Sport and beach, a winning combination

Barcelona's beaches are a great attraction during the summer season and not only for those who want to swim, so take advantage of the good weather, Hola Barcelona takes you there!

 

07/06/2022
Sant Sebastià beach with the emblematic Barcelona's building in the background

In recent years, Barcelona has become an attraction for residents and tourists, not only for its wonderful and extensive culture, but also for its beaches. But Barcelona's coastline, as we know it today, has not always been like this.

The Olympic Barcelona marked a before and after for the city and the beaches were not left behind. Thus, with the urban redevelopment and remodeling of the coastline, the city managed to recover the Poblenou area and the creation of the Olympic Village, the Port Vell and the Mar Bella area.

Today, Barcelona has 9 beaches along almost 5 kilometers; from the Hotel Vela to beyond the Forum. The beaches are distributed in three areas: Barceloneta, Via Olímpica and Poblenou.

Barceloneta has four beaches, with the beach of the same name and the beach of Sant Sebastià, which is one of the oldest and longest.

In the area of Vila Olímpica we find Nova Icària, which stands out for the port and is the furthest away from the center and tourist areas. And finally, in Poblenou we find the Bogatell beach, renovated during the nineties, and the Mar Bella beach.

A place of worship for sports

The beaches of Barcelona have become for residents and tourists in an area where you can relax, enjoy the sun, swim in the Mediterranean Sea and take advantage of the wide range of restaurants and entertainment that surrounds them.

Apart from this, in recent years Barcelona's beaches are also a place of worship for athletes from all over the world, to practice all kinds of sports: from water sports such as sailing, swimming or paddle surfing, to those that can be practiced on the sand such as volleyball, soccer or rugby, among others.

Volleyball network in Barcelona / Foto: Sergi Dolcet Escrig via Unsplash
Somorrostro and Nova Icària beaches / Foto: Manuel Torres Garcia via Unsplash
Barcelona's coastline / Foto: Enes @royalfound via Unsplash

Water sports

Barcelona is a city open to the sea, which makes it easier to combine urban activities with the possibilities offered by the water. Thus, locals and visitors can enjoy sports activities such as swimming, sailing, surfing and yoga surfing, paddle surfing, kayaking and endless possibilities on the city's beaches.

There are different spaces for these types of activities. For example, Barceloneta beach stands out as a very common place for paddle surfing, Sant Sebastià beach for swimming thanks to the Club Natació Barcelona and sailing at Nova Icària beach thanks to the port.

In addition, whether alone or accompanied, you can enjoy these activities, as there are Facebook groups, as well as meetups, where groups meet to practice sports together.

Paddle surfing has become one of the most demanded sports / Foto: Hoang Pham @watanabepham via Unsplash
Barcelona will host the America's Cup 2024, the most important sailing event in the world / Foto: Patrik László via Unsplash

Sports by the sea

For fans of sand there are also sports options. Thus, in Barcelona it is very common to play volleyball and the Bogatell beach is the temple of the fans. In fact, every Thursday night the Beach Warriors meet for matches.

Another of the most common sports is beach tennis or paddle, the main benefit of this sport is that you can do it anywhere, you do not need extra material. We also find beach soccer, but the only drawback is that you will need space and be careful not to touch anyone with the ball.

Lately, rugby, ultimate fresbee, which consists of throwing a disc and trying to catch it without it touching the ground, and bossaball, a discipline that mixes trampolines, volleyball, soccer and even capoeira, have also been added to the long list of sports on offer. In addition, the Barcelona Swimming Club has become the official headquarters of this curious sport.

So, as in the case of water sports, locals and tourists who are interested in practicing these disciplines but have no companion need not suffer, there is also a wide variety of Facebook groups and meetup to put them in contact.

The City Council offers 11 public bicycle lanes along the beaches of Barcelona / Foto: Lucrezia Carnelos via Unsplash
Residents and tourists taking advantage of the good weather in Barcelona / Foto: Federico Giamperi via Unsplash

Barcelona is a city that offers plenty of options for sports lovers and, with the arrival of summer, it is time to take advantage of the hours of sunshine and have fun outdoors. In addition, they are very well connected by public transport, so you have no excuse not to visit them!

How to get there: the beaches are accessible by several bus lines, metro, Barcelona Bus Turístic (red line) and Cercanías. Get around with your Hola Barcelona Travel Card!