Spain
After Dark
The fact that there’s a specific Spanish word – madrugada – for the small hours between midnight and dawn says everything about the country’s nightlife. Start your evening late, lingering over plates of tapas and goblets of gin in a dimly lit bar, before seeing where the night takes you.
t A flower power party at Pacha in Ibiza
Club Life
Think of Spain’s nightlife and Ibiza is probably the first thing that comes to mind. The island attracts the party set during the sultry summer months, and they dance to the latest tunes at Amnesia (www.amnesia.es) or Privilege (privilegeibiza.com). If you’re visiting during the colder months, the big cities offer nightclubs hot enough to keep you warm. Fabrik and Kapital (www.grupo-kapital.com) headline Madrid’s scene, while Café del Mar (cafedelmar-barcelona.com) and Pacha (pachabarcelona.es) keep Barcelona grooving. But Valencia’s vast range of night-time offerings eclipses them all: find out more on p42.
Go Flamenco
Finding authentic flamenco can be surprisingly difficult and some tablaos lack duende (spirit). Avoid the tourist traps and head for Casa Patas (casapatas.com), Tablao Cordobés (tablaocordobes.es) and El Arenal (tablaoelarenal.com). Jerez de la Frontera has several peñas – gritty clubs run by aficionados – but our favourite is Peña La Buleria (Calle Empedrada 20; 856 05 37 72). Got itchy feet? Put on your dancing shoes and take a class at the Museo del Baile Flamenco.
Spain Live
From the stirring sound of flamenco to the traditional tunes of the Basque lands, you’ll rarely experience silence in Spain and there’s a huge range of beats for music lovers to experience. If you yearn for dimly lit jazz bars, spend a mellow night at Madrid’s Café Central (www.cafecentralmadrid.com). Indie and rock fans should seek out Seville’s Fun Club, which has been hosting up-and-coming bands since the 1980s (www.funclubsevilla.com). Don your jeans, grab a beer and wind your way to the stage. For a more extravagant night, attend a classical concert at the Palau de la Música Catalana.
Insider Tip
Start Late
Restaurants in Spain rarely open before 9pm, but you can snack on tapas if you get peckish earlier. If you want to get into the Spanish rhythm, have a siesta, then join the locals for a paseo (evening stroll).
DISCOVER Spain Your Way
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Drink When the weather gets hot, head to one of these rooftop bars. El Sueño ⌂ The Serras, Passeig de Colom 9, Barcelona ∑ hoteltheserrasbarcelona.com Radio ⌂ ME Madrid Reina Victoria, Plaza de Santa Ana 14, Madrid ∑ melia.com The Cornerhouse ⌂ Alameda de Hércules 31, Seville ∑ thecornerhousesevilla.com |