Krakow Pub Crawl

---

Stepping into Barcelona’s Nightlife

So there I was wandering around the Gothic Quarter all day, filling my face with paella and taking way too many pics of Gaudí’s masterpieces. Come nighttime, I found myself itching for some of that famous Barcelona nightlife (it’d be almost a crime not to, right?). That’s when I saw it—a bright, neon flyer in my hostel lobby practically screaming at me: “Barcelona Party Animals Pub Crawl | Free Shots, Awesome Guides, and Epic Clubs!” Could that possibly sound more like my scene? Barcelona Party Animals 

I hesitated for, like, half a second. Going on a pub crawl alone in a foreign city? That could be super awkward. But you know what? The best memories almost always come from those moments that make you squirm a little. If I was gonna embrace Barcelona’s legendary party scene anywhere, a traveler-friendly pub crawl felt like the perfect way to break the ice.

I showed up at the first bar and I immediately felt better when I spotted other solo travelers. One of the guides handed me a “welcome shot,” which burned my throat like rocket fuel, but hey, it definitely set the mood. People were already buzzing with excitement, and conversation flowed so easily (probably because of all the free booze, haha).

Within what felt like minutes, I was trading wild travel stories with folks from Canada, Australia, Poland, and Italy. We bonded over our fave Spanish dishes (a heated debate on whether paella is better than tapas, haha) and weird Airbnb horror stories. The more we talked, the less I worried about being that awkward loner. The guides were seriously pros at transforming random strangers into a crazy group of new friends.

By the time we hit the second bar, this super sleek lounge with bright neon lights and a DJ blasting reggaeton, I found myself standing next to one of the main guides, a guy named Mofie. We started chatting about our shared love for spontaneous trips, living life on the edge (okay, maybe the tequila shots had something to do with this “life on the edge” talk). He mentioned that he was on some sort of “party circuit,” guiding crawls not only in Barcelona but also across various European cities whenever he could swing it.

Then he dropped the word: Krakow. My ears instantly perked up because I’d heard tiny whispers about its nightlife, but never really gave it serious thought. According to Mofie, the Krakow Party Animals Pub Crawl was on a completely different level an entire hour of unlimited drinks, VIP entrances, and a party that supposedly didn’t stop till everyone basically dropped. He was 100% convinced that if I ever made it to Poland, I absolutely had to do this crawl.

“You’ve gotta meet Afro,” Mofie said, referring to one of the Krakow guides. “He’ll definitely show you the best time you’ve ever had, trust me, it’s insane!”
Suddenly, “future travel destinations” started swirling in my brain, and Krakow zoomed right to the top of the list.

From there, we bounced from bar to bar, each place with its own quirky vibe. One had a live Spanish guitar performance, another looked like a neon rainforest (I swear there were giant glowing leaves on the ceiling), and the last club was a massive multi-level fortress blasting house music. Each new stop felt like stepping into a mini universe, and by the time we rolled up to the final club, I was already on a first-name basis with just about everyone on the crawl.

It must’ve been around 3 AM when I started daydreaming about Krakow in the middle of a packed dancefloor with lasers flashing overhead. Something about the way Mofie described Poland’s medieval streets and all-night parties just got under my skin in the best possible way. I couldn’t help but imagine how wild it would be to discover those hidden bars under the guidance of Afro and the rest of the Party Animals crew.

Eventually, the night wound down (if you can call 5 AM “winding down” in Barcelona, haha). I staggered out of that final club with a bunch of new Instagram followers and a phone filled with goofy photos. All my fears about going solo had basically vanished, replaced by a huge appreciation for how a pub crawl can bring random people from all over the world together.

The next couple of days, I took it a bit slower (had to recover somehow), soaking up more of the city’s art scene and strolling along Barceloneta Beach. But in the back of my mind, Krakow kept popping up. If the “Party Animals” brand could dish out this level of nightlife magic in another city, particularly one with such a different vibe, I knew I couldn’t skip it. It felt like the universe was telling me to book that ticket already.

Final Thoughts

Barcelona gave me so many things: delicious tapas, epic Gaudí architecture, a bunch of new friends, and a night I’ll probably never stop talking about. But it also planted the idea of Krakow in my head, a place I’d never even thought about visiting until I had that quick convo with the one and only Mofie.

If there’s one lesson from this trip, it’s this: Sometimes the best move is just to say “yes”—to the pub crawl, to the random shot, to chatting with a total stranger in a crowded bar. You never know what adventures might be waiting on the other side. Next stop: Poland, maybe? Because if the Party Animals in Krakow can live up to the hype, I’m beyond ready to see if Afro and crew can top my unforgettable Barcelona bash.

Until then, Salud! (Or, as I might need to start practicing, Na zdrowie!)