La Barceloneta

A long sandy beach, the blue Mediterranean Sea and the silhouette of the famous W-Hotel: that is Barceloneta beach. A beach that is known and visited by millions of tourists every year. I have to admit that when I arrived in Barcelona for my semester abroad, I was not directly the biggest fan of the beach in Barcelona. I didn’t like that it was so crowded that you pretty much had to sit half on the towel of your neighbour. But living in Barcelona 5 months later, I have gotten to know another face of that beach and I have to say that it had become one of my favourite places to spent my time and now I am going to tell you why.

The long beach known as “Barceloneta” actually consists of several beaches next to each other and Barceloneta is just one part of the long sandy beach. When you are coming from the city, Barceloneta is the first beach you reach followed by beaches like Nova Icaria, Bogatell or Mar Bella, which are just as nice as Barceloneta, but often a lot less crowded than the famous Barceloneta.

To get to the beach you can actually just walk from the city center. From the end of the Rambla it is just a 20 minute walk there. Or you can take the yellow metro line. Barceloneta has its own metro stop, which is just 10 minutes walking away from the beach. But if you really want to be even closer, better get out of the next stop, which is called Ciutadella/ Vila Olímpica. From there it is really just 5 minutes walking to the water.

Barceloneta is actually not just a beach but a whole neighbourhood. Here you can find small and nice restaurants with fresh fish and the best paella in town. Also a lot of famous clubs are situated at the beach, close to the metro stop Ciutadella/ Vila Olímpica. You will find them next to the big fish sculpture, right at the water.

At Barceloneta there is much more to do than the usual beach hanging, tanning and swimming. For example, You can go to Stand-up-Paddling, which is a lot of fun (at least as soon as you get to carry that huge and heavy board from the shop into the water) or take a long and nice walk on the promenade. The promenade that goes from the beginning of Barceloneta and then goes along all the beaches is also perfect for a run, to go inline skating or longboarding (much better in winter because less people are walking around).

While spending the winter in Barcelona, even I, as a person who hates crowded beaches, have become a lover of this place. In winter it is by far not as crowded as in summer and even in milder temperatures it is a nice place to enjoy an afternoon with friends in the winter sun. It is funny if you tell people from Barcelona that you are going to the beach in December or January, they call you crazy. You will hardly find any locals there in winter, although I personally think the winter days at the beach of Barcelona are wonderful. Another great part of the “cold months” at Barceloneta (especially for fans of the surfsport like me) is that there are at times waves rolling into the bay, which makes it an attractive surf spot (despite the quite cold water).

Now that I told you about the things I like about the beach, I have to come to some less positive things about Barceloneta. A thing to really be careful about are the pickpockets at the beach. Not only in the city center are there a lot of things being stolen but also in the beach. So watch out for your stuff and never leave anything unattended. Another slight downside of the beach in Barcelona is the numerous people selling stuff (at least if you’re trying to have a relaxing day at the beach). Towels, Sunglasses, Mojitos, beer, tickets for the nightclub, dinner specials at the beach restaurants or massages... be aware; they will try to sell you everything. Also at times the water can be a little dirty, depending on which part of the beach you are there is sometimes trash beeing washed up, which makes a nice swim a lot less pleasant.

So if it is for a long sunbath, a short swim in the Mediterranean Sea or a nice long walk along the promenade. Barceloneta beach is a nice place. You will sooner or later discover this place if you are in Barcelona. It might be crowded, but it has its nice sides and is a pure luxury if you think that just a short walk away from all the relaxing people in bathing suits, you find yourself in the city center of a huge European metropolis.

La Barceloneta is known as the main, and the most popular beach of the Barcelona city. Its name meaning 'Little Barcelona' tells you that you can find everything that is typical for Barcelona, joined together in this not so little stretch of sand. I am sure that you have already seen some pictures of La Barceloneta, if nothing else, of the famous Hotel W. But the reality is a bit different than pictures are showing you.

How to get there?

Before I have moved to Barcelona, I was quite excited that I will live quite close to what is said to be the most famous beach in and around the city of Barcelona. Since I live in the area of Saint Antoni, I only have to walk for like half an hour to get to the Barceloneta. But, of course, public transport is also available. However, my advice is to get off the public transport as soon as you can, and walk through the area, because it is beautiful.

The best you can do, is to take the metro to the station Paral – lel (Green or Purple line), and walk the rest of the way. Do not worry, you only have to walk straight for most of the time, just be careful that you will not walk in a wrong direction – towards Placa De Espanya. I am warning you because this has happened to me before – I was sure that I got out on the same side of the street as usual, so I did not even look around. And I figured out that I was in the wrong place after about five minutes of walking.

You can easily orientate about the right direction by looking around and spotting three tall industrial chimneys. This is the way where you have to go – they should be on your right side. In about ten or fifteen minutes, you will reach a roundabout, where you can see another sight – a monument, dedicated to Christopher Columbus. It is really majestic, and it is so tall that it barely fit into the frame of my camera.

When you reach that roundabout (and take the obligatory pictures of the monument, of course), you have to cross the street, turn left and keep walking in that direction for some more time. On the way, you will pass the shopping mall, the Barcelona aquarium and the marina with very expensive – looking boats and yachts. At the end of the marina, it is time to turn right.

What follows now, is a nice promenade which ends right on the La Barceloneta beach. And now, you are free to enjoy the view or do whatever you came here to do.

What to see and do at La Barceloneta?

Well, there is plenty of things to do at Barceloneta, but the first thing that I did, is to take a walk along the beach promenade on both sides. And I realized that the beach is actually pretty huge. If you walk to the left side, you will pass by several beach shacks, that offer tapas and beers for a good price, then there is a place with facilities further on, and this building, which looks like the Drunken House in Prague, but I do not know what it is used for (yet). Well, it actually seems like that it has not been used for a long time, since it is all rusty.

If you walk to the right side, the first thing you see, is the silhouette of the majestic Hotel W. I can only imagine the views from the top. And I do not even want to imagine the prices in there. But you can go all the way to the hotel, and the promenade on the way there is surrounded by palm trees on both sides, which looks beautiful. And since it was a cloudy day when I was there, there were much less people than I have expected.

After the stroll, you can have a beer in one of many beach shacks and bars that you can find along the beach. Most of them were only half full on a Saturday, so you can choose the one that you prefer. When reading their offers on the tables, hanging outside, I have noticed that some of them also offer free tapas (snacks) with some drinks that you order. It really is worth a try. I have never had the authentic tapas before I came to Barcelona, and I must say that I immediately became addicted. And, even just at Barceloneta, you have an enormous choice of different tapas to choose from. So you can start experimenting to find your favourite flavour.

The promenade that goes along the beach, is also perfect for an early morning jogging. I did this today and there was almost no people, so it will be just you and the sound of the waves (well, unless you prefer to listen to music while you run).

Also, while running, I have noticed several people who brought foam pads with them and were meditating on the sand. I think I will use this idea some time in the future. And there was a group of young people, throwing frisbees. They were shouting at me to join them, so I did, and it was great fun! I must admit that I have never enjoyed so much, running around the warm sand barefoot. Well, after a while, I thanked them and moved on, continuing my discoveries of the treasures that La Barceloneta has to offer.

During my jog, I also saw some beautiful sand sculptures. One of them was a lizzard, which I assumed was representing the famous lizzard from the Park Guell, and the other one was a building from Gaudi. Can you guess which one is it?

From Barceloneta, you can also take a cable car up the Montjuic hill. From what I heard, the views are breathtaking, and you do not have to purchase the ticket in advance, you just go to the tower, where the ticket office is, and buy it there. But keep in mind that you cannot pay with credit cards there.

A roundtrip to the top of the hill costs almost seventeen Euros. Well, sixteen and a half, to be more precise. I was thinking whether to go or not, but then I remembered that I am still in my jogging equipment, so I decided to postpone it to some other day. After all, I will be in Barcelona for two more months.

If you decide to purchase just one way ticket and then return to city by bus, you will pay almost twelve Euros. I really do not see any logic in those prices. If you would like just to take the lift to the top of the tower, you will pay five Euros and a half. Again, where is the logic in those prices?

Dogs on a leash

There was a thing that I saw at Barceloneta, that completely surprised me in a positive way. In Slovenia, most owners do not keep their dogs on a leash, and usually those dogs are massive. I am scared of bigger dogs and this is why La Barceloneta was like heaven for me. After all, I can walk there without worrying to be attacked by a huge dog.

People in Barcelona seem to love dogs, but they also take proper care of them. Most of the dogs I have seen here, are leashed. And when I was wandering around Barceloneta, I have spotted several signs, that are indicating that owners should leash their dogs there. Awesome.

But one thing that surprised me even more, is that I have not seen a single bigger dog at La Barceloneta. Neither on the promenade, nor on the sand. Well, I saw a few smaller puppies, but those do not bother me.

Swimming at La Barceloneta? No, Thanks!

I heard that people in Barcelona go to the beach even in November, because the climate is warm enough. But when I went to La Barceloneta, which was in the beginning of October, no one was swimming in the water. But there were a lot of people, doing beginner surf classes and stand – up paddling. From what I saw, the waves at Barceloneta are perfect for beginners.

I was seriously thinking, why there is no one else in the water. The day was warm, and the sun was shining, so the conditions for swimming were perfect. But then, after a closer look, I noticed, how dirty the water actually is. I could see a lot of trash, and even sea grass, on the top of each wave. Really disgusting. Also, they obviously do not clean that trash up, or at least they do not do it very often, so there is a very bad smell all along the beach. If the place was cleaner, it would be perfect, and more people would come there. Well, maybe that is the way of keeping tourists away (That was sarcastic, I sincerely hope it is not true! ).

Also, if you would like to spend the whole day at the beach when in Barcelona, La Barceloneta might not be a perfect place to do so, unless you have a beach umbrella, because there is absolutely no shadow anywhere on the beach.

Besides all that, I have heard and read that leaving your belongings on the beach when you go to the water, is not a good idea at La Barceloneta, because when you come out of the water, you will most likely be missing something. Well, if you are there with other people, one of them can take care of the belongings when all others are in the water, but still… A local told me that they are even stealing towels. Oh, come on. After knowing all this, I would rather bathe in my bathtub at home than in the sea at La Barceloneta.

Conclusion

Overall, La Barceloneta is a nice spot for a walk or a drink in one of the beach bars, while admiring the waves, crashing into the sandy shore, or just reading a book. But everybody says that there are many better beaches for swimming, situated just outside Barcelona. However, it is still worth to take a look. Who knows, maybe you will like it.

This famous beach in Barcelona, jam-packed with tourists in the summer, is nice if you want to sunbathe and swim in the sea (as long as someone watches over your belongings so they don't get stolen), but it's definitely not one for relaxing. In fact, between the music, the crowds, and people from Pakistan selling their drinks and constantly shouting "mojito, cerveza, agua", the Asian people offering a massage and a young man with a basket of doughnuts on his head singing a song to attract attention, it's impossible to have some peace and quiet.

Of course, when you go to this city, it's mainly to party and to take advantage of the atmosphere. Stag and hen parties are also very popular here. When I was there, a group of French guys were partying on the beach, and the groom, future husband, was wearing a bright yellow bikini g-string. In my opinion, you're also really likely to get hit on given the amount of foreigners that relax on this fine sand, more particularly French people. You rarely hear Spanish being spoken around you.

Regarding the view, the big hotel W to the right is stunning and distinctive at the same time.

The water wasn't especially clean, but sufficient to cool off. The chiringuitos also occupy the length of the Barceloneta. It's easy to access, you can walk or go by bike.

Barcelona is a big city, and it's also a beach city, is there a better combination?

This was one of the things I loved about Barcelona. Its seaside climate makes it a sunny and bright city almost the hole year. So you can enjoy the beach at anytime.

If you're there, you must go to Barceloneta Beach. It's located in the middle of the city, really close to Barrio Gótico and to subway stations, so it's easy to go.

And the view is worth any walking or commuting! Walk the shore with your feet touching the mediteranean sea (which is a little cold) and admiring the big buildings of the city.

Beach at night

If you're not much into outside activities, near the beach there are a lot of bars and clubs that are really nice at night.

So don't miss it!