktails to start with. There are likes of Irish and British pubs as well such as Flaherty´s Irish Pub where you can chat with the fellow tourists and play beer pong on Thursday or enjoy the ladies night on Friday.

There is a flamenco show in the district and it could be counted as an exciting way to jumpstart your night out. Check out Plaza Real where you would find famous clubs for night outs such as Sidecar, Jamboree, etc.   

El Born – A hidden jewel

If you are looking for even more sophisticated place to experience the night life, you must visit El Born. You will find yourself surrounded with cafes and bars and all sorts of trendy attires. Miramelindo is one of such places, you will find all sorts of cocktails, but cava cocktail is a specialty here.  Probe the backstreets further and you will find surprises such as Cat Bar in the hidden spots.

Raval District–For Stereophonics and electronic music lovers

Raval is on the other side of the Las Ramblas where the streets are full with kids playing cricket or football. At the heart of this district, there hip bars such as Ambar which is continually filled with kids, lovely couples and lost souls. For a more glamourous crowd there is a cocktail bar nearby Marmalade known for Pornstart Martini and you can try some flirting.

You can head to Nou de la Rambia to explore clubs such as Les Enfants (a Spanish disco), Moog (genuine electronic music/DJs) and Sala Apolo (small venue with Stereophonics and mid weeks parties like Nasty Mondays). For a more relaxed time, get into Shenanigans Irish Pub for enjoying live music (mostly on Friday and Saturday) and pints.

Hanging out with your friends in this authentic district can be even more fun when you visit Hipster’s Bar Crawl. This will go miles to show you how the real night looks like.   

Eixample – Flamboyant architecture with decent bars and clubs

Eixample, stands for ‘The Addition’, accounts for 80% of the rest of the city if we consider Raval, El Born and Gothic Quarter constituting Barcelona’s old town. It is believed that the district came into existence as a grand section of Catalan during the industrial revolution. This district portrays flamboyant architectural design and beautifully landscaped residential area. Looking for a decent bar or club requires more of awareness than fluke. It is a house of lavish bars and glamorous clubs in Barcelona. You can start with Belushi’s Bar which is located near Placa Catalunya (the city center) and could be considered a perfect way to start your night. You will get affordable drinks and amazing food with exquisite atmosphere.

You can tap on CocoVail Beer Hall to warm up for the night ahead. This beer house is somewhat old but mature spot with an American style boozer. Usually, the crowd gets better and sophisticated if you move diagonally. To have a riveting cocktail with gorgeous gathering slide to Slow Barcelona where you can have best vodka tonics. Be ready to dress a bit fancier in and around this area. Firebug, located in Arc de Triomf area, is a well reputed bar cum restaurant with scrumptious food options and an lip-smacking  brunch.

There is an interesting area around Casanova street which is now known as Gayxample pertaining to its cool bars, trendy restaurants and discos like Metro.

Gracia – Experience the Catalans crowd

This district has got the same vibe as Raval and in fact locally dominated. Here you can find the real Catalan culture and aspiring artists with less foreigners. There are some exquisite bars located in this area such as La Cigale (known for good mojitos, Tapas and Cocktails) and La Fourmi (a great neighborhood spot with very good food and service). On a relatively hot day, you can walk around Placa del Sol with a beer, well it’s illegal but most of Barcelona will do that. So, don’t be afraid.

Poble Sec – Dry Town turned into Drinkers heaven

Once upon a time, this district used to be unloved (merely a Dry Town), but now it is liked by many. It proudly houses Maumau Lounge which entices to drinkers. For a casual boozing you can opt for Carrer Blai (also known for pinchos – a basque style tapas)

Port Olimpic – House for Posh Bars, Beach clubs and Boat Parties

You must opt for Port Olimpic if you are looking for an upmarket experience in summers. It houses likes of bars such as CDLC, Shoko and Bestial which hosts cosmopolitan crowd for cocktails and dance on groovy music.  Remember that most of these clubs and bars opens till 3 AM but if you are looking for more fun till early morning, find yourself a seat in Opium, Pacha and Catwalk. Opium stands out as the best club in this district.

The best way to kick off your night in this district, you can start with Ice Bar for a dwell in cool surrounding where you find ice glasses to enjoy your drink. Later in the night, move to a less sophisticated clubs in Moll Mestral where you could find free entry to clubs and bars. Out of the lot, there is one worth calling – Kennedy’s Irish Bar, it hosts live music from Thursday to Sunday till 5 am in the morning.

 

• Get a cruise to booze and party

 

Besides, the riveting clubs, lounges and bars on the land, Olympic Port is also a place where the grand Barcelona parties on boats/cruises originates. The cruise will be waiting to start many times a week in summers. This is a must if you are looking to have crazy fun with DJs, Barbeques, booze and chics all over the place. You can book boat parties from the available options. Make sure to plan a visit to this place for boat parties in summer and grab your spot for terrific time.

 

• Beach clubs

 

You can find couple of exotic beach clubs in Port Olimpic district. El boo is a swish palace to have party on the beach side and has bar on the rooftop for cocktails and mojitos. There are a lot of other places on sea side where the locals will be strumming guitar and you can join the party with a beer.

Well, there are other beach clubs to note, Salt Restaurant & Beach Club has a lounge at the seaside where you can delightful cocktails and burgers as well as locally inspired passionate meat and fish creations. By late evening, you will experience the local DJs playing live music especially during summers.

More exotic clubs to explore..

You must have felt that Port Olimpic is a posh area and you enjoyed it, then there are other clubs such as Sutton Club to get in the real cool crowd of Catalan at this upmarket spots. The ladies will dress like a film star and the boys would like nothing less than that. Want a bit more democratic, Otto Zutz is waiting for you and if you are looking to move your body on the dance floor, try for Sala Becool (for techno music lovers). A legend in open air club setting is La Terrrazza. You can also opt for Sala Razzmatazz, it boasts of 5 rooms having beeps and blips to Rock n Pop music.

Tours & Crawls

When you are in Barcelona, you need not worry about finding all such places on your own. Especially when you are alone and looking to join a party, you will definitely be meeting fun loving people onboard. There are various tours and pub crawls available to choose from. This gives you an opportunity to check out cool place which you couldn’t have found otherwise.

VIP Tables & Bottle ServiceNightlife Tour

There are plenty of VIP nightlife tours available to pick from, it will surely take you through the incredible and memorable tour of Barcelona. One such party tour is organized by us with our vip table reservation service. you can check out their website for more details. It gives you transport, free drinks and entry into the club.  

There are other nightlife tours available in Barcelona worth visiting as well.

The Pub Crawls in Barcelona

Pub crawl is an amazing option if you get wild without having to spend a lot of money. There are three famous pub crawls available in Barcelona

• The Backpacker Pub Crawl in Barcelona:

This tour lasts for 5 hours which includes food and drinks just like Catalans do. You get a local guide who stays with you for the entire trip. It will take you through the exciting journey of Barcelona’s nightlife by visiting famous clubs, pubs and bars with your partner or group. This is also an opportunity to mingle or chat with your fellow to get to know each other. The best part is you need not wait in a queue which would save you a lot of time and efforts. You will also be offered few free drinks and discounts in the package.

• Pub crawl Barcelona

This is also considered to be the best pub crawl available in Barcelona. It is a perfect option for those travelling alone and gives them a package full of fun at affordable prices. A guided tour by a local who has expertise in walking you through the nightlife. Few free drinks, VIP access and photos to remember at your disposal for the night.

• Original Barcelona Tours

The original Europe Barcelona tours has to offer different treats to satisfy each one of you.  They have got multiple nightlife tours available for you to select from. The Original Barcelona pub crawl is the one if you are looking for a riveting night out in the best party city.

This tour takes you through the selection of the best bars (includes few exquisite and traditional Catalan bars) for you to experience the true nightlife. You will get live music performances which would make you to dance till you break your leg. The tour will also give you access and few free drinks in the hottest clubs in the city.

Gay Friendly Club

There are few clubs such as Arena in Barcelona especially welcoming the gay and gay friendly crowd. You will get plentiful music ranging from electronic to current pop songs. You might find a dose of retro songs as well. Arena’s sister club Aire – Sala Diana is specifically for lesbian community and when it comes to music, you will find classic to Latin mostly.

It doesn’t really matter where you go for clubbing and boozing, you will surely find cozy, welcoming and friendly atmosphere until you are respectful

Concerts you can’t miss out

There are a lot of venues where you would find concerts being held. One of your motives of visiting Barcelona could be see a live performance of your favorite artist. So, it is a great idea to check if there are any live concerts being conducted in the city while you are staying in the city. You might find something which you have longed for. There are some places in the city where the chances are high such as Palau Sant Jordi, Sala Apolo and Sala Razzmatazz

Music Festivals: for the music lovers

When you are looking to do something apart from visiting a club or a bar, participating in a music festival could be an intriguing opportunity. You may not be surprised to know that Barcelona hosts few best musical season in Spain. You will see crowd hailing from all parts of the world to attend such events. Few of them are listed below

Sonar: It is considered to be the largest electronic music festival. It is basically a music and arts festival, first founded in 1994 by Ricard Robles, Enric Palau, and Sergi Caballero, separated into two parts – one in the day and one in the night. It hosts artists and events from all over the world. Make sure you visit the website to check out the dates and book your tickets beforehand.

Cruilla de Cultures: You will only find music in this festival. The event is aimed to promote social inclusion hence the attendants include immigrant and non-government entities. It is a boon for music lovers. So check the dates and grab a seat before it gets over.

Primavera Sound: It is a 3 day event where you will see performances from well renowned artists and group of bands in a unique style.

Just a word of caution, the tickets for such events are sold out before months of event commencement. Also, finding a good spot for accommodation can get challenging during event days.

Dress like Catalans

While you are enjoying your time in Barcelons, it is inevitable to know what to dress where. Barcelona is notorious by nature especially if you are in downtown. So, if you are in Raval or Gracia districts bar crawling or clubbing in Razzmatazz/ Sala Apolo, you can do away with T shirts are fine.

If you are somewhere around Port Olimpic, it is advisable to wear a little fancier to blend with the crowd. Unlike London or Paris, Barcelona is relatively relaxed when it comes to dressing up. Light shoes are definitely a good one if you are looking to dance. It is always better to be on the safer side and instead of getting a NO entry in a club or bar.  

To summarize it all

Having to know the clubs, discos, bars, etc. to visit in Barcelona, you must be excited to take a leap on it as the nightlife awaits you. Get your partner, friends, family to the best clubs in the city. We recommend you to check out the special events or theme parties before you book your tickets. Have the best night of your life!