Barcelona Nightlife: Places and Districts to Go Out in Barcelona
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Newcomers to Spain can be taken aback at the way that the country throws itself into a night out. And nowhere is this enthusiasm for having a good time more clearly illustrated than in Barcelona’s decadent nightlife scene.
Like any large city, prices can run from the very affordable to the exorbitantly expensive. Charming little traditional establishments, where a glass of beer and a couple of light tapas can be very cheap, sit alongside new and brashly fashionable upstarts.
If the Barri Gotic has a number of top joints, it also charges more and is a little snootier than some other parts of town. While Calle Ferran and the Plaza Reial can be a little on the touristy side, they’re also home to an engagingly vibrant scene.
To the south of la Rambla, the many bars that dot the streets around Calle de Sant Pau in El Raval have a cool, bohemian feel. To the north of the city, in the district of Gracia, there’s a lively vibe on and around Calle Maria Cubi and Plaza del Sol.
Back towards the center of town, L’Eixample is home to one of the most thriving gay scenes in Europe. Off the elegant Paseo de Gracia, meanwhile, the area surrounding Calle Consell de Cent boasts a couple of hip hangouts.
All across the city, high profile international DJs share the bill alongside serious homegrown talent with a vast variety of music catering to all forms of clubber. Clubs generally kick-off proceedings at around 1am, and offer little letup until dawn!
But Barcelona is a city that refuses to be restrained. Across its entire length and breadth, a heaving mass of revelers spills out into the streets, whether sipping an elegant glass of ‘fino’ on a barrel outside a bar, or clasping a plastic pint of whiskey and coke in a park.
Barcelona also has a vibrant live music scene, with many bars and clubs hosting live bands and artists (the majority of which tend to start around midnight). Admission is often free and, even when one is charged, it’s rarely particularly expensive.
The rest of the city, whether engagingly seedy or painfully trendy, is full of real, thriving centers of authentic urban culture. And that, incidentally, is what makes Barcelona just about the best place to party in Europe.
