Sidecar on Plaça Reial has run since 1982 as Barcelona's underground rock and indie venue, with a red-lit basement booking live gigs early in the evening and DJ sets running through to dawn.
Tip: Gigs from 21:00 then DJ sets to 06:00 on weekends. The street-level cafe is the easy meeting point before doors; the basement opens after the early set.
Address: Plaça Reial 7, 08002 Barcelona
La Isabela is the year-round rooftop terrace on top of the historic Hotel 1898 on La Rambla, with 360-degree views across Port Vell, Montjuïc and Tibidabo and a small heated pool in the centre.
Tip: Open year-round, but the pool only runs April to October. Cocktails and tapas are served all day; sunset is the time to book.
Bikini Barcelona sits inside the L'Illa Diagonal complex on Avinguda Diagonal and runs gigs across pop, indie and Latin bills before the room flips into a club for the late-night crowd.
Tip: Gigs run Thursday to Saturday with the club kicking in after the band leaves. The Maria Cristina L3 stop is the easy metro; cabs queue along Diagonal.
Heliogàbal in Gràcia has run since 1995 as a 66-capacity room booking jazz, folk, songwriter, poetry readings and experimental music sets in a corner bar with red walls and a wooden bandstand.
Tip: Concerts most nights from 21:30; the Tuesday jazz session and the Sunday poetry-and-music night are the longest-running fixtures. Arrive early for a seat.
La Isabela is the year-round rooftop terrace on top of the historic Hotel 1898 on La Rambla, with 360-degree views across Port Vell, Montjuïc and Tibidabo and a small heated pool in the centre.
Tip: Open year-round, but the pool only runs April to October. Cocktails and tapas are served all day; sunset is the time to book.
Terrat is the seasonal rooftop on top of Mandarin Oriental on Passeig de Gràcia, with a dipping pool, Mediterranean-Peruvian small plates and 360-degree views across Eixample to Tibidabo.
Tip: Open April to October only; reservations strongly recommended for sunset slots. The signature cocktail list is built around the rooftop pool deck.
La Terraza on top of Hotel Pulitzer on Carrer de Bergara is the off-Plaça-Catalunya rooftop bar with signature cocktails, live music nights through the summer and a hidden-garden feel in the city centre.
Tip: Live music and DJ sets run on summer evenings. The rooftop is small; arrive at opening for a sofa seat with a view of Tibidabo.
The rooftop at Hotel Casa Fuster sits atop the 1908 Domènech i Montaner modernist building at the top of Passeig de Gràcia, with an outdoor pool, signature cocktails and panoramic views of Sagrada Família and Tibidabo.
Tip: Day passes for non-guests are limited; book the cocktail-and-pool slot directly via the hotel. Cava and Spanish tapas anchor the menu.