The best bars and nightlife on the Costa Brava
When it comes to nightlife in most parts of the world, there’s usually a straight choice between a city vibe or the beach. But in the Costa Brava, you get the best of both worlds. For sundowners with spectacular sunsets, you’ll find seafront terrace bars with phenomenal views. Meanwhile, the labyrinthine lanes of Girona’s Old Town are teeming with bars of all kinds from old school jazz clubs with world-class acts to craft beer bars. Or, if you like to strut your stuff, you’ll find clubs and bars with sounds ranging 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 a bar by area
Begur and the surrounding area
La Lluna
La Lluna is a long-standing Begur institution and this friendly, relaxed bar is a favourite with night owls of all ages. In an old townhouse with cellar-like stone arches, the well-stocked bar has an impressive selection of gins, spirits and cocktails. Interconnecting rooms lead to different bar areas and one has table football and a dartboard. Be warned however: Spanish bar staff don’t use optics so one G&T here, served in glasses like goldfish bowls, is the equivalent of about five at home. Music ranges from jazz and house to Eurodisco and blues, and there’s also a pretty outdoor patio.
Contact: 00 34 972 622023; Facebook page
Opening times: Fri and Sat: 10.00pm -2.30am, Sun – 10.00pm – 2.30am
Prices: £
Getting in: No dress code
C-roack
Tucked away down one of the town’s many winding alleys, you'll find the walled garden of C-roack with its hanging lanterns. This is the perfect place for a nightcap. Inside there’s a small but quirky bar with a good selection of spirits and vintage radios on shelves and old paintings and advertising hoardings on the walls. Music is an eclectic mix of Europop and jazz, but like many bars in Spain you’ll find the place relatively empty if you arrive before midnight. Between 1am and 2am the bar fills up with locals and tourists alike, enjoying the wide selection of beers and cocktails.
Contact: croackcocktailbar.wixsite.com
Prices: £
Getting in: No dress code or door policy
Aiguaclara
The stylish walled garden of Hotel Aiguaclara is a favourite spot amongst hip locals for a summer evening drink. There’s an extensive wine list featuring superb local Emporda wines, as well as cocktails, G&Ts and a well-stocked bar, making it perfect for languorously enjoying a drink either pre- or post-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 as the vinyl DJ plays floor-filling hits from the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties.
Contact: hotelaiguaclara.com
Prices: ££
Getting in: No dress code or door policy
Hotel Llafranch
When the Hotel Llafranch first opened in 1958, the Costa Brava was still a favourite with the international jetset and its 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 terrace bar, looking directly out to the bay, is the perfect place for a sundowner. Sit back with a tinto de verano (chilled red wine and lemonade) or G&T and watch the waves or passers-by on the promenade.
Contact: hllafranch.com
Prices: £
Getting In: No door policy
Cadaqués
La Frontera
There’s a real Mediterranean club vibe about this long-running Cadaqués favourite, just a few minutes’ walk from the seafront. The pretty garden terrace makes a lovely place for post-dinner cocktails whilst inside you can enjoy a drink from the well-stocked bar at small, elegant tables under stone arches. Alternatively join the glamorous young things as they get down and boogie to the sounds of classic rock’n’roll and Europop amidst multi-coloured lights and a mirrored disco ball. There’s also a pool table, themed parties in the summer and performances from jazz and rock bands.
Contact: 00 34 654 60 28 26; Facebook page
Opening times: January – June 24, Fri – Sat, 10pm – 3.30pm; June 25 – December, nightly 10pm – 3.30am
Prices: ££
Getting in: No door policy as such but it’s generally a smartish crowd
Girona
Sunset Jazz Club
If you’re a jazz fan and hanker after the cosy jazz clubs of the Fifties and Sixties with red velvet armchairs, walls laden with signed photos of old jazzers and quirky touches like the odd Dansette record player dotted around, look no further than the Sunset. Playing everything from trad to modern and contemporary jazz, there are also weekly live shows drawing quality international acts. The well-stocked bar has a good range of gins, whiskies and rums, and cocktails are a speciality with the 'Sunset' a tantalising mix of cava, passionfruit syrup, peach liqueur and Brazilian cachaça.
Contact: sunsetjazz-club.com
Prices: £
Getting in: No dress code; tickets for live shows are best reserved ahead by email
El Doll
There can’t be many bars where you can pull your own pints but at El Doll, that’s exactly what you do. From the outside it looks like a perfectly ordinary, unpretentious neighbourhood bar, but inside the small, high tables have gleaming, silver-toned beer taps. You buy a card at the bar; €10 (£9) gets you about three glasses worth. Choose from local craft beers or different brews including San Miguel. Weekends are busiest with a youngish, local crowd jostling at the bar amidst retro rock sounds from Nirvana to Alanis Morisette.
Contact: eldoll.cat
Prices: £
Getting in: No dress code or door policy
La Simfonia
This place is just the spot if you love good wines (and cheeses) and like the idea of savouring an exceptional bottle or glass amidst locals in a pretty outdoor patio. The small terrace is on a diminutive, cobbled plaça in the heart of Girona’s Old Town and the expertly chosen wine list features everything from an excellent Empordà garnatxa to a 1929 Pedro Ximénez (€3-€40/£3-£35 per glass). Wines can only be ordered if accompanied by a food order however, for example a sharing platter of artisan cheeses (€10-€17/£9-15).
Contact: lasimfonia.com
Prices: £-£££
Getting in: No door policy and dress-wise, anything goes
L’Escala
Café dell’Arte
Just behind the seafront on the coastal town of L’Escala, this characterful neighbourhood bar serves up excellent Catalan wines (and some great-value tapas) amidst red velvet drapes, old Dansette record-players, vintage radios and Fifties bric-a-brac. The house red Synera is beautifully inky and full-bodied and a steal at less than €3 (£2) a glass. Music is a classy selection of light jazz and they also do good tostadas (toast with freshly rubbed tomato and olive oil) with local cheeses and hams as well as rather excellent homemade pizzas. Weekends are the busiest.
Address: Carrer Calvari, 1
Contact: 00 34 972 77 44 96, instagram.com/dellartelescala
Opening times: Thurs-Sat, 7pm-12 midnight, Sun 12pm–4pm
Prices: £
Getting in: No dress code or entrance policy
How we choose
Every bar, venue or experience in 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 traveller – and consider the 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.
