The Thinking Man’s Barcelona Stag Do

Stag weekends have something of an image crisis to attend to, especially in the UK. It seems barely a week goes by without a new story about “Brits abroad” getting in trouble on foreign soil, whether it’s scrapping with the locals or being too drunk to board the flight, sometimes the point that’s forgotten is there is a market for men looking to expand their cultural horizons with their “last weekend of freedom”.

For these more aspirational types, a Barcelona stag do might be just the ticket thanks to the cities’ peerless emphasis on good living as well as the small matter of the city being home to one of the best football teams the world has ever seen.

For foodies Barcelona might just be one of Europe’s highlights owing to the cosmopolitan outlook the city boasts. There is a world of international delicacies on offer but if it’s a more traditional Catalonian experience that your stag party is seeking, there’s a great selection of restaurants you should be targeting. Dos Palillos on C/ Elisabets serves traditional Spanish tapas infused with Asian influences, which, on paper admittedly sounds like a bit of a muddle but it’s well worth a visit.

Alternatively, if you’re looking to eat well but at a budget, keep an eye out of the Menu Del Dia, which translates at Menu of the Day where you can pick up a salad, a main dish, a drink and a dessert for as little as a tenner – just use your discretion as the quality will vary. Generally, a good rule of thumb is to stay off the tried path – take a detour from the more touristy spots and you’ll save money and get great quality food to line your stomachs before heading out to some of Barcelona’s plentiful night spots.

Give the identikit pub crawls a miss on your journey here and do some research before you travel otherwise you could be faced with the less than ideal scenario of paying top dollar to drink in places that will be much the same as you’re used to in the UK. These are the places that arguably give the whole Brits abroad thing its reputation. There’s a lot more to be said for stepping out of one’s comfort zone and giving the cities’ tapas bars your onceover. Here you can get a light bite of some authentic Spanish tapas free with your drinks. Alternatively, head for any bar with Chupitos hanging above it, Chupitos translates as “shots” and here you can get a start on a Barcelona stag night that will live in infamy.

So there you have it, an introduction to the Barcelona stag do with none of that unsavoury business of being a bad ambassador for your country. Pick up a phrase book, ingratiate yourselves with the locals and see your stag do as being the perfect opportunity to expand your horizons and you’ll be rewarded with a stag weekend experience that will last a lot long in the memory banks than your average binge’s wrecking ball.