Prices and Opening Times. Nightlife in Valencia, Spain

First of all let's get this straight - in Spain a "bar" is a cafe, "cafe" is a bar or a club and a "pub" is a disco-bar. So don't trust any names. Whenever you see "bar" - sure you can get a beer from a tap there, but usually it will be just a few tables with people eating sandwiches. A cafe, on the other hand, such as "Cafe Bolseria", or "Cafe Cantante" are places of nightlife where people get dunk and dance. When the locals say "pub", they mean a place that's open until 4am and is full of dancing people.

Not all pubs close that early, especially outside the centre, so don't judge the closing time by our classification. Basically, on this site a "pub / bar" is where people drink and talk, a "disco-bar" is where they drink and dance at free entry fee and a "night-club" is where they pay to carry on doing that after 4am until 7-8am.

The nightlife in Valencia moves in three stages.

Pub / Bar

These are the equivalent of a British pub or a cocktail bar. There is no dance floor, people sit on the tables or mingle at the bar. The music is usually not dancy, it could be rock, pop or lounge. These places start filling up with weekenders at 9 or 10, but they don't really start buzzing until midnight.

Opening days: most will open throughout the week, although some will take monday off.

Opening times: some are cafes by day and open throughout the day, others start going at 8 or 9pm.

Closing time: In Carmen it is 1.30pm on weekdays and 2pm Fri and Sat, but they may well go for a little bit longer if you already inside. In other areas many pubs will go on until 3.30am

Prices: entry free
Beers are normally around 3€ for a 375ml bottle, 4€ a pint or 2€ half a pint from tap (although taps are not everywhere)
Spirit/mixer around 5€
Prices outside the centre and the beach can be slightly lower.

Once these places close, the crowds move to

Disco-Bars

Remember: in Spanish they will often be called a Pub or a Cafe!

Disco-bars are mini-clubs with free entry. They are very popular in Valencia, being more or less synonymous with going out to party. They are usually small (although there are a few that are bigger than some night-clubs in Valencia) and with a dancing area that spills out to the rest of the venue at busy times. The music tends to be either rock, pop or house/dance, although more alternative places will play other stuff too.

Opening days: here there is a lot of variation. Some will open throughout the week (although there won't be much of a party), many will include Thursdays, and all will be open on Fri and Sat.

Opening times: they will normally open between 11 and midnight but won't really start moving until about 1am. The height of it comes at around 2am, when people arrive from closing time in pubs.

Closing times: 3.30am. Some places will go to 4am but that largely depends on how often the police has been visiting. That is on weekends, the places that open during the week will normally roll down at about 2.30am.

Prices: entry free
Beer: 3-5€ 375ml bottle
5-7€ spirit/mixer

Night-clubs

The club is where you go after 4am. Some might be open before that but they will be empty.
Opening days: Fri and Sat
Opening times: from before 4am (usually not worth it before anyway) to 7-8am

Prices: entry will normally be 10€, although it could be (rarely) anywhere between 7 and 15. This includes a drink. Considering the prices inside, you are only paying a few euros for the entry. Always watch out for flyers in pubs and disco-bars - there are many promotions such as free entry, free drink or discounts.
Beer: 5€ 375ml bottle is normal
Spirit/mixer: usually 8€, but sometimes can be 7€