Barcelona City Guide

A CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS…

Barcelona is one of Europe’s richest cultural and historical cities, which defines twenty four hour entertainment. By day the city is a buzzing, lively centre of culture, art, architecture, shopping and fine dining but by night, located in the nooks and crannies, are some of continent’s biggest and best clubbing venues making Catalan Clubbing a must for dance music fans across the world.
For a UK clubbing audience Barcelona is the perfect place to experience how they do things on the continent, heading over to their club of choice around midnight or later and partying until the sun has well and truly risen. Clubs are so much more in Barcelona too, with a unique emphasis on communal areas, terraces and lounge areas. Spending seven hours in a club like Razzmatazz or Elephant is easy to do, with the five floors of music and rooftop terrace.

Razzmatazz – Barcelona’s Premier Nightclub Venue

BARCELONA’S BEST… CLUBS…

  • Razzmatazz

From personal experience I can safely say that Razzmatazz is one of the very best clubs in Europe. Not only for it’s sheer size and value-for-money but it’s variety and diversity. In one night I enjoyed two of my favourite live bands, Foals and Simian Mobile Disco, as well as several hours of dance, trance, dubstep and hip-hop. With the ticket price at just 15 euros I was able to enjoy more than a few of the club’s reasonably priced drinks along the way too.

http://www.salarazzmatazz.com/

 

  • bloc

For those with a more underground taste, check out bloc which is a 100m walk from Plaza Catalunya. With resident promoters Werk It you can expect a great up-for-it crowd until the early hours. Previous guests include; Anja Schneider, Tiefschwarz, Ian Pooley, Matt Tolfrey and Audiofly

http://salabloc.com/

 

  • Moog

Whilst Moog doesn’t pull in the big world-famous names in the clubbing world, it does boast a truly unique Catalan clubbing experience. Brilliant mixes of old and new, with everything from disco classics, electro, dance and house music played across the two different floors. in 1996 Moog opened as a result of the booming electro scene beginning to blossom in Barcelona and opened in the historic and legendary Villa Rosa building, a gentleman’s club of the early 20th century and bohemian club in the 60’s and 70’s. The feel of the place is what gives it such a distinct name amongst the other clubs in Barcelona, a mix between decades of knowing how to throw the best parties and the latest in current music trends.

http://www.masimas.com/moog/

Elephant, one of Barcelona’s newest club venues

  • Elephant

Elegance and luxury are at the heart of Barcelona’s newest must-see club, Elephant. Constructed within a two storey mansion with giant bronze elephants and gorgeous decoration, Elephant is the hip new kid on the block. Drink and ticket prices are going to set you back more than Razzmatazz so give this just the one visit. It’s full of fashion and decadence so don’t miss out!

http://www.elephantbcn.com/

 

  • Oshum

Located in the original Pacha building just outside of Barcelona near the Nou Camp, Oshum has dubbed itself a ‘concept club’ boasting typically late open hours from midnight ‘til 5am or 6am on Weekends. The contemporary, alternative design of the club will often keep you entertained even if the music doesn’t but there’s little chance of that with big name DJ’s playing most weekends and a mixture of wine bar, restaurant, lounge and club areas amongst it’s humungous 4,100 square foot space to keep you there ‘til it closes. There’s something for everyone, a lot like Razzmatazz so I’d put this one up there with that as one of my favourites.

http://www.oshumclub.com/home.asp

  • Carpe Diem Lounge Club

Opened a few years ago by the infamous world-class footballer Patrick Kluivert, Carpe Diem is a chic, fashionable club and bar with as much style as any other Barcelona club. Like Oshum, CDLC likes to offer fine dining, wines and relaxed atmospheres as well as fantastic night life.

http://www.cdlcbarcelona.com/

Carpe Diem Lounge Club Indoors

BARCELONA’S BEST… BARS…

  • Rita Blue

Modern and vibrant, the intimately sized Rita Blue brings the art of cocktail mixing, disco-dancing and chic-retro décor to the famous Las Ramblas area of Barcelona, the heart of the city’s social centre.

  • Gimlet

Going one better than even Rita Blue, Gimlet is the place for cocktail lovers where expert cocktail waiters mix the very best drinks in the city with speed, showmanship and addictive results. This is without a doubt one of the must-see bars in Barcelona.

  • Margarita Blue

Don’t worry if you don’t like Margaritas, it’s not all they serve at Margarita Blue, but it is their trademark drink! A varied mix of cocktails isn’t the only thing that Margarita does uniquely, once or twice a week you can see live theatre too! A fantastic Mexican menu is also a nice change occasionally from Catalan cuisine.

  • El Xampanyet

For pre-club drinks, from cocktails, beers and bottles of champagne by the case, El Xampanyet is the hidden gem of the Catalan clubbing scene, where young Scenesters, older crowds and everyone in between come to enjoy the friendly, fashionista atmosphere and one-of-a-kind club design.

Lasal Beach Bar – A Typical Example of a Barcelona Beach Bar

A FEW SPOTS TO CURE THE INEVITABLE HANGOVER…
In Barcelona there are a few certainties when experiencing the clubbing nightlife of the city. Good music, great food and a monster hangover! I think getting the killer Barcelona hangover is much like the famed ‘Ibiza Flu’, simply a product of the culture and lifestyle of the place you’re visiting. Barcelona clubs stay open far past the tame 2am or 3am clubs of the British Isles with the average closing time being around the 5am or 6am mark. Some close as late as 8am on a big Friday or Saturday event and all this means one thing, many more hours of drinking. That’s why you need to know the best places to cure the hangover…

Caseta del Migdia is a beautifully positioned terrace bar where many people go in the early afternoon to read the Sunday papers, enjoy some cracking food and listen to chill-out and jazz musical stylings.

Close to the famous Boqueria market, ‘Bar Ra’ is a great place to get yourself a fantastic breakfast and let the hustle and bustle of Barcelona pass you by. Here you can get the traditional Catalan hangover cure of “xurros amb xocolata/churros con chocolate” a pastry dipped in gooey hot chocolate. Might not sound as appealing as a full English but remember you’re here to soak up the culture and try new things, not give your body another reason to feel sluggish!

EATING OUT: CATALAN STYLE…

As for evening meals you need to know that Catalans eat at very different times to the Brits. Breakfast around the 9am mark is pretty unheard of as this is usually just a few hours after Barcelona’s party-goers have gone to bed! An 11am to midday breakfast is about right. As for lunch mid afternoon around 4pm is common place. As for dinner, things get characteristically late. Most restaurants will serve dinner from 8pm until midnight or 1am, giving you the much needed energy to go an party right through until sunrise!

Barcelona has it all when it comes to fine-dining. Fantastically quaint beach bars serve everything from head spinning cocktails to appetite-pleasing Paella and it’s usually the best Paella you’ll get. There are also some of the very best restaurants in Europe with the following three likely to provide you with the best Catalan culinary memories:

Cal Pep Restaurant in Barcelona

Cal Pep – Fresh food, fine wine, friendly service and a deserved reputation as the best Tapas bar in all of Barcelona makes Cal Pep the place to try before you leave.

Akimia – With an unbeatable view of the incredible Guadi cathedral ‘La Sagrada Familia’, Alkimia’s brilliant menu compliments it’s surroundings wonderfully. Traditionally recipes are transformed into unforgettably contemporary dishes by the expert head chef Jordi Vila.

Vinya Roel – For wine fanatics and those looking to taste real, traditional Catalan cuisine Vinya Roel boasts a remarkable reputation as one of the best. Value for money is also at the core of its success too. It’s worth a visit just for the exquisite cannelloni dish!

Los Caracoles – Named ‘The Snails’ in English, this quirky restaurant serves up a great array of dishes in a lovely restaurant just off Plaza Reial. The Serrano Ham (while not the cheapest) was the best we tasted in Barcelona and we recommend this place.
THREE MUST-SEES IN BARCELONA…

  • The all-in-one gig/clubnight experience at Razzmatazz still stands out for me as one of the best nights out of my life, better even than many of those in Ibiza the year before. The variety of things to do and see and people to meet is one-of-a-kind and I would recommend it to anyone.
  • Take a day of your trip seeing the cultural sights that Barcelona has to offer. The Gaudi buildings such as the Sagrada Familia Cathedral are a must-see, as is the gigantic Camp Nou, home of world-beaters Barcelona Football Club.
  • Spend an evening, entirely unplanned, perusing the bars of Las Ramblas and venture off into Plaza Real. This is the nightlife hotspot set out in a convenient strip of hundreds of bars and restaurants, all with something unique and special about them.

The Beautiful Guadi Sagrada Familia

GETTING THERE AND PLACES TO STAY…


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