4 Best Sights in La Ciutadella and Barceloneta, Barcelona

Reached by walking down Passeig Joan de Borbó and turning left at Plaça del Mar, the adjacent beaches of Barceloneta and Sant Miquel are the easiest to get to and hence the busiest—though they're also the most fun for people-watching. Note that itinerant beach vendors can be a nuisance, and pickpocketing has become increasingly problematic in recent years. The calm waters are easy for swimming, and there are several companies that provide surfing and paddleboard rentals and lessons. Take note of Rebecca Horn's contemporary sculpture of towering, rusting cubes, L'Estel Ferit, a popular meeting spot on Sant Miquel beach. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; surfing (mostly in winter); swimming; walking.

Closest to the Poblenou metro stop, this open-minded, everyone's-welcome beach is a thriving gay enclave and has the city's only designated nudist section, tucked behind the dune. The water-sports center Base Nàutica de la Mar Bella rents equipment for sailing, surfing, and windsurfing; at street level, you'll find a very popular skate park. Outfitted with showers, drinking fountains, and a children's play area, La Mar Bella also has lifeguards who warn against swimming near the breakwater. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; nudists; swimming; windsurfing.

One of Barcelona's most popular beaches for sports lovers, aficionados of volleyball (as well as its foot-based equivalent, footvolley) assemble nets, year-round, to play social tournaments that make great from-your-towel viewing. The wide beach sits just east of the newly rebooted Port Olímpic, and directly opposite the neighborhood built as the residential Olympic Village for Barcelona's 1992 Olympic Games. Vendors sometimes prowl about, offering everything from cold drinks to massages, albeit less intensely than at Barceloneta. Pickpocketing has been an issue here, too, so keep an eye on your belongings. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking.

Barceloneta's most southwestern platja (at the very end of Passeig Joan de Borbó), Sant Sebastià is the oldest of the city beaches; it was here that 19th-century locals cavorted in bloomers. In contrast, Ricardo Bofill’s metallic, sail-shape W hotel now stands at the end of a promenade lined with outdoor gyms (frequented by the buff and the beautiful) and populated by sun-ripened skaters and joggers. In 2022, the walkway was extended further around the W hotel: steps lead up to a viewing deck with a panoramic perspective over the city and the sea. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets. Best for: partiers; swimming; walking.