Port Fòrum & Parc Litoral – Coastal Walk & Secret Beach

About Port Forum, Parc Litoral & besós Three Chimneys

• Port Fòrum: Although Barcelona’s coastline was transformed for the 1992 Olympic Games, Port Fòrum itself was built later for the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures. The marina today includes boating shops, a small supermarket, several restaurants, and a large Decathlon sports store. Public areas are free to explore, including the high steel‑girder bridge that crosses the harbour, though access may be restricted during major music festivals and events.


• Parc del Litoral: A peaceful green space between Sant Adrià de Besòs train station and the beach. This is a local, low‑key beach area with a relaxed atmosphere—much quieter than the busy sands of Barceloneta and popular with residents rather than tourists.


• Central Tèrmica de Sant Adrià: A modern waste‑to‑energy and natural‑gas power station that processes municipal waste from Barcelona and generates steam for electricity production. Built by Fecsa‑Endesa on land acquired in 2005, the facility was completed in 2008 and entered service in 2010, producing up to 859 MW and replacing the old coal‑fired plant.


• Former Power Station – The Three Chimneys: The iconic triple chimneys belong to the decommissioned coal‑fired power station that operated from 1973 to 2011. After dismantling the turbines and surrounding buildings, the chimneys and turbine halls were preserved due to their industrial heritage value. They are currently in the process of being declared a site of local cultural interest, with future plans potentially including a museum or civic centre.

I once had privileged access to the the Three Chimneys Power Station when it was still functioning as an electricity substation, with only one of the coal furnaces in operation. At the time I was working for a mobile network operator and had to attend an outage in an equipment enclosure located at the top of one of the chimneys. It was a brutal job—hauling tools up countless flights of stairs—but the view from the top was unforgettable. The only challenge was dodging the seagulls nesting up there, who clearly felt they owned the place.

My sincere hope is that the the Three Chimneys site is eventually repurposed into something genuinely useful for the public, because the opportunities for a viewpoint attraction here are phenomenal. Standing at the top of the chimneys, even during my maintenance visit years ago, it was obvious how extraordinary the panorama could be if the space were opened to visitors. It would also have been wonderful to preserve some of the original turbine machinery and convert the complex into a museum dedicated to the industrial history of the Poblenou and Besòs coastline. This area was once Barcelona’s major heavy‑industry zone, home to factories that built railway steam locomotives, metal foundries, ship‑repair workshops, chemical plants, textile mills, and machinery fabrication works. A museum here could tell the story of how this coastline powered Barcelona’s industrial growth long before it became a modern residential, tech startup and cultural district.

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