9 Best Performing Arts in Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona’s cine-aficionados praise this 12-screen complex, which boasts one of the best sound systems in the city, and very comfortable seating designed to ensure no one's view is impeded. Screenings, which lean toward the latest Hollywood releases, are all in VOS.

Gràcia's movie center, with bars and restaurants in the immediate vicinity, unfailingly screens recent releases (with a preference for serious-minded cinema) in their original-language versions. Sister cinema Verdi Park is just around the corner, and also shows films in VOS (original version with Spanish subs).

Since 1970, this venerable dinner theater has thrived by catering to tour groups: visitors who may or may not know that flamenco is a cultural import here in Catalonia but relish a good show when they see one. El Cordobés maintains a high standard of professionalism, booking well-known and respected performers from all over Spain; the program changes regularly, and there are performances throughout the evening, from an early show with tapas to dinner presentations.

This self-proclaimed artist social club—remodeled from an old textile factory on the outer limits of the Poblenou district—is a great place for emerging young visual artists to find their footing. Part of the complex accommodates work spaces for resident artists and creatives; live performances and festivals are hosted here as well.

The Filmoteca de Catalunya occupies a brutalist-style edifice designed by Josep Lluís Mateo. With plush seats, wide screens, and a state-of-the-art sound system, it’s a film buff's paradise. Most movies are screened in VOS (though the original language is not always English) and are programmed in "cycles." The program is always serious and approached academically, whether the focus is musicals, film noir, or documentaries. The colorful café is a great spot for a vermut or some tapas, and has tables out on the square.

On the lower level of a small neighborhood shopping mall, the Icaria Yelmo offers a solid mix of blockbusters, 3-D specials, and the latest releases in in their original language, though sometimes weeks after their general premieres.

A five-minute walk from the Plaça de la Universitat, this cinema is a good choice for current English-language features, primarily of the indie ilk.

This well-respected performing arts theater, arguably the most prestigious in Barcelona, offers two distinct branches in the city: one is located on a backstreet in trendy Gràcia, and the second, in Montjuic, boasts an ornate facade and a larger stage. In operation since 1976, Teatre Lliure hosts an impressive lineup of theater, dance, and musical events and has an ample and inviting on-site café.

Some of the most avant-garde exhibits and installations that come through Barcelona find their way to this cultural powerhouse, a 15-minute metro ride away in the suburb of Hospitalet de Llobregat. (Note that the Josep Tarradellas address is not the in-town Barcelona street that runs between Estació de Sants and Plaça Francesc Macià.)