Badalona (Barcelonès, Costa de Barcelona)

Badalona is the city on the coast immediately north-east of Barcelona, across the river Besòs, with Roman Baetulo under its old town, a seafront promenade, the Pont del Petroli pier and a row of sandy town beaches. The R1 Rodalies train stops at Badalona station, opposite L’Estació beach, and the city is also linked to Barcelona by metro, tram and bus. It suits visitors who want city beaches without Barcelona’s crowds, Roman remains and local festivals; skip it if you want a resort with a pretty fishing village, because Badalona is a large working city with an industrial past.

Quick facts

• Names: Badalona in Catalan and Spanish. The Romans called it Baetulo, from the Iberian Baitolo found on bronze coins (English Wikipedia).
• Where: the Barcelonès comarca, on the coastal plain to the left of the Besòs delta, on the seaward slope of the Serralada de Marina. It borders Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Montgat to the north and Barcelona to the south (Catalunya.com).
• Coordinates: 41.4499, 2.2476 (Plaça de la Vila, OpenStreetMap).
• Population and size: 224,301 inhabitants on 21 km² according to Catalunya.com, which calls it the third largest municipality in Catalonia by population. English Wikipedia gives 230,642 and ranks it fourth.
• Founded: by the Romans in the 1st century BC (Catalunya.com).

Getting there and parking

By train: Badalona station is on the R1 line from Barcelona towards Mataró and Blanes (English Wikipedia), opposite L’Estació beach (Catalunya.com). Several beaches are a few hundred metres from the station: Catalunya.com puts Els Pescadors 150 m away and the Pont del Petroli beach half a kilometre.

By metro, tram and bus: Barcelona’s TMB metro, buses and the Trambesòs tram also reach Badalona (English Wikipedia); Badalona Pompeu Fabra station is about 300 m from Plaça de la Vila (OpenStreetMap). TUSGSAL runs 27 bus lines in the city and to Barcelona, Santa Coloma, Sant Adrià, Montgat and Tiana (Catalunya.com).

By car and bike: Catalunya.com mentions large car parks at L’Estació and La Mora beaches; we could not confirm charges. The city has about 20 km of cycle lanes (Catalunya.com).

What to see

Dalt de la Vila. The old town grew up from the 10th century over the Roman city (English Wikipedia). Catalunya.com points to the Romanesque church of Santa Maria, the Torre Vella, the Casa Jaume Botey and medieval and Gothic streets such as Carrer de la Costa, which lead down to the seafront district of Baix a Mar.

Museu de Badalona and Roman Baetulo. The city museum, founded in 1955, stands at Plaça de l’Assemblea de Catalunya, 1, with the public baths of Roman Baetulo in its basement, plus steles, sculptures and finds from the city’s excavations (Catalunya.com, spain.info). The museum arranges visits to the remains of the forum, streets, sewers and shops under Plaça de Font i Cussó and to the Casa dels Dofins on Carrer d’en Lladó, a 1st-century BC house with mosaics, one showing dolphins. A Roman water channel on Carrer de Pujol, 92 m long with 40 m visitable, is not normally open (Catalunya.com). We could not confirm current opening hours or prices, so check with the museum.

Anís del Mono and Modernisme. Next to the Pont del Petroli, on the promenade, stands the Anís del Mono factory, founded in 1868, with modernista distillation rooms that can be visited through the Museu de Badalona (Catalunya.com). Other modernista buildings include the Casa Agustí by Lluís Domènech i Montaner and the old Metalgraf factory known as La Llauna.

Sant Jeroni de la Murtra and Baitolo. About 3 km north-west of the centre, in the Serra de Marina, the monastery of Sant Jeroni de la Murtra has a Gothic cloister and received the Catholic Monarchs and Christopher Columbus; the Iberian settlement of Baitolo nearby has wide views (Catalunya.com).

Beaches and the Pont del Petroli

Catalunya.com calls Badalona’s urban beaches probably the best in the Barcelonès. All are medium-grain sand with a fairly steep entry, mostly reached through underpasses under the railway. From south to north:

• La Mora – 585 m by about 20 m, next to the Sant Adrià power station and the Port of Badalona; nudism is permitted and it is not usually busy.
• El Coco – 250 m by about 80 m, beside the port, which opened in 2001 with bars, restaurants and a sailing school.
• Pont del Petroli – 370 m, showers only, named after the pier.
• L’Estació – 390 m by about 35 m, opposite the station, with a covered pool, sports centre and adapted facilities.
• Els Patins a Vela – named after the patí de vela sailing boats of the Club Natació Badalona, founded in 1929; Catalunya.com calls it the best-known beach in the city.
• Els Pescadors – 420 m, with fishing boats still on the sand, beach volleyball and adapted facilities.
• Pont d’en Botifarreta – 620 m, one of the busiest, with the Club Nàutic Bétulo and the main first aid post.
• Barca Maria – 915 m, the northernmost and probably least visited, facing an industrial area, up to the Montgat boundary.

The Pont del Petroli is a concrete pier running about 250 m out to sea at a height of about 6 m, built to unload oil from tankers to the coast and adapted as a walkway; Catalunya.com calls it a symbol of the Badalona coast, with a view of the whole town from the end. Catalan Wikipedia says the current pier dates from 1965, opened to the public on 13 June 2009, and lost its final section, which joined it to the end platform, in Storm Gloria in January 2020. We could not confirm from an official page whether it is open at the moment, so check on site.

Festivals

The Festes de Maig centre on the eve of Sant Anastasi, 10 May, when the Cremada del Dimoni, the burning of a devil figure, takes place on the beach; the saint’s day is 11 May. The Festa Major is on 14 and 15 August, with concerts and fireworks on the beach. Catalunya.com also lists the Blues & Ritmes music festival.

Practical details

• Beach services: showers, toilets and lifeguards on most beaches, and beach bars at El Coco, L’Estació, Els Pescadors, Botifarreta and Barca Maria (Catalunya.com).
• Museum contact: spain.info gives info@museudebadalona.cat and +34 933 841 750.

Accessibility and safety

Catalunya.com lists adapted showers and toilets, an access ramp and a lifeline into the sea at L’Estació and Barca Maria, and amphibious chairs and an assistance service as well at Els Pescadors and Pont d’en Botifarreta. The promenade is flat. On every beach the bottom shelves fairly steeply, so keep children close. The Pont del Petroli was damaged by storms in 2017 and 2020 (Catalan Wikipedia); stay off it in rough seas.

Best time to visit

June to September for swimming. Come around 10 May for the Cremada del Dimoni or 14–15 August for the Festa Major, but expect crowds on the beach.

Nearby alternatives

• Tres Xemeneies (Sant Adrià) – the three 200 m chimneys of the old power station, about 2.8 km south-west, next to La Mora beach.
• Besòs River Park – 5 km of paths for walking and cycling in the riverbed, about 3.4 km west.
• Bunkers del Carmel (Barcelona) – a hilltop viewpoint over the coast, about 7.9 km south-west.
• Sagrada Família – Gaudí’s basilica, about 8 km south-west.
• Port Olímpic (Barcelona) – Barcelona’s Olympic marina, about 8.1 km south-west.

FAQ

How do I get from Barcelona to Badalona?

Take the R1 Rodalies train to Badalona station, opposite L’Estació beach, or the TMB metro, the Trambesòs tram or a TUSGSAL bus.

Are Badalona’s beaches good for swimming?

Yes. They are sandy urban beaches with lifeguards and showers in season; the bottom shelves fairly steeply. Els Pescadors and L’Estació are closest to the station.

Is the Pont del Petroli open?

Storm Gloria destroyed its final section in January 2020 (Catalan Wikipedia). We could not confirm its current status from an official page, so check on site.

When is the Cremada del Dimoni?

On the night of 10 May, the eve of Sant Anastasi, on the beach (Catalunya.com).

Sources and freshness