5 happy gay bars in Barcelona

Loud interior, red light, Spanish pop music and the occasional drag performance: Cangrejo (Lobster) is the kind of gay bar you see in the movies and yes, it’s just as much fun as it looks like in those movies. Attracts a young crowd.

Decorated like the inside of an insane jewellery box, this bar certainly hasn’t stolen its name. A good, quiet place for a drink and a chat.

Two bars, a lot of fake art and plenty of television screens showing the music videos to the songs you hear. Museum is popular with men who frequent gyms but also with groups of friends who just want to have a good time dancing. On weekend nights it gets filled to the brim between 1 and 3 am.

Axel Hotel is the number one gay hotel in Barcelona. Of course it needed a fancy cocktail bar on the roof. So there you have it: a bit more formal than most gay bars but very relaxed. Comes with a nice view over Eixample.

The friendliest of the city’s gay bars. The staff are a joy to watch, and apart from the regular drinks they have some personal cocktails as well (such as the wodka-based ‘Swedish Bitch’). During the day food is served, mostly Italian. There’s a terrace on the square across the street.