Tres Xemeneies (Three Chimneys, Sant Adrià de Besòs)

The Tres Xemeneies, or Three Chimneys, are the 200-metre stacks of the old Sant Adrià power station on the seafront at the mouth of the Besòs, between Barcelona and Badalona. You see them from every beach between Barceloneta and Badalona; to stand under them, take the R1 train or the Trambesòs tram to Sant Adrià and walk about 500 m along Avinguda d’Eduard Maristany. The turbine hall is closed except during special events, so this is a landmark to look at and walk round rather than a building to tour. It suits people interested in industrial heritage, architecture and photography; skip it if you want a sight with fixed opening hours and a ticket desk.

Quick facts

• Names: Les Tres Xemeneies in Catalan (Las Tres Chimeneas in Spanish, the Three Chimneys in English); formally the Central tèrmica de Sant Adrià de Besòs, the Sant Adrià thermal power station (Catalan Wikipedia). Locals have called it “the Sagrada Família of the Poor” (Barcelona Metròpolis).
• Address: Carrer d’Eduard Maristany, 106, 08930 Sant Adrià de Besòs, as given by Barcelona City Council’s architecture-capital programme.
• Coordinates: 41.4268, 2.2357 (the power-station building, OpenStreetMap).
• Height: each chimney is 90 m tall and stands on a 90 m boiler; a further 20 m of metal-framed stack was added later, for a total of about 200 m (Catalan Wikipedia).
• In service: the three generating groups started in 1973, 1974 and 1976; the turbines stopped in 2011 (Catalan Wikipedia, Barcelona Metròpolis).
• Protection: the turbine hall and the three boiler-and-chimney sets were declared a cultural asset of local interest by Sant Adrià and Badalona between 2016 and 2017 (Catalan Wikipedia).
• Visits: no regular opening; the interior opens only for events.

Access and parking

By train and tram: Sant Adrià de Besòs station on the Rodalies R1 coast line, and the Estació de Sant Adrià stop of the Trambesòs tram next to it, are about 500 m south-west of the building in a straight line (OpenStreetMap). Catalunya.com describes the neighbouring Platja de la Mora as less than a kilometre from Sant Adrià railway station and about 250 m from a Trambesòs stop. A bus stop called Tres Xemeneies sits on Carrer d’Eduard Maristany, at the Badalona end of the site (OpenStreetMap).

On foot or by bike: the seafront promenade connects Sant Adrià with Badalona and Barcelona (Catalunya.com), so the chimneys are an easy walk from the Fòrum or from Badalona’s Platja de la Mora, which lies right next to the site. From Barcelona’s Parc del Fòrum the walk is a little over 2 km in a straight line.

By car: the B-10 Ronda Litoral and the C-31 meet in Sant Adrià (English Wikipedia). We found no official car park for the site; Spain.info notes a large flat parking area by the nearby Platja del Litoral. Arriving by train is simpler.

What to expect

From the beach you see three grey concrete stacks, each rising from a boiler block beside a long turbine hall. Around them is open, fenced land between the river mouth, the railway and the sea. The rest of the industrial complex built in the 1970s was demolished after closure; Barcelona Metròpolis reports that only these structures survived, thanks to a strong local campaign. In 2008 Sant Adrià held a popular vote on keeping the chimneys and 82% voted yes (Catalan Wikipedia).

The plant had three 350 MW groups designed to burn fuel oil; two were later adapted to natural gas. For decades its “black rain” soiled washing and cars in Sant Adrià and Badalona, while warm cooling water drew fish and anglers (Catalan Wikipedia). One of the last dismantling jobs was removing the seawater intake pipes; their submerged pillars are now an artificial reef that Badalona and Sant Adrià have managed since 2017 under an agreement with Endesa and the Consorci del Besòs (Catalan Wikipedia).

The best views are from Platja del Litoral and Platja del Fòrum on either side of the river mouth, from Badalona’s Platja de la Mora, and from the end of the river park. Barcelona Metròpolis also notes they are visible from Sant Sebastià beach at the far end of Barcelona’s seafront.

Events inside the turbine hall

The interior opened to visitors for the first time at the end of 2024, thirteen years after closure, when the Manifesta 15 art biennial filled the turbine hall with installations (Barcelona Metròpolis). In 2026 the hall hosted the central exhibition of the UIA World Congress of Architects, “Becoming. Architectures for a planet in transition”, across 4,000 m² from 24 to 26 June and 3 to 19 July, Thursday to Sunday, with paid entry, plus guided tours and talks (Barcelona City Council). Those activities have finished. Future visits will depend on events, so check Barcelona and Sant Adrià council agendas before going.

The future: Catalunya Media City

The Generalitat launched Catalunya Media City in early 2021 to turn the turbine hall into a hub for the audiovisual, digital and video-game industries, with studios, training for more than 2,000 students and an events floor for up to 4,000 people. Barcelona Metròpolis gives an estimated public-private investment of €450 million and an expected opening in 2028 or 2029. In June 2026 Barcelona and Sant Adrià agreed to coordinate the wider 32-hectare site, which is planned to include 1,783 homes, 714 of them officially protected, and a 10-hectare park on the coast linked to the Besòs River Park, with an extended Trambesòs and two footbridges over the railway (Barcelona City Council). A residents’ platform opposes housing in a flood-prone area and wants a cultural use only (Barcelona Metròpolis). Expect building work around the site in the coming years.

Accessibility and safety

The promenade and beaches around the site are flat and paved, and the Fòrum beach has adapted toilets and showers (Catalunya.com). The power-station grounds are fenced; do not enter the site outside organised events. Event access arrangements are set for each event, so check with the organiser.

Best time to visit

Late afternoon and sunset light up the concrete from the west, and winter days are clear and quiet. In summer combine the walk with a swim at Platja del Litoral or Platja del Fòrum. Watch Barcelona and Sant Adrià agendas for the occasional events inside the hall.

Nearby alternatives

• Besòs River Park – the walking and cycling park along the riverbed ends at the railway bridge in Sant Adrià, just inland from the river mouth next to the chimneys.
• Badalona – Roman Baetulo, the old town and the beaches, about 2.8 km north-east.
• Port Olímpic (Barcelona) – the city’s Olympic marina, about 5.4 km south-west along the seafront.
• Sagrada Família – Gaudí’s basilica, about 5.8 km south-west.
• Bunkers del Carmel (Barcelona) – a hilltop viewpoint over the whole coast, about 6.2 km west.

FAQ

Can you go inside the Tres Xemeneies?

Only during special events. The turbine hall first opened for Manifesta in late 2024 and hosted the UIA World Congress exhibition in summer 2026; there is no regular opening.

How tall are the Three Chimneys?

About 200 m: 90 m of chimney on top of a 90 m boiler, plus 20 m of metal-framed stack added later (Catalan Wikipedia).

How do I get to the Tres Xemeneies?

Take the Rodalies R1 or the Trambesòs to Sant Adrià and walk about 500 m north-east along Avinguda d’Eduard Maristany, or follow the seafront promenade from the Fòrum or Badalona.

Is there parking at the Three Chimneys?

We found no official car park for the site. Spain.info notes a large parking area by Platja del Litoral nearby.

What will happen to the Tres Xemeneies?

The Generalitat plans Catalunya Media City, an audiovisual and digital hub in the turbine hall, expected in 2028 or 2029, with homes and a coastal park planned around it.

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