The 8 best beaches in Barcelona

How to get there: Take the D20, 47, 59, V15, or V19 bus, or metro L4 (Barceloneta) and L3 (La Rambla - Drassanes)

The Ciutat Vella Beach, next to the harbour, also includes the area that has historically been known as Sant Miquel Beach, which corresponds to a large part of the coastal area of the Barceloneta neighbourhood. It is one of the largest beaches, where long-time residents mix with passing foreigners, and is easily accessible from the city centre. The southwestern end, at the foot of the W Hotel, offers a perfect view of the entire Barcelona coastline, from the three chimneys of the former electric power station La Canadenca to the Forum's solar panelling, the Olympic Port, and Barceloneta Beach. In front of the swimming clubs, you’ll find an unofficial nudist beach, and there’s also a gay area. In the callisthenics area, you will find many people working out and flexing their muscles.

Length: 660 metres
Facilities: Parking, toilets, showers, lifeguard service, drink and ice cream kiosks, information point, parasol and lounger hire.

How to get there: Take the D20, 47, 59, V15, V19 and 136 bus, or the L4 Metro

Together with Sant Sebastià, Barceloneta Beach is the largest and one of the oldest beaches in the city. It takes its name from the maritime neighbourhood par excellence, which was established in the eighteenth century by Barcelona residents expelled from La Ribera after 1714. As well as its seafaring past, Barceloneta has also been closely linked to the metallurgy and gas industries, as evidenced by some of the names still found in the area, such as the Gas Breakwater that divides the beach in two. The construction of the seafront promenade at the end of the last century connected this old neighbourhood with the Olympic Port, and also led to the disappearance of the popular chiringuitos (beach bars) where locals used to enjoy a Sunday paella before the Olympic frenzy hit town. Now you can find different types of restaurants and services under the promenade’s arches.

Length: 422 metres
Facilities: Car parks, toilets, showers, lifeguard service, disabled access, volleyball court, children's play area, lockers, drinks kiosks, restaurants, information point, bicycle hire, parasol and lounger hire.

How to get there: Take the V23, H16, V27, 59, or V25 bus, or metro L4 (Ciutadella and Bogatell)

The nineteenth-century city planner Ildefons Cerdà had his own utopian dream of a city. He’d planned on calling it Icària like the ideal island imagined by the utopian-minded socialist Étienne Cabet. During the nineteenth century, several utopian followers of Cabet had settled along the old road leading to the Poblenou cemetery. The Olympic dream revived this dream, and brought us Nova Icària, (New Icaria) one of the city’s most visited beaches. It is 400 metres long and located in the centre of Barcelona's coastline. Along with Bogatell Beach, it is one of the most peaceful. It is one of the beaches with the most facilities in Barcelona and has plenty of leisure amenities. For decades, the space now occupied by this beach was home to Somorrostro, a neighbourhood where thousands of families lived in shacks without basic facilities. The new beach has almost erased its memory, but not too far away, a street pays homage to Carmen Amaya, the legendary dancer who was born there.

Length: 415 metres
Facilities: Parking, toilets, showers, lifeguard service, volleyball court, children's play area, lockers, drink kiosks, parasols and lounger hire.

How to get there: Take the V25, H16, V27, V23 or 59 bus, or the Metro L4 (Poblenou y Llacuna).

Bogatell Beach owes its name to an old stream that once ran from the uptown area of Vilapicina down the avenue of the same name until it reached the sea. The centre of Bogatell was home to fishermen who lived amidst the stench rising up from the municipal sewer that flowed into the sea here. Like most of the Barcelona coastline, the beach at Bogatell was completely overhauled during the 1980s and these days it’s one of the most popular. People with reduced mobility have reserved parking spaces with accessible routes to the dry sand, visual and tactile signage and information, adapted toilets, and wooden walkways that extend close to the water.

Length: 702 metres
Facilities: Toilets, showers, lifeguard service, volleyball court, gym area, ping-pong tables, a basketball hoop, beach football, storage for your items, drink kiosks, parasols and lounger hire.

How to get there: Take the H16, V27, V31, V25, or V29 bus, or the Metro L4 (Poblenou)

At the beginning of the twentieth century, this part of the coast already had baths, the Baños de la Mar Bella, but eventually they were destroyed in a storm. At the time, the city’s residents held this strip of beach in high regard, but it fell on hard times in the middle of the last century. The coastal renewal process that began with the 1992 Olympic Games brought back the beaches of Mar Bella and Nova Mar Bella. The former combines two very different areas: a nudist beach at one end and a children’s playground (with a very original slide) at the other. You’ll also find young people playing football and volleyball.

Length: 512 metres
Facilities: Car parks, toilets, showers, lifeguard service, volleyball court, gym area, ping-pong tables, skate area, lockers, beach library, drink kiosks, parasol and lounger hire. Naturist area.

How to get there: Take the V29, H16, V27, V31, 136, or B20 bus, or Metro L4 (Selva de Mar)

The name La Mar Bella recalls the area on which Barceloneta was built. A ‘marbella’ (written as one word) refers to land reclaimed from the sea, like the land that serves as the foundation for this seaside neighbourhood. The name, split in two, was given to these two beaches. Nova Mar Bella offers various facilities, such as a volleyball court, and in recognition of the area's quality and services, the Ecoplayas (or eco-friendly beach) flag is flown here.

Length: 420 metres
Facilities: Car parks, toilets, showers, lifeguard service, volleyball court, gym area, ping-pong tables, skate area, lockers, beach library, drink kiosks, sunshade and lounger hire. Naturist area.

How to get there: Take the V29, H16, B23, B20, V31, 136, 7, or V27 bus, or Metro L4 (Selva de Mar and El Maresme / Forum)

This young beach emerged from the removal of cement blocks from the Prim Breakwater as part of the transformation of Diagonal Mar. Because it’s newer than the city’s other beaches, Llevant has the fewest facilities and services. However, it is the most relaxed and secluded beach, making it ideal for families and individuals who are looking for some peace. A large open area that functions as a car park makes it easy to access by car. During the high season, from 25 May to 11 September, a designated area is set up for citizens to bring their dogs. Open from 10.30 am to 7.30 pm.

Length: 375 metres
Facilities: Car parks, toilets, showers, lifeguard service, volleyball court, parasol and lounger hire.

How to get there: Take the H16, B23, B20, V29, V33, or 7 bus, or Metro L4 (Maresme / Fòrum)

At the Fòrum, you can go for a dip, but it’s not a traditional beach – crucially, there’s no sand. Instead, it’s an area reclaimed from the sea with concrete. In the Fòrum’s bathing area, a section of the sea has been calmed to transform it into a large, shallow saltwater pool. When the Fòrum was built, the Camp de la Bota the name by which this maritime zone between Barcelona and Sant Adrià was known, was buried beneath the asphalt. This area holds a sombre memory for Catalans: it was here that those repressed by Franco’s regime were executed, as commemorated by the memorial on the esplanade leading to the bathing area, which honours more than 1,700 victims. A word of caution: there is a colony of sea urchins in the area, so it’s highly recommended to swim with appropriate footwear to avoid being pricked.

Length: 375 metres
Facilities: Car parks, toilets, showers, lifeguard service, water skiing area, boat launch point, information point.