If you are a beach lover and you dream about a place that boasts both incredible beaches and a bustling city life, Barcelona is the perfect place for you. Its coastline stretches for almost 5 kilometres, hosting many attractions and offering the best location for your Mediterranean experience. 

The beach in Barcelona is literally for everyone: if you are a passionate tanner, or a sportsman and jogger or if you just want to chill in one of the chiringuitos, enjoying a delicious brunch, you’ll find everything in here!

Just put your bikini on, rub some sunscreen and get ready to discover the best beaches in Barcelona with us. 

The most popular beaches in Barcelona

Whether you’re looking for for some relax by the beach, for a fancy lunch at a seaside restaurant or for a thrilling night by the playa, we get you covered! Here is the list of the most popular beaches in Barcelona.

Barceloneta beach

La Barceloneta is the most famous beach in the city and it boasts not only a maritime history but also a past related to metallurgy and gas industries. You can walk on the beautiful promenade that that connect the old neighborhood with the Port. This long seafront avenue is home to several bars and restaurants where you will be able to try an amazing paella.

Metro L4 (Barceloneta, Ciutadella)

Mar Bella beach

Back at the beginning of 1900, this side of the coastline in Barcelona was already boasting beautiful baths were the local used to come to relax and enjoy some sun: they were named Baños de la Mar Bella. After they were destroyed by a violent storm, the reconstruction began with the Olympic Games of 1922, in order to renew the most popular areas of Barcelona. 

Here you’ll be able to find many different areas for all the needs: fields on the sand for those who want to play football and volleyball, a nudist beach and also a lovely beach playground for the children.

Metro L4 (Selva del Mar)

Nova Icària beach

You can spot Nova Icària beach, one of the most famous in Barcelona, in the middle of its coastline. Nova Icària is lively, youthful yet calm, and it measures 400 metres of beauty, services and leisure activities. This beach raised thanks to the utopian dream of the 19th-century city planner Ildefons Cerdà, the man who designed the Eixample neighbourhood, giving to Barcelona a modern touch. Moreover, wish to know an interesting fact about this beach? Once it was inhabited by thousands of people (it was called Somorrostro), who built some improvised houses, lacking of the basic features.

Metro L4 (Ciutadella, Bogatell)

Bogatell beach

This beach was named after the stream that once was running from Vilapicina down to the sea. Bogatell area used to be home to the community of fishermen in Barcelona; but this past fact is quite impossible to see nowadays, since this area has been renewed during the 80s (just like most of the neighbourhoods in Barcelona).

Bogatell beach is probably the quitest one. In fact, you’ll be able to find here many adult beach-goers (according to some studies the average age is 38) and many of them are tourists in Barcelona.

Metro L4 (Poblenou, Llacuna) 

Sant Sebastià beach

Once your stroll around the amazing Ciutat Vella district is over, you could get some tan in its beachfront; right next to the port there’s a beautiful beach corresponding to the Barceloneta area, that welcomes both tourists and locals. Sant Sebastià beach offers a great view of the whole coastline of Barcelona: you will be able to admire the Olympic Port, the Fòrum’s solar panel and the Barceloneta beach. This area is loved by the gay community and it is so lively and youthful: it also offers the perfect “playground” for the workout lovers, that want to stay fit and flex their muscles by the beach!

Metro L4 (Barceloneta)

How many days do you need in Barcelona?

If you’re not living in Barcelona, but you’ll travel there for a short time visit, you may wonder how many days you need to visit Barcelona and enjoy both some time at the beach and cultural activities.

4 days in Barcelona are the minimum stay, but it’s enough time to see the main sights of the city and also live some unique experiences such as relax by the beach, in the parks or enjoy a night out. You’ll be able to explore the most beautiful features, such as Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlló and Casa Milá, visit Parc Güell, the port, Las Ramblas,  stroll around the most famous neighbourhoods in Barcelona (the Barrio Gótico, the Eixample and others). Furthermore, you can experience the unique flavours in La Boquería market, get amazed by the sounds and colors of the Magic Fountain in Montjüic or admire a breathtaking sunset view over Barcelona from the Tibidabo mountain, few kilometers away from the city centre.