Barcelona
is increasingly gaining a reputation as one of Europe’s great
party cities. Things may start slowly with some food and a few drinks
after siesta finishes, but they soon gather pace and by 2300 hrs
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 rest of the week. Bars are usually open until 0200
hrs or 0300 hrs, while clubs and discos keep going until 0500 hrs
or 0600 hrs.
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.
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 which stays 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.
The free seasonal guide, See
Barcelona, and available in hostels around the city and the
Guía
del Ocio booklet, available from newsagents and newspaper stands,
both provide information on the nightlife in Barcelona.
Bars
Xampanyerías
(champagne bars) serving sparkling Catalan wine (cava) are a speciality
of Barcelona. 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 hrs.
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, is open
daily 1300 hrs–0500 hrs. 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 are found in the 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 some of 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
the 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 the 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,salsa, tango, 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 hrs.
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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