10 of the best clubs in Barcelona
Sala Apolo The Soundtrack Of Our Lives at Sala Apolo. Photograph: Jordi Vidal/Redferns Former theatre Sala Apolo retains its thespian roots somewhat indirectly, with perfomers and audience in familiar positions: the DJ takes centre stage, the enthusiasts churn in the stalls, and a more sedate crowd enjoy an elevated view in the galleries. The accompanying […]
Top Halloween parties in Barcelona
Psycho clowns, slutty cats and bloody vampires: ahh..Halloween. Don’t we just love it. The night when excess nudity is encouraged, all inhibitions are lost and the over-the-top face paint means you can end up taking home a 5 instead of a 10. But who cares, right? On Halloween, anything goes. Starting from the 27th October, […]
Barcelona Clubs: 5 Places to Experience the City’s Best Nightlife
Although New York is called “the city that never sleeps,” that moniker really belongs to Barcelona, which could just as accurately be labeled, “the city that naps in the afternoon and then parties till sunrise.” This Spanish gem has set the gold standard for European nightlife, and offers everything from swinging jazz joints to salsa […]
Barcelona’s jazz venues
Barcelona has become the capital of jazz, thanks to its friends at the International Jazz Festival and many venues who have supported the genre. Discover the universe of jazz in the city with this selection of the top places to see and hear it live in all its splendour. Little Italy Jazz Little Italy is […]
Ocaña
Ocaña pays tribute to the brilliant José Pérez Ocaña, painter, activist and defender of freedom during Spain’s Transition and in the 1970s. The ample space sets out to rediscover the transgressor spirit of the artist, so little recognised by civic institutions. Located in the middle of the Plaça Reial, the ambitious venue houses a café […]
The Barcelona Festive Spirit
At times life in Barcelona can seem like one long fiesta, especially during summer when every barrio in the city celebrates its own patron saint days and a Bacchanalic carnival vibe takes over the entire town one district at a time. In addition to these traditional street parties, a plethora of famous rock and dance […]
Barcelona restaurants
Alkimia Visitors often ask me where they can get the ‘elBulli experience’ in Barcelona, and the answer is nowhere, but there is certainly a similar kind of alchemy going on at Alkimia, which comes a good second. Its deconstructed, theatrical takes on Catalan standards certainly show Ferran Adrià’s influence, and the opening salvo of deconstructed […]
8 Tested Tips For Visiting Barcelona
Always book your tickets online ahead of time If you’re planning to see the three big Gaudí sites—La Sagrada Família, Park Güell, or La Pedrera at Casa Milà—make sure you book your tickets online ahead of time to avoid being locked out of something you came all the way to Barcelona to see. As an […]
How to rediscover Barcelona on a Catalan night out
Barcelona has long been the city success story for Spanish tourism, drawing record numbers of international visitors every year. While the influence of the tourist euro on the city’s fortunes cannot be underestimated, for locals this success has come at a price as areas such as Barri Gòtic have changed beyond recognition. Recently, however, Barcelona’s […]
A local’s guide to Christmas and New Year in Barcelona
There are few places on earth as festive-feeling as Barcelona’s chocolate-box medieval heart over the Christmas period (which here runs until Epiphany, or Twelfth Night). Even the narrowest of alleyways are bathed in the glow of coloured lights, and entire families step out together to soak up the atmosphere, gaze at the huge nativity scene […]