Barcelona Nightlife

Barcelona truly lives by night (and all the way until early morning). Its wild and varied nightlife treads the precarious line between slick and kitschy. In many ways, the city is a tourist’s clubbing heaven: things don’t get going until late (don’t bother showing up at a club before 1am) and keep going for as long as you can handle it—frequently 6am. Yet for every full-blown dance club, there are a hundred more relaxed bars, from Irish pubs to gay clubs to absinthe dens. Check the Guía del Ocio, available at newsstands, for even more up-to-date listings of nighttime fun, as the hot spots change often. Barcelona Week, the English arts weekly, also has listings.

Barri Gòtic And Las Ramblas

When night falls, the distinction between upper and lower Barri Gòtic becomes much clearer. The area above C. Ferran, dominated by shops, restaurants, and hostels, virtually shuts down by midnight, ...more

La Ribera

La Ribera’s nightlife scene is more local and more varied than the scene on La Rambla. When the gas lantern goes on in front of Església de Santa Maria each night, people begin to migrate from small ...more

El Raval

If you stick to the Northern part of El Raval, you’ll find yourself in hip, creatively decorated, colorful (literally) bars with a young, laid-back crowd—true to the artsy nature of the area. Be ...more

L’Eixample

L’Eixample has upscale bars and some of the best—though not exclusively—gay nightlife in Europe. (Thus the area’s nickname “Gaixample.”) Some clubs can be difficult to get to, into, or back ...more

Barceloneta And Port Vell

Maremagnum, the one-time mecca of Barcelona nightlife, has shifted its focus toward being purely a daytime shopping mall, shutting down all but one of its clubs after a series of violent altercations ...more

Poble Nou

If you want to party in Poble Nou, trade in your skimpy clubbing outfit for something a little more grunge, brush up your foosball skills, and be prepared to jam to heavy metal with Spanish teens or ...more

Montjuïc And Poble Sec

Club Apolo is the main nightlife draw in this neighborhood, but within its sidestreets, Poble Sec offers some of the best off-the-beaten-path late-night hangouts in the city. Lower Montjuïc is home ...more

Zona Alta

The area around C. Marià Cubí has great nightlife, but you’ll have to take a taxi (or the NitBus). For more accessible fun in Gràcia, head to Pl. del Sol to find the Eldorado, Pl. del Sol, 4 (☎ ...more

Gràcia

Gràcia is all about busy-but-intimate bars—the kind of venues where you run into friends and have to raise your voice to talk with them. Some of them have modern, relaxing decor, and colored lighting—Vinil ...more

Vall D’Hebron And Horta-Guinardó

This small barrio, far removed from, well, everything, takes great pride in its small-town feel. There aren’t many nightlife options out here, but the few that you do find, probably in Plaça d’Eivissa ...more

Tibidabo

Although pricey and hard to access, the few bars in Tibidabo offer fabulous, shimmering night views of Barcelona from on high. Unless you have really good shoes and willpower, getting here by taxi is ...more

Sarrià

Sick of expats and backpackers guzzling Guinness? The eclectic mix of late-night cafes, bars, and clubs around Plaça Molina is packed with established hot spots and savvy Barcelonese who know better than ...more

Pedralbes And Les Corts

Nightlife in Pedralbes and Les Corts is limited. If none of the places below strikes your fancy, consider walking to nearby Sarrià, where options abound, or take the metro downtown. Infussion, ...more

Sant Andreu

Trenta Nits, C. Gran de Sant Andreu, 123 (☎ 93 274 41 69). Fabra i Puig. Walk east on Pg. de Fabra i Puig and make a left on C. Gran de Sant Andreu. When you think of night, what do you think of? ...more