Barcelona Nightlife - The Lowdown on Hitting the Town in the Catalan Capital
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Barcelona in Spain has some of Europe's best nightlife, with many Ibiza DJs residents in Barcelona clubs off-season, and some amazing beach clubs, too. However, there are a few things you should know before putting on your glad rags and hitting the town.
Due to the ever-changing music scene in the Catalan Capital of Barcelona, it would be unwise to detail a list of the best clubs in Barcelona in this article, as it would go out of date so quickly. Instead, I'm going to give you some real insider's few tips and pieces of information that you might need to know or that will be helpful when you plan your visit of the nightlife in Barcelona.
First of all, you should know that while in English, it's normal to say "clubs" and "clubbing", in Spanish you say "discoteca". This might not sound like a big deal, but if you hop in a cab and ask the driver to take you to a "club" they'll take you to a strip joint (where the majority have those...ahem...extra services on offer, too). So, although it might remind you of when you were at high school or college, "disco" is the word. The whole nightlife in Spain starts and finishes later than the rest of most European countries, with bars open but fairly empty until around 11pm.
Discos in Barcelona don't open until late, and it's often 1am before the doors swing open - normally with no queue of people outside yet. However, most places don't start to fill up until around 2 or 3am, which is when most of the bars and pubs start to empty too.
It's also important to remember that spirits/liquor are not measured in Spain, so if you come from somewhere where optics or measuring cups are the common practice, beware, as drinks are fairly strong over here. If you usually have 3 vodka red bulls a night, you might only need 1. Don't drink at the same pace you would do at home, or you'll be heading for a cab and bed too early and miss all the fun! Clubs usually close at around 5 or 6am, and if you're still up for the party, then the "afters" will be outside with flyers, announcing the next place to continue the party. These are clubs which open at around 6am, and close at 11am or midday.
Another big mistake people make is screwing up your entrance ticket and putting it in your back pocket for example. Almost all admission fees to a disco will include a drink in the price of the ticket - "una consumicion". You often either get in for free, or pay a fee with a drink included. So don't make the mistake of throwing away your ticket - go straight to the bar and watch if everyone else hands over their ticket as payment.
One thing is for sure, with such a great variety of nightclubs such as Space, Catwalk, Opium, Razmatazz, Danzatoria, Jamboree, and many, many more opening by the time you read this article, you can be sure of a great night out in Barcelona!
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