Beach / Activities - Barcelona Travel Guide

Barcelona's Council trumpets its new beaches, 'built' in the period since the 1992 Olympic Games in the city. Certainly, no one misses the wharves and industrial wasteland the beaches replace.

On the other hand, tourists should realise that the city's beaches are far from being idyllic Mediterranean strands, despite the carefully framed camera shots in the brochures. Anyone who has seen pristine beaches in Turkey, the Caribbean and elsewhere is going to be bitterly disappointed. Barcelona's beaches compare poorly even by Costa Brava resort standards.

Despite generally reasonable water and sand quality, showers and other facilities, the beaches suffer from regular storm damage, and bad episodes of pollution. Litter and petty crime are also problems.

Things are unlikely to get better - the Spanish Ministry of Works is refusing to foot the bill for more beach replacement.

UPDATE 9/6/04:
Today's El Periodico newspaper (p.43) carries a grisly article. Two human hands and a womb were found in a plastic bag on Barceloneta beach. Forensic experts say that whoever was responsible had considerable anatomical knowledge. Could it be that Jack the Ripper has tired of foggy London and has shifted operations to Barcelona?

Surfing
Forget it, I have watched people trying to body and board surf in Barcelona. It's a dead duck - there simply aren't the right kind of waves (and most of the time, the Med. is as calm as a millpond). This holds true even in major storms, when sand vanishes from Barcelona's artificial beaches faster than you can say 'Jack Robinson', revealing underlying industrial detrius (pulverised concrete, coke, etc.) in the process.

Diving
Forget this too unless you are interested in prospecting for heavy metals and other reminders of the city's grim industrial past. Go to Roses instead - there is great diving around the Illes Medes [Medes Islands] (forthcoming tip).

Curiously enough, there is a longish undersea 'hill' 1 km long and some 20 metres high just off the city shore at Sant Adria. It has a thriving population of worms. Unfortunately, the explanation for this curious geographic feature lies in the sediments discharged by the nearby sewage farm - yet another reason to forget diving here.

Beach / Activities, Barcelona

Barcelona Hotels

Beach / Activities, Barcelona

Visiting Barcelona?

Visiting Barcelona?

Barcelona Hotels