Lovely beaches outside of the city
Hello!
I don't know about you guys but all I can think of these hot summer days is the beach: going to the beach, having a drink on the beach, swimming in the big waves, after-work swim, night swim, walking on the beach... Sometimes even in the middle of the night when I can't sleep I find myself thinking: I wish i could just live on the beachfront and hear the sound of the waves when I fall asleep! So, my favourite word and hobby for the summer seems to be: the beach. As many of us, I enjoy the most the kind of beaches that are not heavily crowded, noisy or dirty so I usually head outside of the city but just close enough to return back to the city easily within an hour or so. If you don't know which is your favourite beach outside of the city yet, I have made some discovery during these years and I'm happy to share four of my absolute favourite beaches with you! So here they are:
Platja del Prat
This wide sandy beach is located just behind the Barcelona-El Prat airport and I don't know if it's the airplanes that you can see very close landing and departing, disappearing in the skyline and waking up my wanderlust, the quietness and calmness or the natural setting of Delta del Llobregat on the background that makes this beach my favorite of all the beaches near Barcelona. Probably all of the reasons! There is a very local atmosphere here and most of the people seem to arrive by car, motorbike or by walking or biking from the nearest towns. If you want to challenge yourself, it's possible to bike there from Barcelona as well, starting from Plaça Espanya, which is a great idea of a day trip! You can also find two great chiringuitos here, perfect for a dinner after a whole day on the beach or after a refreshing night swim: El Calamar and El Maravillas. As there are not any high buildings destroying the landscape, you can see some amazing sunsets here as well!
Getting there: The easiest way is without a doubt by your own vehicle but you can also take the bus number PR3 from the airport (terminal 2).
Platja de Gavà
My second favourite beach outside of the city is Platja de Gavà. This beach is wide and long, much calmer, less crowded and cleaner than the beaches in Barcelona and it has a lovely chiringuito called Iguana with some nice vegetarian and vegan options! There is also a 400 meters wide unique pine forest which reaches the first line of the seafront, very beautiful and relaxing scenery indeed! The lovely promenade of Gavà has even won the prestigious FAD award for exterior architecture. If you are into walking, you can go till Castelldefels (about 6,5km), which is a livelier beach town with more people than Gavà but with its own charm and some nice parties in summer!
Getting there: From Plaça Espanya take the bus number L94 or L95 and hop off in Av. Europa - Pals.
Platja del Pont de Petroli
Another good option is to head to Badalona! It´s very easy to get there by metro and the beach is much better than in downtown: less people, less noise, better atmosphere! The sea is usually cleaner and the restaurants offer cheaper (but as good) meals than in the main beaches of Barcelona. There is also a very attractive promenade that you can walk, bike or roller-skate enjoying the fresh sea air and the view of the Petroli bridge that was constructed in the 1960s by the CAMPSA oil company and gave the beach its name. You can walk till the end of the "bridge" and enjoy the beautiful skyline of Barcelona!
Getting there: Metro L2 Badalona Pompeu Fabra or the train R1 (stops a bit closer to the beach than metro).
Looking good!
Sant Pol de Mar
This beautiful beach town with a family feel is perfect for a day trip or a weekend destination. The water is clear and it's nice for snorkeling as well. The main beach is just down the train station but if you walk a little bit further, the sea being on your right side, you can find more peaceful spots, perfect for relaxing, swimming and enjoying the sun. Stop by in some of the local chiringuitos to have a cold glass of tinto verano and just enjoy the moment!
Getting there: You can take the R1 train from Plaça de Catalunya station, Sants Estación, Arc de Triomf or Clot and the trip takes for about one hour. You can check the train timetables here.
I don't know about you guys but all I can think of these hot summer days is the beach: going to the beach, having a drink on the beach, swimming in the big waves, after-work swim, night swim, walking on the beach... Sometimes even in the middle of the night when I can't sleep I find myself thinking: I wish i could just live on the beachfront and hear the sound of the waves when I fall asleep! So, my favourite word and hobby for the summer seems to be: the beach. As many of us, I enjoy the most the kind of beaches that are not heavily crowded, noisy or dirty so I usually head outside of the city but just close enough to return back to the city easily within an hour or so. If you don't know which is your favourite beach outside of the city yet, I have made some discovery during these years and I'm happy to share four of my absolute favourite beaches with you! So here they are:
Platja del Prat
This wide sandy beach is located just behind the Barcelona-El Prat airport and I don't know if it's the airplanes that you can see very close landing and departing, disappearing in the skyline and waking up my wanderlust, the quietness and calmness or the natural setting of Delta del Llobregat on the background that makes this beach my favorite of all the beaches near Barcelona. Probably all of the reasons! There is a very local atmosphere here and most of the people seem to arrive by car, motorbike or by walking or biking from the nearest towns. If you want to challenge yourself, it's possible to bike there from Barcelona as well, starting from Plaça Espanya, which is a great idea of a day trip! You can also find two great chiringuitos here, perfect for a dinner after a whole day on the beach or after a refreshing night swim: El Calamar and El Maravillas. As there are not any high buildings destroying the landscape, you can see some amazing sunsets here as well!
Getting there: The easiest way is without a doubt by your own vehicle but you can also take the bus number PR3 from the airport (terminal 2).
Evening walks and swimming in Platja del Prat are my favorites!
Delta del Llobregat, one more place to discover in beautiful Catalonia!
Chiringuito el Calamar. Tasty seafood and great cocktails!
Magical sunset in Platja del Prat
Platja de Gavà
My second favourite beach outside of the city is Platja de Gavà. This beach is wide and long, much calmer, less crowded and cleaner than the beaches in Barcelona and it has a lovely chiringuito called Iguana with some nice vegetarian and vegan options! There is also a 400 meters wide unique pine forest which reaches the first line of the seafront, very beautiful and relaxing scenery indeed! The lovely promenade of Gavà has even won the prestigious FAD award for exterior architecture. If you are into walking, you can go till Castelldefels (about 6,5km), which is a livelier beach town with more people than Gavà but with its own charm and some nice parties in summer!
Getting there: From Plaça Espanya take the bus number L94 or L95 and hop off in Av. Europa - Pals.
Platja del Pont de Petroli
Another good option is to head to Badalona! It´s very easy to get there by metro and the beach is much better than in downtown: less people, less noise, better atmosphere! The sea is usually cleaner and the restaurants offer cheaper (but as good) meals than in the main beaches of Barcelona. There is also a very attractive promenade that you can walk, bike or roller-skate enjoying the fresh sea air and the view of the Petroli bridge that was constructed in the 1960s by the CAMPSA oil company and gave the beach its name. You can walk till the end of the "bridge" and enjoy the beautiful skyline of Barcelona!
Getting there: Metro L2 Badalona Pompeu Fabra or the train R1 (stops a bit closer to the beach than metro).
Looking good!
Sant Pol de Mar
This beautiful beach town with a family feel is perfect for a day trip or a weekend destination. The water is clear and it's nice for snorkeling as well. The main beach is just down the train station but if you walk a little bit further, the sea being on your right side, you can find more peaceful spots, perfect for relaxing, swimming and enjoying the sun. Stop by in some of the local chiringuitos to have a cold glass of tinto verano and just enjoy the moment!
Getting there: You can take the R1 train from Plaça de Catalunya station, Sants Estación, Arc de Triomf or Clot and the trip takes for about one hour. You can check the train timetables here.
The R1 train that goes from Barcelona to Blanes goes through a lot of beautiful beach towns on its way that you can admire on the window of the train. Our favorites are Arenys de Mar and Canet de Mar that have lovely town centers as well with several modernist style buildings! So pack your bag, hop on the train and pick up your favourite beach!
Canet de Mar from the balcony of Hotel Rocatel, a lovely family run hotel with affordable prices, pool area and great service. This picture was taken on a Thursday morning in June, during the peak season the beach is not THAT empty, except maybe veeeery early in the morning.
Sunset from the terrace of the amazing Btakora Lounge Restaurant in Arenys de Mar.
Photo by Ayuonofotografia :)
Love, Sofi in Barcelona
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