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Nightlife
| Barcelona is increasingly gaining a reputation as one of Europe’s great party cities and deservedly so. Things may start slowly with some food and a few drinks after siesta finishes (at approximately 1700) but they soon gather pace and by 2300 the city is buzzing. Friday and Saturday nights are when the city is at its liveliest, although the drinking and dancing keeps going throughout the week. Bars are usually open until 0200 or 0300, while clubs and discos keep going until 0500 or 0600. The legal drinking age in Barcelona is 16 years and the price of tipple ranges from €1 for a small beer or glass of wine to €4 for something stronger, such as a rum and coke, depending also on the type of establishment.
Port Olímpic is particularly buzzing on summer nights, as is Port Vell, where the Maremagnum shopping complex bizarrely metamorphoses into a nefarious collage of cafés, bars and nightclubs, open late into the night. In the last few years, bars modernos with music and designer decor have been popular with a young ultra-hip clientele across the city. The trend is to dress quite smartly when going out in Barcelona.
Available in hostels, the free seasonal guide, See Barcelona (website: www.seebarcelona.com), and the Guía del Ocio booklet (website: www.guiadelocio.com), available from newsagents and newspaper stands, both provide information on nightlife in Barcelona.
Bars: Xampanyerías (champagne bars) serving sparkling Catalan wine (cava) are a speciality of the city. Good places for cava include La Bodegueta del Xampú, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 702, Xampanyeria Casablanca, Carrer Bonavista 6, and El Xampanyet, Carrer Montcada 22. The latter also serves cider and tapas, in vibrant surroundings. Bar Pastís, Carrer Santa Mònica, has the honour of counting Picasso among its former regulars. The artist’s other hangout was El Quatre Gats, Carrer Montsió 3, a modernista bar with good beer and live music from 2100. The original menu, designed by Picasso, is on show in the Museu Picasso (see Key Attractions). L’Ovella Negra, Carrer Sitges 5, is a favourite as much with the international backpacker set as it is with local students. Bar Marsella, Carrer de Sant Pau 65, is the place to imbibe an absenta, a close relative of absinthe. For the style-conscious, some of the city’s coolest haunts include the spectacular Torres de Avila, Avenida Marqués de Comillas, Poble Espanyol, on Montjuïc, the perennially stylish Dry Martini, Carrer Aribau 162–165, Ideal Cocktail Bar, Carrer Aribau 89, and Mas i Mas, Carrer Maria Cubi 199. Mirablau, Plaça Doctor Andreu, at the foot of the Tibidabo funicular, is especially romantic, with its sweeping views of the city, while popular Berimbau, Passeig del Born 17, serves up good cocktails to a background of Brazilian rhythms.
Casinos: Gran Casino de Barcelona, Carrer de la Marina 19–21 (website: www.casino-barcelona.com), is open daily 1300–0500. Visitors must be 18 years or over and carry a passport or driving licence. A smart dress code applies.
Clubs: Barcelona’s most beautiful people can be found in Up And Down, Carrer Numància 179, the city’s most exclusive nightclub, while a younger, more down-to-earth crowd boogie to the latest sounds at Bikini, Carrer Deu i Mata 105. The split-level Moog Club, Arc del Teatre 3, in the Chinese Quarter, offers the best of European techno and hosts big international DJs. Salsitas, Calle Nou de la Rambla 22, with a well designed bar, restaurant and a dancefloor, is one of the city’s trendiest hotspots, while stylish Torres de Ávila, Avenida Marquès de Comillas, Poble Espanyol, has long been celebrated for its all-night trance-techno discos on summer weekends. Popular open-air haunts include La Terrazza, Avenida Montanyans – open in the summer months only. Punto BCN, Carrer Muntaner 63, is a popular gay club.
For flamenco dancing, try Tablao Flamenco Cordobes, La Rambla 35, Los Tarantos, Plaça Reial 17, or Tablao del Carmen, Arcs 9, Poble Espanyol. La Paloma, Carrer Tigre 27, is a beautiful dancehall dating from the turn of the century. The band plays to an enthusiastic crowd, with a menu of pasa doble, tango, salsa, flamenco and more.
Live music: Large-scale rock and pop concerts by international stars can be heard at the Palau Sant Jordi, Passeig Olímpic 5–7, the Estadi Olímpic, Montjuïc, and Camp Nou, Avenguda de Joan XXII. The best mid-sized venue is Zeleste, Carrer Almogàvers 122, in Poble Nou, which hosts Spanish and international pop and rock groups. Harlem Jazz Club, Carrer Comtesa de Sobradiel 8, hosts jazz and other live music, daily until 0400. Jamboree, Plaça Reial 17, is a long-standing and popular jazz, blues and funk venue, next door to Los Tarantos (see Clubs above). Traditional folk music from Catalonia, Spain and the rest of Europe is on offer at the Centre Artesà Tradicionarius, Travessera de Sant Antoni 6–8, which hosts concerts on Thursday and Friday evenings.
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General
