Any guide to bars in Barcelona is essentially going to be a matter of personal taste, so my choice of the top 10 is based solely on my 6+ years of living there and exploring the city. However, there should be something here for everyone to enjoy, from the seedy to the select.

Rita Blue: Placa Sant Augusti, 3 In a small square just off Las Ramblas, and next to an old church, Rita Blue is a favourite of locals and those lucky tourists who have been there. It's location in the square allows for spacious seating outdoors, perfect for relaxing in the shade after a day's shopping, but step inside and you'll discover a chilled-out gem that combines modernism with a hint of Bohemia. Funky and retro, there is a plush upstairs bar, a darker basement where the dance floor fairly heaves as the night goes on, and a crowd bent on enjoyment. If you like decent mexican food, you won't go too far wrong, but most first time visitors cut their teeth on the famous blue margaritas for which the bar is named.

Schilling: C. Ferran, 23 Boasting an ideal location on busy Ferran just off Las Ramblas, this bar is just the spot to get your breath back if you've been traipsing the streets all day. Appearing more like an informal library than a bar, the décor is muted and relaxed with high ceilings and the seating comfortable. Earlier in the day it is more of a bustling cafe, and serves breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, but as night falls it becomes a very lively cocktail bar, with a mixed crowd with a strong gay representation. Unlike many bars in Barcelona, service is usually fast, friendly and efficient. With it's wide windows facing out onto one of the city's busiest streets, this spot is one of the best to spend an hour people watching.

El Xampanyet: C. Montcada, 22 Tucked away in a narrow, cobbled street not far from the Picasso Museum, this has to be one of the pearls of the city. A bodega with blue tiled walls, marble tables, a zinc bar and a preponderance of artifacts, it combines the old and the new, and attracts an eclectic mix of old-timers and trendsetters. If you're planning a night of clubbing then this is the perfect spot to begin, get a bottle of Cava and sip it over tapas before hitting the hot spots.

Casa Almirall: Joaquín Costa, 33 One of the oldest bars in the city, Almirall is dimly lit and popular with young locals preparing for a night of dancing. There is somewhat a Bohemian feel to the place, with it's huge Art Nouveau mirror behind the bar, and nu-jazz and funky beats played at volumes which allow for easy conversation. Although the neighbourhood can seem a bit edgy, the street is a haunt for elderly prostitutes, the bar itself is welcoming and inexpensive, drawing a young and often international crowd.

Benidorm: Joaquín Costa 39 Just a few doors down is one of Barcelona's odder little spots, a bar where you need to be buzzed in at the door, before stepping down into a haven of kitsch and smoke. Small and lively, Benidorm attracts a mixture of trendier locals and, for whatever reason, Scandinavians, and features plenty of 80s disco gear including a revolving mirror-ball, plus one of the smallest toilets in the city. The music is unpredictable, depending on the DJ, and they often have famous guests playing their favourite music, like members of Pan Sonic or even Peaches.

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