The best beaches, coastal trails & towns in Catalunya

Barcelona has a number of beautiful beaches which and be divided into the typical tourist locations and the beaches preferred by locals.

The Barceloneta neighbourhood is a beach town within the city and surrounded by Port vell and Poble Nou, Forum and Bessos. This is the main tourist beach in Barcelona and comprises Sant Sebastian Beach, Barceloneta beach, Somorrostro beach and runs to Port Olympic Marina.

From Port Olympic Marina to Besos are beaches that are more favoured by locals. The beaches are Nova Icaria which has a large beach volleyball zone, Bogatell beach which is best for hassle free chill out days. Mar Bella beach is behind a sports complex and skate park and is a clothing optional nudist beach. Nova Mar Bella and Llevant beaches are next to the Forum outdoor concert venue and port Fourum Marina and are known as super relaxed chill beaches. Beyond port forum Marina is Sant Adria de besos beach which is used by local families from the Sant Adria and Diagonal Mar neighbourhoods.

In the summer, Barcelona's beaches have chiringuitos beach bars for tapas and drinks. In Barceloneta you will find hundreds of seafood restaurants either with sea views or a short walk into Barceloneta. From Port Olympic to Forum there are seafood restaurants directly behind the beach. Also behind these beaches is a narrow parkland covering the Ronda Litoral, Barcelona's main ring arterial road.

In Port Olympic Marina are sailing, sea kayak, kite surfing and paddle surf schools and rental of equipment.

Note: Smoking is now prohibited on all of Barcelona's beaches. Beaches in Barcelona suffer from bag thief's so you cannot ever leave belongings unattended, especially in Barceloneta. The beaches in Barceloneta are not natural but artificially created so the sand is a bit course and can be hard on the feet.

Within 20 minutes train travel from the centre of Barcelona you will fond castelldefels platja, a beach town favoured by locals for its long sandy natural beaches and great restaurants. This is one of my favorite beaches to go because it does not suffer from the bag theft of Barcelona beaches and the food is cheaper than in Barcelona. Also there are no high rise buildings directly behind the beach so the views are of Parc natural de Garaf mountains.

Sitges is another beach paradise only 40 minutes by train from the Centre of Barcelona. Sitges still retains its old charm of white Mediterranean vilas and regal homes as well as beach front restaurants and bars. Platja dels Balmins is a clothing optional nudist beach for that perfect sun tan.

El Prat de llobregat is a town known for being next to Barcelona airport but it has a secret beach and delta wildlife reserve which is a great cycling or walking route route ending up at the beach. Walking right down to the end of theEl prat beaches you will find a nudist zone which is one of my favorites for chill days where the beach does not suffer from over crowding. On weekdays in the summer El Prat beach is almost empty.

The Costa Brava is the coastal area which runs from the town of Blanes all the way to the French border. It is characterised by white mediteranean houses in fishing towns and villages, rugged rocky coastlines, mountainous peaks and stunning beaches, bays and inlets

The costa Brava is linke to Barcelona by a network of bus routes, not being served by a railway line. The bus companies offer express routes that only make a few stops and can get you from Barcelona to any of the towns or villages within about 2 hours. Alternatively you can hire a car. The best coves, inlets and beaches can be found along the GR-92 coastal trail called La Ronda. My favorite towns are Tossa de Mar and Cadaques.

Girona Is the city closest to the Costa Brava being inland from the coast and the regional capital of this part of Catalonia. Figueres is also another large town within easy reach of the Costa Brava.

The Costa Dorada is the section Mediterranean coastline to the south of Barcelona and is much more urbanised due to being served by the Renfe Rodalies and Regional Rail lines.

The regional capital is Tarragona which is a city on the coast, like Barcelona with a large industrial port and great beaches.

The best beaches can be found to the south and north of Tarragona in the many small villages and towns such as Altafulla-Tamarit, Torredembarra, Coma-Ruga, L'Hospital del Infant, L'Ammetlla de Mar and L'Ampolla. Along this section of coastline the GR-92 coastal trail called La Ronda continues although a lot of it is through towns.

I have included the best beaches that are a little outside of the centre of towns and the best sections of La ronda trail along the Costa dorada.

The Cote Vermelle is Catalan coastline in southern France and reachable via train from Barcelona, although it is a long journey of 3 plus hours.

Notable towns are Collioure with its castles, town beaches and pretty houses. Travelling South from Collioure along the coast is another town called Angles-Ser-Mer and the stretch of wild mountanous coastline between the two towns is a great hiking route with plenty od secluded inlets and coves for swimming and snorkeling.

My personal recommendation is the visit the cote Vermelle as a two day trip with an overnight stay in collioure.