A Guide to Barcelona

The port city of Barcelona. Today it's considered one of the liveliest and most attractive cities of the Old World, both from a tourist point of view and in terms of nightlife. There are many good clubs here, and roughly half of them are open seven days a week. Frequent bookings of famous DJs, a diverse crowd - Spaniards and tourists from all over the world - and wonderful weather conditions are apparently the key factors in the formation of an actively living and positive club culture. Several of the oldest, experienced companies operate in the industry, such as Night Sun Group, Otto Zutz Group and Razzmatazz, and promo groups are also hard at work putting on series of parties in the city's clubs and beyond its limits.

Getting there: obtaining a Spanish visa is fairly simple: the standard set of documents and a little patience. Detailed information is on the website of the Consulate General of Spain in Moscow www.spainvac-ru.com→.

As usual, it's better to book your plane ticket in advance. Planes of many companies fly to Barcelona - for example, Aeroflot, Lufthansa, Iberia, KLM, Air France and Czech Airlines. A convenient centralized search engine is www.kayak.com→. Some of the most favourable airfares are offered by the company KD Avia.

A tip: if by evening you've forgotten to check the party announcements online, head out to the central boulevard La Rambla, and the flyer handers will find you there. Or collect flyers in shops and pubs: they'll not only point you in the right direction but also get you a small discount on the entry price. By the way, in most cases the price includes one drink (una copa) - beer or a cocktail of your choice.
If you want to start meeting other travellers right upon arrival, it's better to book accommodation not in a hotel but in a hostel. Renting rooms in hostel-apartments with a shared living room and a full kitchen is common across the city. You can find, view and reserve a room using the local classifieds board www.loquo.com→.

A decent general guide to the city is offered by the popular site Lonelyplanet→.

And to visit not only clubs but also other cultural events, it's recommended to subscribe to the weekly news mailing from the site www.lecool.com→.

The oldest of Barcelona's clubs, whose operation is supported by the municipality. Several halls have been given their own names, but the address was and will remain a single one. The club is housed in a casino building that could long ago have been renovated, but the wooden floor, the stage, the stylishly worn furniture and the retro chandeliers command respect. The musical cocktail is mixed by renowned guests: Michael Mayer, Ellen Allien, Model 500, Technasia, Supermayer, DJ Hell, DJ Koze, Hot Chip, Simian Mobile Disco...

A giant 5-in-1 entertainment factory that resembles Charlie's chocolate factory, in which you can get lost for a long time. The building's multi-level layout could not be more conducive to this: stairs and corridors, suspended bridges connecting the dancefloors, or more precisely, the clubs within the club. A techno stage on the upper level in The Loft and Lolita, indie downstairs in Razz, chillout, electro and disco in Pop Room and Rex Room. It's worth coming here for a set by a favourite musician and staying until the morning closing.

The city's best open-air club with a pool, whose party announcements show just how much German DJs love to perform in Barcelona! Tiefschwarz, Alexander Kowalski, Miss Kittin and many others frequently set the local crowd in motion on the dancefloor. The organizers pay attention to the newest trends in musical aesthetics, and their work is constantly in the spotlight of the public and the media. The best party of the year from the local promoters DaFamily (www.dafamily.eu) is the MiniComio showcase, timed to the opening of the Sonar festival.

Another open-air club worth taking a taxi to reach, even though it's beyond the city outskirts. The large dancefloor is built into the basin of a former pool, but nearby there's another pool that can be used for its intended purpose. The total area of the grounds is about 2,000 sq.m., where 1,000-1,500 guests gather every weekend. And techno, often German at that.

Mirror Room, Bad Room and Red Room are the names of three dancefloors right in the centre of La Rambla. The club tries to pursue a policy of musical diversity, since the crowd is more than half made up of tourists. The roster of artists includes DJs from the labels Get Physical, Gigolo, Sonar Kollektiv, Eskimo Rec., some hip-hop and r'n'b musicians and many interesting local names.

A cosmopolitan atmosphere, commercial music and a location in the historic part of the city on Montjuïc hill are the main criteria for the parties' popularity. Techno and house sets by the most famous DJs: Timo Maas, Danny Howells, Sven Vath, Trentemoller, M.A.N.D.Y., Anthony Pappa - such a list is impressive. One significant drawback: the sound quality could be better.

Its location in a popular promenade area on the waterfront of Port Olimpic determines its content: a long queue in front of the face-control, chic, glamour and an international crowd. A fairly commercial but successful project - a good sound system, a good crowd, house and electro music.

An expensive restaurant and lounge club in the same waterfront area, next door to the Hotel Arts, positions itself as an establishment for respectable and mature guests. The interior is based on the philosophy of feng shui - and it's perhaps the only club in Barcelona with an Asian accent. As for the music, it depends on the party: it could be an after-party following a pop star's concert, an event for MTV or for brands like Wrangler, G-Star and the like.

A popular spot for dance lovers of all stripes. House, a sexy face-control and a dress code. Besides the club there's also a beach cafe with the same name - a pleasant chill-out place to relax during daylight hours.

The club has existed since 1985. You should be surprised if, while in the city centre, you don't find in your hands a flyer for a party at Otto. R'n'B and hip-hop for tourists.

The likelihood of ending up here is also extremely high - the club is located on the main central square. Every day of the week is scheduled: the Why Not Mondays? party on Monday; Get Funked (hip-hop, breakbeat, electro, d&b) on Tuesday; electro house on Wednesday at the Pigs&Diamonds party; Club4 on Thursday; a showcase by the Spanish DaFamily and Random booking on Friday and Saturday.

The Sunday parties gather everyone who for whatever reason didn't manage to spend all their energy over the weekend. And for the most part this is young people and tourists wanting to have a few cocktails and dance. On Sundays there's techno and tech-house here, while on the other days you can catch Latin music and a correspondingly hot atmosphere.

A techno-house club in the centre, open 7 days a week. You can walk from Fellini in 5 minutes and stand in a long queue. It resembles a hybrid of the Moscow clubs Mix and Minibar, only somewhat larger in size: two floors, with pop music playing on the second as an alternative. The main observation is that the audience is hit-or-miss, and the quality of the music is a matter of luck too. Then again, many of the patrons couldn't care less, they're fine as it is.

Another daily-operating establishment, located in the old Gothic Quarter. An extremely small dancefloor with the DJ in the centre and red lighting create a sense of intimacy in what's happening. Music: minimal-techno, tech-house from local and visiting DJs.

A club somewhat removed from the centre with such a familiar name has existed for about 20 years now. Previously this place was a refuge for punk bands, who gave live concerts here. Perhaps that's exactly why steel elements predominate in the club's interior: it's fairly hard to break anything here, even if a rowdy punk crowd storms in. Another observation: practically all the club's patrons smoke, yet ashtrays are nowhere to be seen at all. An industrial space, an underground atmosphere.

A relatively new place in Barcelona. Two dancefloors are on offer: an indie-lounge room and a techno-house basement. If you keep an eye on the announcements, you can catch an excellent party featuring famous European DJs and quality video accompaniment.

A well-arranged club equipped with four projectors - thanks to which the dancefloor walls turn into a VJ's canvas. The streetstyle crowd loves to come here for the Contraflow parties, whose organizers work closely with the label Ninja Tunes.

The club got its name from its location at the 14th kilometre from the centre of Barcelona, which isn't so scary - you can get there on a special bus. It's run by the organizers of the famous Spanish festival Monegros. A huge dancefloor, a complex lighting system, a bar and a restaurant… However, apart from Laurent Garnier at the opening and Richie Hawtin during the Sonar festival, they haven't yet delighted with any more famous names. Perhaps it's all still to come.

A small afterparty club, of which there aren't many across the city. Not especially remarkable, but given its relaxed atmosphere it's perfectly suited for winding up a long night. Minimal-techno sets performed by local DJs.

An afterhours from the Matinee group, located in the town of Viladecans outside Barcelona. It opens at 6-7 a.m. and runs until late at night, offering quality music - mainly house, and toward the evening predominantly techno - and performances geared toward a gay audience. Opened in 2001, the club has a history rich with celebrated parties and a good reputation.

Parties near the beach cafes called chiringuito are most popular as afterparties during the annual Sonar festival. In peacetime you can have a wonderful lunch here to pleasant musical accompaniment and enjoy some sun-and-water treatments. Or have a mojito or two with friends on a Sunday evening, and then, most likely, everything will take a dancing turn.

On Prat beach, a short distance from Barcelona's airport, fairly large open-airs are held every year. For example, the party alternative to the Sonar festival, which this year couldn't be organized due to heightened police control. Or the aforementioned MiniComio project, whose format this year was combined with a little picnic - all guests who came to the pre-party were invited to take part in a "sardinada." In the company of friends, for a small addition to the party ticket price, you could treat yourself to sardines and champagne, and after midnight to the techno music of the best Mediterranean DJs.