The Best Bars for Solo Travellers in Barcelona

Located just off the Plaça Catalunya, Belushi’s is a busy bar located on the ground floor of a youth hostel. The bar is as popular with hostel guests as it is students and the local twenty-something international crowd who love to socialise (and that’s an understatement). The bar is big on sports and you can watch most major sporting events on large HD televisions while enjoying burgers, salads, wraps or a selection of Spanish tapas.

There’s a reason there’s an Irish pub in pretty much every city in the world. Located down a side street off La Rambla, Flaherty’s has your usual combination of classic pub grub, live sports on TV and a wide selection of beers on tap including British favourites Guinness and Strongbow cider. Grab a stool at the bar, order yourself a pint and you’ll be enjoying the craic in no time at all.

The Cat Bar is known and loved to locals and travellers for its vegan menu, craft beer and live music nights. The vegan burger is often hailed as the best in the city and there’s a good selection of beers, ales and cider on tap and in bottles. The bar’s laid-back atmosphere and casual style of service might not be up everybody’s street. On the flip side you’ll be treated like a regular on your first visit and both staff and customers tend to be open-minded and friendly.

Something of an institution in the Barceloneta neighbourhood, El Vaso de Oro or ‘The Golden Jug’ is a classic Spanish tapas bar with plenty of character. There’s not much more to the venue than the physical bar top itself which is invariably packed with locals and increasing numbers of travellers in the know. The bar is famous for its own-brew beer and its great selection of classic tapas such as fried chorizo and patatas bravas. The fact that seating is concentrated around the bar means even eating alone is a sociable affair and you’ll be shoulder to shoulder with other diners.

Betty Ford’s is a hip late-night bar located right in the middle of one of Barcelona’s most bar-filled streets. There’s something of a family feel among the regular crowd of skaters and El Raval cool-kids who come here for good vibes and even tastier burgers. Late afternoon is the best time to come in for a chat with whoever’s manning the bar, while later on the atmosphere gets quite lively. Expect loud(-ish) music and cult 90s films on the overhead projector.

Located on a narrow street which runs parallel to La Rambla, La Whiskería is a late-night bar which prides itself on its fine selection of whiskies. The main bar area is small and rather intimate, with dark wood and glass interiors adding to the pub-like atmosphere. The English-speaking bar staff are friendly and used to a mix crowd of locals and travellers, which makes them particularly good at making small talk.

Located on the far side of Sant Antoni, just a street behind the trendy Parlament Street, La Bombilla is a friendly French-owned bar with a great selection of cocktails and wines. The atmosphere gets pretty funky at weekends when there are often DJ nights popular with regulars and you can soon find yourself feeling in the middle of a house party. As well as being friendly and willing to chat, the bar-staff are also pretty darn good at making cocktails.