Some plans fall into place because everything is a few steps away. This is one of them: lunch, a film and an absinthe in El Raval, without taking the metro once. La Monroe and the Filmoteca share a building, and Bar Marsella is less than five minutes’ walk away.
I suggest starting around 1:30 pm with lunch, catching a film in the afternoon and finishing at Barcelona’s oldest bar.
The plan at a glance
Where El Raval, around Plaça de Salvador Seguí · Metro Liceu (L3)
When Tuesday to Sunday, from 1:30 pm · Budget set lunch, 4 euros for the film and about 5 euros for the absinthe
1. Lunch at La Monroe
La Monroe (@lamonroebcn) is the Filmoteca’s own restaurant, on the ground floor of the building at Plaça de Salvador Seguí, 1. It calls itself a “house of food, cocktails and cinema”, and its menu boasts of having “the soul of a film”.
At lunchtime it has a good-value set menu, which makes it the perfect place to start. For more places like this, see my guide to eating well on a budget in Barcelona. The cooking is Mediterranean with international touches, with vegan and gluten-free options, plus vermouth and cocktails.
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday, 12:30 pm to midnight; Friday and Saturday, 12:30 pm to 1 am.
- Price: an affordable set lunch; everything else is on the menu. There is a 10% supplement on the terrace.
2. A film at the Filmoteca de Catalunya
After lunch you only need to change doors. The Filmoteca de Catalunya screens classic and arthouse cinema, almost always in the original language, at prices you won’t find at any other cinema in the city.
If you arrive before the screening, visit the exhibition room, which opens at 4 pm. Check the programme online before you go, as it changes every week with themed seasons. It’s also a great plan for when it rains in Barcelona.
- Opening hours: screenings Tuesday to Thursday from 5 pm to 10 pm, and Friday to Sunday from 4:30 pm to 10 pm. There is a children’s screening on Sundays at noon. The exhibition room opens Tuesday to Sunday, 4 pm to 9 pm.
- Price: 4 euros for a standard ticket and 3 euros reduced. With the Filmo 10 pass, ten screenings for 20 euros.
- Fun fact: the Filmoteca was founded in 1963 and since 2012 has been in this building by architect Josep Lluís Mateo, in El Raval. It holds around 20,000 posters, magic lanterns and a praxinoscope, one of the inventions that came before cinema.
3. Absinthe at Bar Marsella
When you leave the cinema, walk down Carrer de Sant Pau to number 65. Bar Marsella opened in 1820 and is considered the oldest bar in Barcelona. Picasso, Dalí, Gaudí and Hemingway all sat at its marble tables, and it keeps its original decor, with old signs such as the one that reads “no singing”. It’s the kind of story I collect in my Barcelona facts.
People come here for the absinthe and its ritual: they bring you the glass with a sugar cube, a fork and a small bottle of water. You rest the sugar on the fork and pour the water drop by drop. Mine was served with the sugar set alight, as you can see in the photo: the blue flame over the glass is quite a show.
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 5 pm to midnight; closed on Mondays. No bookings.
- Price: about 5 euros for an absinthe.
- Fun fact: in 2013 it nearly closed, but Barcelona City Council bought the building after a neighbourhood petition with more than 4,500 signatures. Rosalía filmed the video for “Vampiros” there.
Tips for this plan
- Go Tuesday to Sunday: on Mondays the Filmoteca has no screenings and Bar Marsella is closed.
- Check the Filmoteca’s programme before you leave, and buy your ticket in advance for a premiere or a popular season.
- Take your time: by the time the film ends, Bar Marsella is already open, so there’s no rush.
If you like this kind of afternoon, you’ll find more ideas in my 5 evening plans with cinema, dinner and drinks.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a ticket at the Filmoteca de Catalunya?
A standard ticket costs 4 euros and a reduced one 3 euros. If you go often, the Filmo 10 pass gives you ten screenings for 20 euros.
What are Bar Marsella’s opening hours?
It opens Tuesday to Sunday, from 5 pm to midnight, and is closed on Mondays. It doesn’t take bookings. Sources don’t always agree, so it’s worth checking before you go.
How do you drink absinthe at Bar Marsella?
They bring you the glass with a sugar cube, a fork and a small bottle of water. You rest the sugar on the fork over the glass and pour the water drop by drop until it dissolves.
