Gordo!

When traveling to Barcelona one must go to the beautiful sandy beaches as they won an impressive tittle of being the best urban beaches in the world from both the National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. Barcelona has seven beaches making 2.8 miles of coastline. Barceloneta and Sant Sebastia are Barcelona’s two largest and oldest beaches both stretching for almost 4,000 feet of coastline. These two popular large Barcelona beaches are known for nice restaurants, night clubs, and the boardwalk that stretches between the two beaches. The Olympic Port separates the other five beaches from Barceloneta and Sant Sebastia. These beaches are named Nova Icària, Bogatell, Mar Bella, Nova Mar Bella and Llevant. These five smaller beaches were opened when Barcelona hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics, when buildings along this coastline were knocked down. Before the 1992 Olympic games Barcelona was known for “turning its back” towards the sea and not having it pretty to the eye as it now is. As prior to the Olympic games it was a very industrial area made of the port and factories. A great deal of gentrafication went on before hosting the Olympic games- especially along the coast line.

The summer beach season in Barcelona usually is from the middle of March to the middle of October, however you will always find people along the coastline doing activities. In recent years the Barcelona has improved services on the beaches including the addition of extra waste bins, more than 200 people cleaning the beaches and special beach police patrols to maintain safety along the beach front. There are over sixty red cross life guards on duty and two boats during the beach season in Barcelona. Swimming in Barcelona is very safe and there are no dangerous currents close by the shore. The high number of patrollers along the coast make the visitors and residents feel safe while they participate in various water activities.

The Barcelona beaches are known for having small bar huts on the sand which are called “chiringuitos.” These beach bars are very popular as the atmosphere and view are incredible. They serve drinks, and food, play music, and have their chairs positioned towards the water so no one misses the beautiful Mediterranean view. There are also very nice night clubs along the beach front. Such as, Opium Mar, Shoko, CDLC, Catwalk and several others. These are restaurants and beach night clubs that attract visitors and some locals. They are trendy places where people go with an expectation to eat good food and enjoy a night out with the view of he Mediterranean just feet away from them.

As you might have picked up on the beaches in Barcelona have different vibes and “personalities” depending what the beach goer is looking for. For example, the beaches go from south to north in Barcelona and as does the party scene. The party beaches for students and tourists where their are popular night clubs are the southern most beaches which are Barceloneta and Sant Sebastia. These two beaches are closest to Barcelona’s city center. There is a nudist t beach on a section of La Mar Bella beach. Previously, people were unofficially allowed on the Sant Sebastià beach, however this section of the beach was never officially a nudist beach. Since the nice W Hotel was  built and new beach front restaurants were established in the area nudists are no longer allowed on this section of the beach. A petition is under way to make this the second nudist beach in Barcelona. Lets get to know the beaches more, starting with Barceloneta. As we already know Barceloneta can get quite busy and is lined with resturarants and bars, the beach also has interesting architecture on it. One being a statue fr

om the artiest Rebecca Horn called Homenatge a la Barceloneta. (Pictured on the right). Sant Sebastia is very similar to Barceloneta, being a popular beach for both locals and tourists. Llevant beach was the last beach created on Barcelona’s coast line which was opened during the summer of 2006. Bogatell beach is a less commercial beach that has local cafes and bars. Bogatell is known to be more of a local crowd. Nova Icària has similar amenities as the Barceloneta beach with umbrellas and cafes however you often have more space and it is not as crowded. Finally, Mar Bella is the last beach on Barcelona’s coast and is known to be a good beach for people with disabilities. It is located near a large shopping mall, and since it is fairly quite fisherman are often seen on this beach. However, if you are looking to experience a fishing beach town travel thirty minutes on the train to a fishing village named Sitges, which offers seventeen gorgeous beaches. (Pictured below).
Surfing has become increasingly popular as a water activity in Barcelona over recent years. Although, Barcelona is not known for having large waves there is still a large audiance of surfers in the Fall, Winter and Spring. However, to the the dismay of the local surfers, there are fewer beaches to surf on now that the city has added breakwaters in front of the Barcelona beaches. These breakwaters reduce the waves to break onshore, which makes swimming safer during the summer and reduces the erosion on the beaches during the Fall and Spring storms. Since the addition of breakwaters in Barcelona Stand up Paddle Surfing is growing in popularity as a beach activity.

Beach is called “playa” in Spanish and “platja” in Catalan in case you are trying to ask locals about the incredibly popular place. The great thing about Barcelona is that it has everything to offer from being a historical European city and also a beach town. Visitors to Barcelona can have their urban sightseeing and big-city experience while also having a relaxing beach vacation.