Barcelona may be hot, but its nightlife has nothing on London

Is having a Messi one in Barca better than a Sterling evening in the British capital? Last weekend I flew out to Barcelona for a 21st and experienced a couple of nights out in the Spanish cosmopolitan city of culture. Having been to Barcelona before as a child, I knew what to expect during the day: the impressive and awe-inspiring Sagrada Familia, mosaic covered buildings and lizards, lots of tapas, paella and sangria. But I was yet to see the city by night, and as a student of London I was interested to compare it capital – especially considering the recent story of the student who commutes from Barcelona to London. It made me think, was living in Dalston a raw deal?

Only hostels have weird shit like this

Pre drinks are better in Barca

Predrinks in Barcelona far surpass those in London. London is expensive enough to leave even the biggest of lightweights out of pocket. Barcelona, on the other hand, has 24 hour supermercados on every corner selling Sangria by the litre for €1,50 and bottle of wine for €2, with spirits weighing in around €8-10. Drinks in the club are just as expensive as London, but if you’ve had the equivalent of 10 shots from picking the last king in Ring of Fire before you get there, there’s no need for any more.

Spanish weather is also preferable

Despite being early February (and London suffering from the grips of Storm Imogen or whatever), Barcelona was heavenly. Not uncomfortably hot like summer would be, but a perfect in-between temperature where you can happily wear no jacket, dance without feeling your make-up slide off your face, and step outside to a soft breeze to refresh. Plus, pre drinks under the city lights is always nice – especially for the smokers.

Never too early for Sangria

Entry costs are ridiculous in Barcelona

We only went in to one club called The Catwalk. Most, if not all, of the city’s main clubs are on a strip on the beach which makes it easy to club hop if you want to. Entrance was expensive, starting at €15, so it’s often best to go to one club and stay there. On the plus side, the queue wasn’t long and they all stay open until 6am, so what time you rock up doesn’t really matter.

The clubs are identical

The inside was just like any club in London with two rooms, lit in different colours mainly in order to distinguish where you were in your drunken state. Music was as you would expect – global charts – although the odd 80s banger was thrown in just to spice things up. The club wasn’t heaving, Feb probably isn’t their most popular tourist month, but busy enough and it meant it was pleasantly spacious – unlike Loop on a Wednesday where you can’t walk five paces without being smeared with the sweat of 20 different people – and it was easy to get more drinks, if you could afford them.

Taxis were cheap

Getting home was simple and quick too with an abundance of taxis lined up as soon as you left the club and only cost a few euros each, that said, so is Uber. However one thing Barca had over London was the taxi driver was more than happy with people chunning in the back of the bus.

Perfect hangover cure

Barca just isn’t London

All in all, Barca is great for a city break. I think the familiarity of London, paired with the cheap club entry enamours me more to London but neither are as cheap as your Eastern European counterparts. However, the Spanish city was still good fun and sightseeing during the day was admittedly just as enjoyable as the evening clubbing. It’s a beautiful place, with beaches, good food and great culture. To be quite frank, anywhere is fun when you are with your friends and smashed off your faces. But London is probably best.