Barcelona Entertainment

  1. 23 Robadors

    You may find the door ajar on this still slightly dodgy street (but a big clean up is underway). Push it open and step inside a funky little bar with exposed-brick walls and timber beams, where dressing down is the rule. Out the back you'll hear some light jazz on Wednesdays and flamenco on Sundays ( to midnight).

    Read more about 23 Robadors

  2. Aire

    Part of the Arena gay-disco chain, this is one of the most accessible lesbian dance bars in Barcelona. It's pretty relaxed and the gals can bring along their straight (male or female) friends for an evening of house and even pool.

    Read more about Aire

  3. Antilla Bcn

    The salsateca in town, this is the place to come for Cuban son , merengue, salsa and a whole lot more. If you don't know how to dance any of this, you may feel a little silly (as a bloke) but will probably get free lessons (if you're a lass). The blokes can come back at another time and pay for lessons.

    Read more about Antilla Bcn

  4. Arena Madre

    Popular with a young gay crowd, Arena is one of the top clubs in town for boys seeking boys. Keep an eye out for striptease nights on Monday, drag shows on Wednesday and handbag nights on Thursday. They run three other Arena clubs nearby.

    Read more about Arena Madre

  5. Baja Beach Club

    Go-go girls and boys, thundering dance music, bleary eyes - this is an unabashed, unpretentious seaside dancing and pick-up joint. All good fun really and with a high component of out-of-towners among the mostly unsteady punters. In the afternoon it's not a bad spot for a beer overlooking the beach.

    Read more about Baja Beach Club

  7. Bar Marsella

    This place looks like it hasn't had a lick of paint since it opened in 1820. Assorted chandeliers, tiles and mirrors decorate its one rambunctious room, which on weekends is packed to its rickety rafters with a cheerful mishmash of shady characters, slumming uptowners and Erasmus students, who all stop by to try the absinthe.

    Read more about Bar Marsella

  8. Bar Muy Buenas

    What started life as a late-19th-century milk bar is now lacking the milk. The Modernista décor and relaxed company make this a great spot for a quiet mojito (rum and lime cocktail), perhaps some live music and Middle Eastern nibbles.

    Read more about Bar Muy Buenas

  9. Bar Pastís

    Although French cabaret chanson dominates the scene, you might just as easily find yourself confronted by a little bossa nova or tango, depending on when you wander into this cluttered bar, in business since WWII.

    Read more about Bar Pastís

  10. Barcelona Pipa Club

    Ring the buzzer at one of the most intriguing bars in the city. It's a genuine pipe-smokers' club by day and transforms into a dim, laid-back and incurably cool bar at night. Closing times are a matter of whim.

    Read more about Barcelona Pipa Club

  11. Berlin

    This elegant corner bar with pavement tables also has designer lounges downstairs for sprawling while slurping. There is a relaxed feeling about the place, with a mixed group of punters. Relaxation stops at closing time, however, as these people want you out fast! Head for Luz de Gas next door to continue the fun.

    Read more about Berlin

  12. Advertisement

  13. Bikini

    The reincarnation of a legendary club that was torn down in 1990 to make way for a shopping mall, the modern Bikini is regarded by many as the best venue in Barcelona, with crisp acoustics and diverse programming. There are three main performance areas, and virtually all genres are catered for.

    Read more about Bikini

  14. Boadas

    Inside the unprepossessing entrance is one of the city's oldest cocktail bars (famed for its divine daiquiris). The bow-tied waiters have been serving up their poison since 1933. Joan Miró and - surprise surprise - Hemingway tippled here.

    Read more about Boadas

  15. Búcaro

    The doormen are pretty relaxed at this bar-cum-club. The long lounge area where you enter is great for sipping and chilling, while out the back the music makes conversation redundant and close-in dancing inevitable. Upstairs is another quieter bar area.

    Read more about Búcaro

  16. Buda Barcelona

    The name bar and restaurant that is all the rage in Paris has its equally chic branch in the heart of l'Eixample. Come to eat, or pop in later for drinks at this luxurious Oriental den, and chill amid the beaming Buddhas. Tuesday night is Models Night, when doormen become rather tetchy.

    Read more about Buda Barcelona

  17. Café Royale

    These are some of the most sought-after sofas in Barcelona, perfect for chilling out with warm lighting, a good-looking crowd, and irresistible soul, funk and bossa fusions. It gets terribly packed with visitors at the weekend. That's no surprise, as it's one of the grooviest early-evening dance options in town.

    Read more about Café Royale

  19. Cangrejo

    This altar to kitsch, a dingy dance hall that has transgressed since the 1920s, is run by the tumescent underground cabaret figure of Carmen Mairena and exudes a gorgeously tacky feel, especially with the midnight drag shows on Friday and Saturday. Due to its popularity with tourists, getting in is all but impossible unless you turn up early.

    Read more about Cangrejo

  20. Casa Almirall

    People have been boozing here since 1860, which makes it the oldest continuously functioning bar in Barcelona. Delightfully dishevelled, it still has its original Modernista bar.

    Read more about Casa Almirall

  21. Casino

    Feeling lucky? If this is your night, you might manage to walk out of here with some extra cash for a bottle of cava in one of the nearby bars and clubs.

    Read more about Casino

  22. CDLC

    The Carpe Diem Lounge Club is one of the hippest locales on Barcelona's waterfront. Stretch out on the 'Bali' lounges, get mysterious in the Morocco space, dance away inside or sip cocktails outside to an acoustic diet of chill while gazing over the sand and sea. What's more, you can feel just as cool here for breakfast, lunch and dinner (the kitchen closes and tables are cleared from the dance floor at midnight).

    Read more about CDLC

  23. Club Fellini

    Nestled in between peep shows and a striptease hall, this longtime club has undergone an overhaul and name change. Three separate spaces (the Bad Room, the Red Room and the Mirror Hall) blare out anything from house to '80s disco. On slow Mondays, come along for rock 'n' roll and indie rock at the Nasty Mondays session.

    Read more about Club Fellini

  24. Advertisement

  25. Daguiri

    This take-it-easy, seaside bar was made for its young, travelling crowd - the kind who have elected to hang out in Barcelona for a stretch in search of themselves or until their national dole cheques run out. Have a light meal, sip a summertime beer outside or cosy up for a coffee in winter at the tiny tables inside.

    Read more about Daguiri

  26. Danzatoria

    Set in a 19th-century mansion amid gardens, this is one of the most sensual places to get your dance night started. The chill out doubles as a restaurant (book) until midnight, and you can head through to a house hall, R&B section or lounge in hammocks with a flute of champagne in the gardens.

    Read more about Danzatoria

  27. Dietrich Gay Teatro Café

    A classic of the Gaixample, this place hosts some of the best drag in the city in its elegant quarters - all timber finishings on two levels. Quiet during the week, it goes a little wild with drag shows, acrobats and dancing from Friday on.

    Read more about Dietrich Gay Teatro Café

  28. Distrito Diagonal

    It's long and narrow, with a wee, elevated dance floor at the back. What makes the place is the weekend opening hours. And if you wander in before , it's free. You can drink quietly enough at the bar or shake your thing until breakfast time.

    Read more about Distrito Diagonal

  29. Dot Light Club

    Ever since the late 1990s this infamous club has been one of the hippest hang-outs for the beautiful people to be seen at in this part of town. From night to night the DJs change the musical theme, ranging all the way from deep funk to even deeper house and beyond.

    Read more about Dot Light Club