Late Night: Nightlife in Barcelona

If you’re looking for Barcelona’s upscale, posh and trendy crowd, then you’ll find them at Luz De Gas. This is one of Barcelona’s oldest and most well known clubs. Featuring in house dj’s and often live music events, it’s a great place to keep the partying going well into the morning. Luz De Gas is huge with a spacious first floor and a second floor where you can watch the madness going on below. It’s known as a ‘meat-market’ so if that’s what you’re looking to accomplish, this is the place to be. However even if you just want to dance the night away it’s ideal for that as well.

With two floors playing completely different music nightly, you can feel like you’re attending separate clubs at this trendy Barcelona venue. Rock out to heavy metal upstairs and then dance to minimal house on the main floor. BeCool often features well known DJ’s so be sure to check the website for upcoming artists and shows. This is a really fun club and mainly full of locals who live in the upper part of the city, so you’ll see a different side of Barcelona than if you only stick to the Old City and Gothic Quarter. The two floors provide for two very different clubbing experiences.

A Barcelona staple, Macarena Club has been around for years and to locals and tourists alike it is a late night gem. But be sure to arrive early (by 1:30am) as the club is tiny and once it reaches capacity, the doors shut. If you’re looking for a mix of house and electronic beats this is the place to go. Centrally located in the Gothic Quarter, it’s easy to find and easier to stumble home from, especially if you’re staying downtown. Macarena has a loyal following so locals come nightly meaning it’s always busy and for a very good reason.

Relatively new to the Barcelona Club scene, Marula is a vibrant space, ideal for hosting concerts, live music and parties. It specializes in funk, but features rock, pop, jazz and other genres as well. Centrally located in the Gothic Quarter, right off of Plaza Tripi and La Rambla, this is a great late night party especially on weekends. Situated on Escudellers street, this is one of the liveliest streets in the Old City, right beside ‘Plaza Tripi’ and a stone’s throw from other clubs like Macarena and El Paraigua behind Plaza Sant Jaume. It’s a lot of fun and extremely unpretentious.

Ladies throw on the heels and guys switch up the board shorts for trousers, if you want to get past the bouncers at Opium Mar. Overlooking the beach and located next to the elegant Hotel Arts, Opium is one of the hottest nightclubs in town, acting as a restaurant, bar, lounge and club all in one. If you plan on hitting the town for the night, go for dinner at Opium and then stay and watch as the restaurant slowly transforms itself into party central just a little after 12am (while avoiding the lines outside.) You can also put your name on the list and cut the lines that way.

This hot dance club located in an old theater stays rocking until six in the morning! In the main room, you will find a crowd that loves to groove to techno. If that’s not your style, you can try the Picnic Bar where they play Pop or the Def Room where they play Hip-Hop. On the weekends, you are likely to find a dance-a-thon here. This is a great club as it’s large enough to enjoy a variety of music in the various rooms that make up the club yet still intimate so that you feel as if you’re enjoying music with good friends.

Indie rock with the occasional live music gig, Sidecar is sheer late night fun. You can’t get more central than Plaza Reial and this hip, unpretentious two-storey space (restaurant and bar upstairs, club downstairs) is a great way to dance until the sun comes up. Sidecar is great for those looking to have a good time in an unassuming atmosphere in the center of the Gothic Quarter. Their bands are excellent with a great live music selection as well as the occasional DJ night playing a mix of funk, blues, top hits and 70s and 80s. If you get bored walk two seconds to Karma or Marula Cafe.

It’s worth the line up if you’re in the mood for top 40 hits. Located in the slightly more elegant, Eixample neighborhood, Hyde is a small, unassuming nightclub with a young university crowd. If you’re looking for a great night on the town, this is always a sure bet. Located in the Eixample neighborhood you’re close to other very chic and trendy bars and clubs and not far from Passeig de Gracia and Rambla Catalunya. This is a small, very packed and extremely fun dance club. There isn’t much seating room so be ready to dance all night and have a good time.

See and Be Seen at Carpe Diem Lounge Club (CDLC). Posh, chic and trendy if you’re up for an expensive and elegant night out this is the place to be. This bar, restaurant and lounge has an exclusive VIP area, often frequented by football players but available to anyone as long as you buy a bottle of alcohol (usually 130 Euros minimum.) The inside of CDLC is tacky chic and if you enjoy the hukkah there are plenty of tables where you can choose which flavoured tobacco you prefer. This is a fun night full of good laughs, cheesy music and a very late evening.

This club, bar, restaurant, cocktail lounge and above all one of Barcelona’s greatest party venues is just a stone’s throw from the beach and hosts some of Barcelona’s most beautiful people nightly. Once the sun goes down the restaurant transforms into a lively club featuring well known resident DJ’s and very often themed parties. The space is large and the atmosphere is intense and full of excitement, especially if you’re looking to party until the sun comes up. It’s right next to CDLC and Opium Mar so if you’re sick of the scene at Shoko you can step outside and be in another venue in a matter of minutes.