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.

Best Stag Weekend Activities in Europe

If you’re set to be a best man in summer 2012 then you’ve probably already been nominated with the all-important task of organising a stag weekend for your brother or best mate and all of the other lads in the new year – and of course there is therefore always a lot of pressure to create one of the best activity weekends that you’ll never forget. With that in mind here are some great stag weekend activity ideas to get the creative juices flowing...

Quad Biking – Get a great adrenaline rush as you cruise around in the dirt at high speeds for some fast and furious and seriously laddish fun. Race your mates and see who comes out on top.

Military Vehicles – Lets be fair now, is there anything more manly than driving a tank? Well now you can make all those boyhood dreams come true and drive a range of military vehicles around specialised designed courses in great locations across Europe.

Snowmobiles – Fancy something a bit different on your winter stag do? You can now find snowmobile driving opportunities in great European locations like Krakow and Riga.

Best Stag and Hen Weekend Destinations in the UK

Let’s face it, stag weekends and hen weekends in are always pretty crazy and usually boozey affairs – and while some people will choose to travel to destinations for Europe for their big night out (often to get as far away from their bride or groom to be as possible), there are still plenty of great locations in the UK in which to have your stag or hen weekend at a fraction of the cost. Here are some of the most popular destinations in the UK:

Blackpool – If ever there was a town designed to welcome gangs of lads or girls for a mad weekend it is Blackpool. Take a trip up to the North West coast for hundreds of bars, pubs and clubs galore. Test your hangover by riding rollercoasters on the pleasure beach, get kitted up in fancy dress on the promenade or take a trip to the beach.

Leeds – Leeds has arguably the best nightlife in the north of England with fantastic clubs like Space and Gatecrasher. There are also some great outdoor activities you can take part in in the countryside around the city, such as paintball and clay pigeon shooting – or you can take a hike on the moors of nearby Ilkley.

London – Ladies on a hen do can shop til they drop in the heart of England’s capital. Nightlife is more varied and cosmopolitan than in most cities in the world - so both stags and hens are sure to find a pub or club to suit them and their mates. Take a trip on the London eye and see all the sites during the day.

Looking the Part on Your Stag Do in Europe with Personalised Stag T Shirts

As many travellers who have visited many countries across Europe will no doubt be aware, the continent has a number of cities that have become immensely popular with UK visitors on Stag Nights who head to central and Eastern European city destinations in search of some Sunshine, Fun and abundant amounts of cheap beer. Prague, Budapest, Amsterdam, Riga, Krakow and Tallinn are now all very popular destinations for Stag Weekends as they are widely accessible with cheap flight companies.

Each of these holiday destinations also offers many options for cheap hostel accommodation – and each city also provides entertainment and quality nightlife that is rarely rivaled in other locations across the world. While on a stag do, its seems to be the case these days that it is essential that the lads involved look the part - and therefore ensure that the groom is forced to don some sort of ridiculous outfit, while other members of the party should always think about picking up a personalised stag t shirt for their trip so they can enjoy all the fun of a stag night in these great European locations.

Stag Weekends In Leeds: Rock Harder Than Any Other European City

Hello once again people of the world - hope you are all ok! It certainly feels like a long, long time since I last updated my travel blog and indeed, the main reason for this is that for the time being at least, my backpacking days are numbered. Yes, suffice to say I'm back in good old Blighty (if you don't know this is the slang term for Britain), back at work as an office boy and basically trying to save up my pennies once again for another exciting trip around the great cities that Europe and indeed the rest of the world may have to offer.

Of course, having said this I've realised having returned from my numerous excursions in far away lands that it's all too easy to forget how many fantastic cities that the UK has to offer in terms of nightlife and hot women and none more so than Leeds - the city some say (mostly people from Leeds admittedly!) is "the pride of Yorkshire". I've been lucky enough (or possibly unlucky enough going on the state of my health after previous such occasions) to recently be invited onto the stag do of a very good friend of mine - and as you may have guessed this is set to take place "oop north" as it were in the great city of Leeds. Many people seem to go abroad for stag nights these days, but call me old fashioned - I personally don't think it’s fair to inflict a bunch of drunken English lads onto the most beautiful, historic, and cultured cities in Europe.

For those of you who aren't from England, I feel I should point out that Leeds has quickly become THE place to go out and party in the north of England over the last few years and has arguably some of the best selection of clubs to make any stag do go off with a bang. Whether your tastes are for Dance music and the famous Gatecrasher club, funk and soul at the Hi Fi club or indie and rock nights at the famous Cockpit club then there are undoubtedly very few cities in the country better to take out your mates on a stag do. The locals seem to head down to the many bars on call lane but be wary of this as they only tend to take mixed sex groups. Don't let this put you off a stag party in Leeds though. Indeed, in my experience (and having enjoyed several English stag nights of other friends in the cities of Newcastle and Nottingham), Leeds stag parties simply rock like no other.

Don't forget too that before the hardcore drinking commences you are in a perfect location to enjoy some good team outdoor activities in the Yorkshire Dales - from paintballing to clay pigeons you are sure to find something to get the testosterone flowing. So if one of your mates is thinking of having his big night out in the UK - why not take my advice and get involved with a massive stag party in Leeds.