by When it comes to nightlife in most parts of the world, there is usually a direct choice between a city vibe or the beach. But in the Costa Brava, you get the best of both worlds. For sun owners with amazing sunsets, you will find waterfront terrace bars with great views. Meanwhile, the labyrinthine lanes of Girona’s Old Town are full of bars of all kinds, from old school jazz clubs with top acts to beer bars. Or, if you like to push your stuff, you’ll find clubs and bars with sounds from Motown to Blondie and Eurodisco.
For more Costa Brava inspiration, see our guide to hotels, restaurants, things to do, beaches and scenic drives.
Find crops by area
Begur and surrounding area
La Luna
La Lluna is a long-standing Begur institution and this friendly, relaxed bar is a favorite with night owls of all ages. In an old townhouse with cellar-like stone arches, the well-stocked bar has an excellent selection of gins, spirits and cocktails. Interconnecting rooms lead to different bar areas, one of which has table football and a dart board. Be warned, though: Spanish bar staff don’t use optics so one G&T here, served in glasses like goldfish bowls, is the equivalent of five at home. Music ranges from jazz and house to Eurodisco and blues, and there’s also a nice outdoor patio.
Contact: 00 34 972 622023; Facebook page
Opening times: Friday and Saturday: 10.00pm – 2.30am, Sun – 10.00pm – 2.30am
Prices: £
Entry: No dress code
C-rock
Located on one of the town’s main thoroughfares, you will find the C-Roack walled garden with its hanging lanterns. This is the perfect place for a nightcap. Inside is a small but quaint bar with a good selection of spirits and vintage radios on the shelves and old paintings and billboards on the walls. The music is an eclectic mix of Europop and jazz, but like many bars in Spain you’ll find the place pretty empty if you get in before midnight. Between 1am and 2am the bar fills up with locals and tourists alike, enjoying the wide selection of beers and cocktails.
Contact: croakcocktailbar.wixsite.com
Prices: £
Entry: No dress code or door policy
Aquaclara
The stylish walled garden of Hotel Aiguaclara is a favorite spot among hip locals for a summer evening drink. There is an extensive wine list featuring great local Emporda wines, as well as cocktails, G&Ts and a well-stocked bar, making it perfect for enjoying a drink languorously before or after dinner. On Friday nights (and Tuesdays in the summer), drinkers and diners alike take to the dance floor, strutting their stuff to the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin or Blondie while the vinyl DJ plays floor-filling hits from the sixties, the seventies and eighties.
Contact: hoteliguaclara.com
Prices: ££
Entry: No dress code or door policy
Llafranch Hotel
When the Llafranch Hotel first opened in 1958, the Costa Brava was still popular with the international jet set and guests included Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren and Kirk Douglas. The stars may be long gone but their photos still adorn the bar inside and the location of the hotel’s terrace bar, overlooking the bay, is a perfect spot for a sun owner. Sit back with a tinto de verano (chilled red wine and lemonade) or G&T and watch the waves or people pass by on the promenade.
Contact: hllafranch.com
Prices: £
Entry: No door policy
Cadaqués
La Frontera
Cadaqués’ long-time favorite, the Mediterranean clubhouse, is just a few minutes’ walk from the seafront. The pretty garden terrace makes a lovely place for post-dinner cocktails and inside you can enjoy a drink from the well-stocked bar at small elegant tables under stone arches. Alternatively, join the glamorous youngsters as they get down and boogie to the sounds of rock’n’roll and Europop classics amidst colorful lights and a mirrored disco ball. There is also a pool table, themed parties during the summer and performances from jazz and rock bands.
Contact: 00 34 654 60 28 26; Facebook page
Opening times: January – 24 June, Friday – Saturday, 10pm – 3.30pm; 25 June – December, every night 10pm – 3.30am
Prices: ££
Entry: No door policy as such but it’s generally a smart crowd
Girona
Sunset Jazz Club
If you’re a jazz fan and after the cozy jazz clubs of the fifties and sixties with red velvet armchairs, walls laden with signed photos of old musicians and quirky touches like the occasional Dansette record player dotted around, look no further. than Sunset. . Playing everything from traditional jazz to modern and contemporary jazz, there are also weekly live shows that attract quality international acts. The well-stocked bar has a good range of gins, whiskeys and rums, and cocktails are a specialty with the ‘Sunset’ a light mix of cava, passion fruit syrup, peach liqueur and Brazilian cachaça.
Contact: sunsetjazz-club.com
Prices: £
Entry: No dress code; tickets for live shows are best booked in advance by email
El Doll
There can’t be many bars where you can pull your own pint but at El Doll, that’s exactly what you do. From the outside it looks like a perfectly normal neighborhood bar, unpretentious, but inside the small tables, there are gleaming beer taps, silver-toned. You buy a card at the bar; €10 (£9) gets you around three glasses. Choose from local craft beers or various brews including San Miguel. Weekends are busiest with a young, local crowd jamming at the bar amid rock sounds from Nirvana to Alanis Morisette.
Contact: eldoll.cat
Prices: £
Entry: No dress code or door policy
La Simfonia
This place is just the place if you love good wines (and cheeses) and like to taste an exceptional bottle or glass among the locals in a nice outdoor patio. The small terrace is on a small dune plaza in the heart of Girona’s Old Town and the expertly selected wine list has everything from an excellent Empordà garnatxa to a 1929 Pedro Ximénez (€3-€40/£3-£35 glass). Wines can only be ordered if accompanied by a food order, however, such as a sharing plate of artisan cheeses (€10-€17/£9-15).
Contact: lasymfonia.com
Prices: £-£££
Entry: No door policy and dress-wise, anything goes
L’Escala
Café dell’Arte
Just behind the shores of the coastal town of L’Escala, this characterful neighborhood bar serves excellent Catalan wines (and some great value tapas) amid red velvet drapes, vintage Dansette record players, vintage radios and brick-a -brack of the fifties. . The Synera house red is beautifully inky and full-bodied and a steal at less than €3 (£2) a glass. The music is an excellent selection of light jazz and they do it well too silence (toasted with freshly rubbed tomatoes and olive oil) with local cheeses and hams as well as excellent homemade pizza. Weekends are the busiest.
Address: Bearer of Calvary, 1
Contact: 00 34 972 77 44 96, instagram.com/dellartelescala
Opening times: Thursday-Saturday, 7pm-12 midnight, Sunday 12pm-4pm
Prices: £
Entry: No dress code or admission policy
How we choose
Every bar, venue or experience on this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from casual pubs to exquisite cocktail bars – to best suit every type of traveler – and consider service, drinks, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up-to-date recommendations.
