El Prat beach (El Prat de Llobregat)

El Prat beach (Platja del Prat) is the sandy coast of El Prat de Llobregat, between the mouth of the Llobregat river and the runways of Barcelona-El Prat airport, about 5 km south of the town and 12 km in a straight line from Plaça de Catalunya. The main stretch with services, Platja de Can Camins, sits in front of the seafront promenade (Passeig de la Platja), with stone pines and dunes behind it and protected natural beaches on either side. It suits plane spotters, walkers, birdwatchers and people who want a long, uncrowded beach close to Barcelona; skip it if you want calm water for small children, because the sea shelves steeply, or quiet, because planes land right beside it.

Quick facts

• Names: Platja del Prat or Platja del Prat de Llobregat (Catalan), Playa del Prat (Spanish). The serviced part is Platja de Can Camins, also called Platja Equipada.
• Where: El Prat de Llobregat, Baix Llobregat, Barcelona province, inside the Llobregat Delta between the river mouth and the Remolar lagoon.
• Coordinates: 41.2880, 2.1053 (Passeig de la Platja at the Centre Municipal de Vela; OpenStreetMap).
• Stretches, east to west: La Ricarda–Ca l’Arana (2,700 m, no public access), Platja Naturista, Can Camins (1,185 m), La Roberta (1,100 m) and El Remolar, also called Els Militars (Catalan Wikipedia).
• Sand: golden to dark, medium and fine grain (spain.info, Catalan Wikipedia).
• Protection: the natural stretches are part of the Llobregat Delta bird protection area (ZEPA, Natura 2000).
• Entry: free.

Access and parking

By bus: Catalan Wikipedia lists a local Baixbus line, PR3 (Platja/Mirador), that runs from the town to the beach. We did not check its route, timetable or season; check before you go.

By train or metro: El Prat de Llobregat station has Rodalies trains on the R2, R2 Nord, R2 Sud and R15 lines and metro line L9 (Catalan Wikipedia). The station is about 5 km from the beach in a straight line, so you need the bus, a bike or a taxi for the last part.

By car: spain.info lists the beach as easy to reach on foot and by car. We could not confirm the size or cost of the car parks.

On foot or by bike: the Llobregat Delta’s marked routes link the Can Camins pinewood, El Prat beach and Viladecans beach (Catalunya.com).

What to expect

Can Camins is the semi-urban part of the coast, in front of the promenade, the Can Camins pinewood and the airport (Catalan Wikipedia). Spain.info gives it 1,185 m of golden, dark sand with toilets, showers, bins, cleaning, a sports area and a children’s play area, and rates occupancy as low. The entry into the water is very steep. Next to it are the Centre Municipal de Vela, the town’s sailing centre, and the CRAM foundation, which rescues and cares for marine animals.

Behind the beach is one of the few coastal pinewoods left on the Catalan coast. Catalunya.com describes the Can Camins pinewood and El Prat beach as 48 ha of stone pines on old dunes, a refuge for wildlife, with several endangered species that need the dune plants on the sand to survive.

West of Can Camins, La Roberta beach runs in front of the runways. It is 1,100 m long, with wooden boardwalks across the protected dunes, lifeguards, showers and the Roberta viewpoint tower, which looks over the airport and the beach (Catalan Wikipedia). Beyond it, El Remolar or Els Militars beach (700 m, with dunes) has been the nudist beach since 2021, when the nudist area moved from Platja Naturista because storms had washed most of that beach’s sand away. Its sand is not cleaned by machine, to leave food for birds such as the Kentish plover.

East of Can Camins, past Platja Naturista, the 2,700 m beach of La Ricarda–Ca l’Arana runs to the river mouth. Public access is not allowed, to protect it. You can look over it from two viewpoints, the Semàfor and the Bunyola tower, next to the remains of the old Carrabiners’ barracks (Catalan Wikipedia).

Practical details

• Facilities: at Can Camins, toilets, showers, bins, a sports area and a children’s play area (spain.info); at La Roberta, lifeguards and showers (Catalan Wikipedia). The natural stretches have no services.
• Water quality: the Catalan Water Agency tests Can Camins weekly in the bathing season, with excellent results (Catalan Wikipedia).
• Dogs: at Can Camins, dogs are allowed on summer nights between 20:00 and 8:00 and without restriction the rest of the year (Catalan Wikipedia). Check the signs, as rules change.
• Nudism: at El Remolar (Els Militars) beach since 2021.
• Sea: spain.info notes both calm water and strong waves; the beach faces the open sea.

Accessibility and safety

Best time to visit

Summer for swimming, when lifeguards work and services are open; spain.info rates its occupancy as low. For birds, spring and winter are best in the delta (Catalunya.com).

Nearby alternatives

• HolaCamp Barcelona, 5.5 km away: the beach campsite at Gavà, west along the delta coast.
• Gavà Mines, 9.1 km away: a prehistoric mining site with Neolithic galleries.
• Montjuïc Castle, 9.8 km away: the fortress above the port of Barcelona, in view across the river mouth.
• Church of Colònia Güell, 10.6 km away: Gaudí’s crypt, inland up the Llobregat.
• Castelldefels Castle, 10.6 km away: the castle above the long beach of Castelldefels.

FAQ

How do I get to El Prat beach?

By car to Passeig de la Platja, or by the local PR3 bus from El Prat town, which has Rodalies trains and metro line L9 from Barcelona. The beach is about 5 km from the town centre.

Can you swim at El Prat beach?

Yes, at Can Camins and La Roberta, which have services; La Roberta has lifeguards. The water was rated excellent in the Catalan Water Agency’s checks, but the bottom drops steeply.

Is there a nudist beach in El Prat?

Yes. Since 2021 the nudist area is El Remolar (Els Militars) beach, in front of the runways, after Platja Naturista lost most of its sand.

Can I watch planes from El Prat beach?

La Roberta and El Remolar beaches lie in front of the airport runways, and the Roberta viewpoint tower looks over the airport and the beach.

Are dogs allowed on El Prat beach?

At Can Camins, on summer nights from 20:00 to 8:00 and at any time outside summer, according to Catalan Wikipedia. Follow the signs on the day.

Sources and freshness