Barcelona Central Beaches
San Sebastian
A traditional and popular beach among locals,
San Sebastian can get quite crowded, noisy and lively.
On the San Sebastian beach, you find the big luxury hotel, W Barcelona, looking like a giant silver sail overlooking the Barcelona beaches.
It’s just pure luxury and a fantastic pool with a lovely view.
Find another “one of the best” five-star Eurostars Grand Marina Hotel GL behind you.
Barceloneta
Barceloneta is a very wide and long beach.
There are some restaurants with mostly pizza and Tex-Mex menus.
Very crowdy and lively and sometimes named as a problem for Barcelona city.
Nova Icaria
Closest to the Olympic Marina, and therefore often quite full, is Nova Icaria.
There are some nice beach bars and two popular restaurants on the promenade,
Plus a variety of bars and restaurants are a short walk outside the Olympic Port.
A popular hotel is H10 Marina, just a ten-minute walk from Nova Icaria beach and the Olympic Marina. Lovely pool with a great view, a relaxing spa area and good reviews from visitors.
Bogatell
Bogatell Beach is twice as long as Mar Bella.
The elevated boardwalk helps to reduce some of the noise from the city, so noise-wise it can be a little quieter.
There are no beach bars here, but some excellent restaurants on the beach promenade.
Nova Mar Bella
Beach with a younger crowd who are mostly locals.
Mar Bella
Separated from Bogatell by a breakwater is Mar Bella.
This is the epicentre for windsurfing, so you’ll find many places to hire equipment and even a windsurfing school.
Barcelona’s only naturist and nude beach lies here, tucked away behind a long hill.
Nearby is a park which makes a great place for a picnic or siesta.
Best beaches north of Barcelona – Costa Maresme – Costa Barcelona and Costa Brava
It is advisable to go outside of Barcelona and do excursions to the many beautiful sites with cleaner and much more excellent beaches.
Costa Brava
Sant Feliu de Guíxols
In Sant Feliu de Guíxols you find the beach “Platja de Sant Pol”.
The water is crystal clear, and beautiful green hills surround the village.
For the more adventure-seeking, there is a beautiful small bay to be found just after the train tunnel where nudist bathing is permitted.
Hotel and Restaurant Sant Pol is a great hotel near the beach.
SA CONCA, ONE OF THE BEST BEACHES IN SPAIN
Between the fishing village of Sant Feliu de Guíxols and Platja d’Aro, is one of the best beaches in Spain.
Sa Conca features a beautiful bay with pine trees and rocky slopes down to the fine sandy beach.
HOTELS NEAR THE BEAUTIFUL SA CONCA
The four stars hotels S’Agaró Hotel Spa & Wellness and Hostal de la Gavina
More places on Costa Brava
Tossa de Mar
A charming town with a medieval old city centre
You can read more on the Tossa de Mar page
Blanes
Blanes is the port to Costa Brava and has a lovely 2 kilometres long beach.
You can read more on our Blanes page.
Costa del Maresme / Costa Barcelona
Ocata Beach
Get off at Ocata, shortly after Masnou, where it is beautiful clean water.
No matter when you visit the beaches, you’ll have plenty of room.
Another plus is that the municipality, in an attempt to lure people away from the more famous resorts, organizes many activities for children.
Places to stay by Ocata Beach and Masnou.
There are a few hotels to choose from, so look at the overview to see which one suits you best.
More from Costa del Maresme
You can take the train from village to village or have a nice walk between the beautiful beaches.
A tip is to have a nice walk from Sant Pol de Mar to Calella.
Best beaches south of Barcelona – Costa Dorada
The beaches south of Barcelona are broader and feature shallower water, while the beaches north of Barcelona often are more beautiful and profound with more giant waves.
CASTELLDEFELS
The first beach south of Barcelona is in Castelldefels, which has a long five-kilometre beach and is situated 15 minutes by train from town. You get off at the Platja de Castelldefels station.
There are good facilities here and bars and restaurants, though the compromise is that it’s often quite full in high season.
An other attraction is Castillo de Castelldefels. You get off at the station Castelldefels and walk about one kilometre to get here.
From the top of the castle, you get a fantastic panoramic view.
It’s over 30 hotels and apartment hotels in town and some lovely places to stay along the beach.
VILANOVA WITH A LUXURY CAMPING AND CHEAP FAMILY BUNGALOWS.
A bit further along the coast lies the little-known Vilanova.
This is a family beach with primary locals who know that the facilities for children are excellent, especially the large Vilanova Park, where you can hire bungalows for a low price!
Great area with several swimming pools and lots of whole family activities.
From here, it’s 4 kilometres to the beach, but buses go right outside the camping area.
Just 50 meters from the beach, you find Atenea Park Suites & Apartments. A good alternative if you love to live right at the beach.
PLAYA DE SAN SALVADOR
Twenty kilometres south of Vilanova, you find the beach Playa de San Salvador, belonging to the village El Vendrell but the closest centre and train station is Calafell.
Here is one of the best luxury spa hotels along the northern Spanish coast. Le Meridien Ra Beach Hotel & Spa
SITGES
Even better beaches are a bit further south around Sitges, a beautiful seaside town half an hour from Barcelona.
The town has a very relaxed atmosphere, and furthest east, beyond the church, you find a few nudist beaches – Platja d’Aiguadolç and Platja dels Balmains.
The trendiest beaches of Fragata and Ribera are high society zones. Here people stroll to see and be seen.
Fortunately, a quieter beach is just behind the pink church in a bay. It is less hectic and also better protected from the wind.
There is a fair distance to walk from the train station to the beaches of Sitges.
If you come by car, parking in Sitges (in high season) may be difficult if you arrive late, so be out early if you drive.
Sitges is a popular destination for the gay culture, and several bars and nightclubs are adapted to their lively nightlife.
Picture from the beach resort hotel Mediterráneo Sitges
Many excellent beach resorts and spa hotels in Sitges are worth checking out.
More things to do in Barcelona
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