Party places in barcelona

Parties are one of the best parts of life. They’re a great opportunity to catch up with friends and family, celebrate special occasions, and just get together with people you love. But sometimes it can be hard to find a place that’s perfect for your party needs. That’s where we come in!

When you’re looking for a good time, there are plenty of places to go. Here are some of our favorite party spots!

A bar – If you want to get drunk and put on some serious dance moves, a bar is the place for you. But it’s not just about drinking: bars are also space for meeting new people, having fun with your friends, and making memories.

A pool hall – If you’re looking to get competitive or just hang out with your buddies, a pool hall is the place for you. You can play games like billiards or snooker, enjoy drinks and food at the bar, and even watch sports on TV if that’s your thing!

A club – Clubs are great because they’re open late (or all night long!) and offer a lot of different activities like dancing, karaoke nights, live music performances from local bands/singers/musicians… basically anything goes at clubs! You could even see yourself getting into trouble here if you’re feeling adventurous enough… maybe even meet someone special?

There are a number of places in your city that are great for parties. Some places are filled with fun activities for the kids and others have great food and drinks.

Are you looking for a place to have your party? Look no further! Here’s a list of some of the best party places in barcelona:

El Raval

If you can’t identify with Born (get it?), then the edgier Raval is the other side of the Ramblas, where street kids play cricket or football and generally run riot as Bohemian imbibers stroke their side whiskers and order another chupito or two.

The heart of the district is the Rambla de Raval where hip bars like Ambar are interspersed with kebab joints, whilst a more glam crowd congregate at nearby cocktail bars, such as the moody and atmospheric La Whiskeria Cocktail Bar. The street of Joaquim Costa is full of hip venues, and a great place to go bar-hopping.

Meanwhile in the area surrounding the MACBA museum, skate fashion rules supreme. Pierced and tattooed kids practice tricks on their boards before later heading down to the area around Carrer Nou de la Rambla, where legendary clubs like Moog (famous for tech/minimal DJs) and Sala Apolo (home of excellent midweek parties such as Nasty Mondays) are located.

L’Eixample

If the Gothic Quarter, Born and Raval make up Barcelona’s Old Town, then 80% of the rest of the city is made up of L’Eixample, which means ‘The Addition’. This grand, grid-patterned section of the Catalan capital rose up during the industrial revolution in the beautiful Modernista architectural style and is largely residential… but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing going on!

Finding a good bar in L’Eixample is more about knowledge than luck, on account of its huge size, but here’s a hit-list to get you started: it doesn’t get more central than Belushi’s Bar which is just off Plaça Catalunya (the city’s central square) and the perfect place to kick off the night before heading clubbing. Be prepared for a young international party crowd and dangerous drinks promos.

Similarly, the popular George Payne Irish pub is great bet to start or end the night, with sports screenings, generous drink promos and resident DJs playing until 2 or 3am depending on the night.

Meanwhile a slightly older and more mature (and we mean slightly) gather at CocoVail Beer Hall, an American-style boozer where 20 and 30 somethings share sturdy communal tables and order one (or dozens) of the 24 craft beers on tap. Another great place to warm up for the night.

Generally speaking the closer to Diagonal you get the smoother and more sophisticated the crowd get. For cocktails with a good looking local gathering slide over to Slow Barcelona (which also has an suave club upstairs), where you can imbibe some of the best gin or vodka tonics in town, and check out live gigs at the weekends. In this area of town it pays to dress up a little fancier.

Around the area of Arc de Triomf, just a few blocks away from Parc de la Ciutadella, a few new hotspots are opening up on Passeig de Sant Joan, making this one-time social deadzone an increasingly cool area to hang out on a quiet night. One such venue is Firebug, a classy bar / restaurant with great food, vermouths and a very attractive brunch menu.

Finally the part of Eixample around Casanova street has been dubbed Gayxample, for obvious reasons. Trendy bars, restaurants and saunas abound, as well as the odd disco, like Metro or Arena.

Las Ramblas

A natural starting point for newcomers is of course Las Ramblas and – on either side of it – the narrow streets of the medieval Old Town. Barcelona’s busiest boulevard by day, Las Ramblas is also heaving by night, especially in the early stages of the evening when the street performers are still playing their trade and the pavements throng with locals and tourists heading out for drinks and dinner.

Restaurants at this time are spilling over with customers fuelling themselves on tapas and other treats (although you’ll find better quality for cheaper elsewhere!

Boadas cocktail bar, the Kiosk La Cazalla, and the ever-lively Old Irish Pub are some of the more well known, whilst the homely, wood-panelled Wild Rover Irish Pub at the bottom of the boulevard is another great choice for a pint of the black.

The Gothic Quarter

Generally speaking Las Ramblas (above) is merely a crossing point to greener nightlife pastures, and for the more authentic local venues you’ll have to negotiate the labyrinthine alleys of the Gothic Quarter.

Here you’ll find scores of sassy little spots hidden away in dark corners, such as the stylish Milk Bar, which has a great cocktail menu, and Sugar; plus of course a handsome selection of Irish and British pubs, like the friendly and flirty Flaherty’s, where you can mingle with (ie. chat up) some fellow tourists – check out their Beer Pong tournaments on Thursdays, or Ladies Night on Fridays.

Plaza Real (Royal Square) is a great place to orientate yourself in this neck of the woods, with famous clubs like Jamboree, Sidecar and Tarantos perennial faves with the backpacker crowd that congregate here. The latter actually hosts the flamenco part of this highly-rated Tapas and Flamenco Night.

El Born

For a slightly more sophisticated slice of Barcelona’s nightlife, the equally pretty, but slightly less touristy, El Born is also very central and here you’ll find all manner of trendily-attired nightowls crowding into cafes and bars – especially in the district’s heart, the Passeig del Born. Check out Miramelindo, for a Cava cocktail, or trawl the square and the surrounding backstreets for a slice of the action.

The district’s best nightlife venue though is found on the Avenida Marques de l’Argentera, a stunning new multi-purpose space with a distinct Berlin vibe. Clubhaus is a bar-restaurant, adult play centre (as in ping pong and karaoke – not swinging!) and nightclub in one two-storey, three-room venue. Perfect if you fancy boozing and carousing with Barcelona’s hip, creative set.

Gracia

A similarly alternative vibe to Raval prevails in the district of Gracia, but more locally dominated than the immigrant-inhabited ‘Ravalistan’. Here in Gracia you’ll find a very Catalan quarter oozing charisma and aspiring artists – with not too many tourists, except those lost on the way to Parc Guell.

There are many fine bars, like the excellent La Cigale and La Fourmi that cater to the barri’s more Bohemian residents. Alternatively, if it’s a hot day and you’re broke, you can just hang out on one of Gracia’s many squares, such as the Plaça del Sol, with a tinnie. Illegal, but half of Barcelona will be doing the same.

Poble Sec

And, shhhh, keep it quiet, but these days the once unloved district of Poble Sec (“Dry Town”) is considered a pretty hip barrio, with the likes of Maumau Underground and Rouge Bar attracting a savvy set of drinkers. For general boozing and carousing Carrer Blai is the centre of the district and these days it’s popular to enjoy a pintxos (Basque-style tapas) crawl at the many bars and terraces along the street.

Port Olimpic (Beach Clubs)

For a more upmarket experience put on your best glad rags and hail a cab for the Port Olimpic. This is the place to be in summer! Here a string of upmarket lounge bars, such as CDLC, Shoko and Bestial attract a well-heeled cosmopolitan crowd to sip cocktails on their beach terraces before everyone moves indoors to get down and dirty on the dancefloor.

Most of these places close at 3am unfortunately but the infamous Opium, plus Pacha and Catwalk keep going until 6am – of these Opium has the strongest claim to be the best club in the city, and is reliably packed to the rafters. To be sure of getting in you would be wise to invest in a VIP Club Card, or during summer you can sign up for this VIP Nightlife Tour that ushers you into Opium like a rockstar.

For a memorable way to kick off any night at the Port Olimpic we suggest you start by dropping by the Ice Bar, for a dip in their sub-zero chamber. Everything in the chamber is frozen, and even the glasses are made of ice! Their terrace is also a cool place to hang out with a cocktail and you are right by all the clubs for heading out afterwards.

Finally, down from all the posh lounge clubs is the Moll Mestral strip, on the harbour itself. Sophisticated it ain’t… a row of free entry bars and clubs that belt out everything from salsa to techno, interspersed with the odd fast food stand. It’s a good reminder though why it pays to be prepared and sort out your nightlife plan beforehand.