Costa del Sol Nightlife

If you’re a party animal, then Spain is the right place for you! Whether you’ve come to enjoy the scene on the Mediterranean coastline, or have travelled to one of the Spanish cities, you’ll find plenty of venues to enjoy a good night out. Be aware though, that unlike most northern European countries, drinking and socializing starts a lot later than you are perhaps used to. Most bars on the Costa del Sol for example don’t get going until around 11pm, and will continue serving well into the small hours of the morning.

Whether you are in Marbella and Puerto Banus in Andalucia, or Malaga itself, the sea-front will always be packed with revellers, particularly in the summer season. You’ll also discover fewer formal discos, and more informal disco-bars. There is no real dress code in most, and the dancing often just springs up spontaneously within the venue, or outside along the beach.

Remember, this is an outdoors country and the bars and disco scene reflects this. Another popular nightlife scene has been the rise of the purpose built beach club – essentially an exclusive bar by the beach, with huge lounge beds, hammocks, sometimes a pool (even though the sea is literally a few metres away!) and of course plenty of champagne. One such beach club is Nikki Beach in the Elviria area of the Costa del Sol (just east of Marbella) where visiting footballers, soap and film stars often go to relax.

Be aware that drinks measures are huge in Spain, and what you think is a ‘single’ may actually be a ‘triple’! Drink drive laws are very strict. The choice of alcohol is the same as any other European country and you’ll also find scores of British, Irish, or German bars (take your pick) mixed in with the Spanish ones. The Spanish haunts are usually much cheaper, though it helps to speak a bit of the local lingo to get you through. The legal drinking age in Spain is eighteen.