Port Vell (Barcelona)

Port Vell is Barcelona’s old harbour, the inner part of the Port of Barcelona at the bottom of La Rambla, and today a leisure port with marinas for yachts and superyachts. It lies at the foot of the Columbus monument, between the old town and La Barceloneta, a short walk from Drassanes metro station. You come here to walk the quays, cross the Rambla de Mar footbridge to the Maremàgnum and the Aquarium, take a harbour boat trip or look at very large yachts. It suits city visitors and sailors who want to berth in the middle of Barcelona. Skip it if you want a quiet harbour: this is one of the busiest waterfronts in Spain.

Quick facts

• Names: Port Vell is Catalan for “old port”. The superyacht marina inside it is called OneOcean Port Vell by the Catalan tourist board and Marina Port Vell on OpenStreetMap.
• Where: Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, between the Moll de la Fusta, the Moll d’Espanya and the Moll de la Barceloneta.
• Coordinates: 41.3770, 2.1853 (the superyacht marina).
• Size: 70 ha, according to the Catalan Wikipedia; it is the oldest part of the Port of Barcelona, run by the Barcelona Port Authority.
• Marinas inside: OneOcean Port Vell for large yachts, and the sports basins of the Reial Club Marítim de Barcelona (founded 1902) and the Reial Club Nàutic de Barcelona.
• Berths: we could not reach the operators’ or the port authority’s websites, so we do not give berth numbers here.
• Entry: the quays and the Rambla de Mar are open to pedestrians.

Access and parking

On foot: walk down La Rambla to the Columbus monument; the harbour starts on the other side of the road. The Rambla de Mar, a wooden footbridge with a swing section that opens to let boats through, links the bottom of La Rambla with the Moll d’Espanya (Wikipedia).

By metro: the entrances to Drassanes station on La Rambla are about 0.7 km from the superyacht marina, according to OpenStreetMap.

Parking: all the public car parks nearby are underground and paid. OpenStreetMap shows the Maremàgnum car park on the Moll d’Espanya, the BSM Moll de la Fusta car park (215 spaces, 4 for disabled drivers, marked open 24 hours) and the Saba Bamsa Barceloneta car park (272 spaces), all within 0.5 km. In the centre of Barcelona, public transport is the easier choice.

What to expect

Port Vell was rebuilt as part of the city’s renewal before the 1992 Olympics; before that it was an area of empty warehouses and railway yards. Wikipedia puts visitor numbers at 16 million a year. Around the water you find the Maremàgnum (shops, cinema, bars and restaurants), the Aquarium, the Palau de Mar with the Museu d’Història de Catalunya, the old Customs building and the World Trade Center Barcelona (Viquipèdia).

Spain’s tourist board describes a seafront walk of about six kilometres that begins at Port Vell, passes the Aquarium, the Maremàgnum and the Maritime Museum, crosses the Olympic Port and reaches La Barceloneta beach (Spain.info). The Aquarium, on the Moll d’Espanya, has an 80 m underwater tunnel (Spain.info).

Boat trips: the Golondrinas, Barcelona’s traditional pleasure boats, run two trips from Port Vell; the shorter one is a 40-minute tour of the harbour (Spain.info). Check their own site for prices and times.

The marinas for visiting boats

We could reach only the Catalan tourist board’s summaries, not the marinas’ own websites. Here is what those summaries and the map confirm:

• OneOcean Port Vell is in the Dàrsena del Comerç, between the Moll d’Espanya and the Moll de la Barceloneta. Its conversion into a port for very large yachts began in 2010. It takes boats up to 190 m long, with depths of between nine and fourteen metres, and has a gym, a cocktail bar, a business centre and a restaurant. Boats reach it by leaving the Maremàgnum to port (Catalunya.com).
• Reial Club Marítim de Barcelona is in the Dàrsena Nacional and takes boats up to 20 m long. It has a 1,200 m² boatyard with two cranes (20 and 1.5 tonnes), fuel, maintenance and security, and a pool, gym, restaurant and Wi-Fi for members and guests. Boats reach it by leaving the Maremàgnum to starboard and passing under a footbridge; sailing boats wait for the bridge to open. The first four pontoons belong to the Marítim and the next ones to the Reial Club Nàutic. The fuel station is on the Moll de la Fusta (Catalunya.com).
• Reial Club Nàutic de Barcelona, founded in 1876, is the neighbouring club basin, according to OpenStreetMap.

Contact the marinas for berth rates and availability before you sail in.

Accessibility and safety

Best time to visit

Come early on a weekday morning for a quiet walk and photos of the yachts. In December, Spain’s tourist board lists the Port Vell Fair opposite the Columbus monument, with a carousel and a giant Ferris wheel, and the Copa Nadal, a 200 m open-water swimming race held in Port Vell on 25 December (Spain.info).

Nearby alternatives

• Museu Picasso, 1.0 km away: the Picasso museum in the old town.
• Barcelona Cathedral, 1.1 km away: in the Gothic Quarter behind the harbour.
• Montjuïc Castle, 2.2 km away: the castle on Montjuïc, south-west of the harbour.
• Casa Batlló, 2.3 km away: a modernist house in the Eixample.
• Sagrada Família, 3.1 km away: the basilica in the Eixample.

Distances are in a straight line from the superyacht marina.

FAQ

What is Port Vell in Barcelona?

The old harbour of Barcelona, at the bottom of La Rambla. It was rebuilt before the 1992 Olympics and now holds marinas, the Maremàgnum, the Aquarium and museums.

How do I get to Port Vell?

Walk to the bottom of La Rambla, or take the metro to Drassanes, about 0.7 km from the superyacht marina.

Is there parking at Port Vell?

Yes, in paid underground car parks: the Maremàgnum, Moll de la Fusta and Barceloneta car parks are all within 0.5 km.

Can you swim at Port Vell?

Not in the harbour. The seafront walk from Port Vell leads to La Barceloneta beach.

How many berths does Port Vell have?

We could not check the operators’ current figures, so we do not give one. Contact the marinas directly.

Sources and freshness