This article was originally published in 2021 and most recently updated on August 28, 2026, with current information.
Most visitors to Barcelona know its city beaches—playa in Spanish or platja in Catalan—but I love visiting the Catalan coast beaches from my home in Barcelona. This expanse of the Mediterranean runs some 360 miles, from the French border to the Ebro Delta in the south, and it brims with appealing seaside towns and spectacular Blue Flag beaches, meaning they meet strict environmental and safety qualifications. Best of all, many of these sandy stretches are easy to reach by train. Here are my picks for 10 of the best beaches to visit near Barcelona.
Blanes
Location: 90 minutes northeast of Barcelona by train
Where to stay: Casa Indiana Hotel Boutique
Blanes (pronounced blan-ez) is the town where the Costa Maresme officially ends and the Costa Brava begins. The streets directly around the beach are lively, with plenty of restaurants and cafés where you can sit outside and people-watch. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to visit one of the most photogenic landmarks on the Costa Brava: the gardens of Jardi Botànic Marimutra, which were planted on a clifftop overlooking the sea by a German businessman over a century ago.
Ahead of sunset, follow the locals to Sa Palomera, an islet at the end of the bay that doubles as Blanes’s sunset-watching spot. When you get back in town, you can book a table for Sa Lola, which serves gastronomically creative dishes on the beachfront.
How to get there
Blanes is the last stop on the R1, a train you can take from Barcelona Sants, Plaça Catalunya or Arc de Triomf stations. The ride takes 90 minutes, running right along the coast. Sit on the right going to the beach and on the left coming back so you can watch a ribbon of azure sea unfurl.
Platja d’Altafulla
Medieval Castell de Tamarit overlooks Playa Altafulla on Spain’s Costa Daurada (golden coast).
Photo by LianeM/Shutterstock
Location: About 80 minutes by train southwest of Barcelona
Where to stay: May Boutique Hotel
How many beaches have you visited that are home to a full-fledged medieval castle? Lording over this wide, ¾-mile-long strip of sand on the Costa Daurada is Castell de Tamarit, an impressive walled fortress that dates back to the 11th century.
Altafulla Beach also has a charming promenade, Botigues de Mar, where a jumble of 18th-century warehouses have been converted into vacation apartments and nice cafés and restaurants with beachfront terraces.
How to get there
Take the train from Barcelona Sants or Estació De França to Altafulla/Tamarit station. The journey is about 80 minutes.
Platja d’Aiguablava
Location: 90 minutes drive northeast of Barcelona
Where to stay: Hotel Aigua Blava
Along the Costa Brava, Aiguablava features wonderfully soft white sand and turquoise waters framed by pine tree–topped hills (the beach’s name in Catalan is “blue water”). It’s just south of the town of Begur, one of my favorite towns in the Costa Brava. Begur is a beautiful labyrinth of steep, narrow, stone streets lined with grand colonial mansions and crowned by a crumbling medieval castle with spectacular Mediterranean vistas.
How to get there
Renting a car is the easiest way to reach the beaches along the Costa Brava. The beach is a long walk from Begur; to avoid worrying about parking, take the shuttle bus from Plaça Forgas. The bus runs mid-June to mid-September, stopping at Aiguablava, Sa Tuna, and Sa Rivera (see below).
Sa Tuna
Come to Sa Tuna in September or October for warm water and practically empty sand.
Photo by Pawel Kazmierczak/Shutterstock
Location: 95 minutes drive northeast of Barcelona
Where to stay: Bypillow Cap Sa Sal
Twenty minutes’ drive north from Aiguablava, Sa Tuna is set in a very pretty little cove with clear water perfect for snorkeling. The calm bay is full of small boats and the surrounding hills are dotted with old fishers’ houses.
With its calm waters, Sa Tuna is a great beach for families with young children. I also love Sa Riera, about 15 minutes’ drive north (on an e-bike this takes about 25 minutes). From Sa Riera, a beautiful coastal path with stairs leads to some of the idyllic and less-crowded coves along the rocky shore, such as Platja del Racó.
There is parking at Sa Tuna and Sa Riera, but in summer you’ll be hard-pressed to find a space unless you arrive quite early. Instead, take the shuttle bus, the same one that runs to Aiguablava.
How to get there
The drive by car from Barcelona to Begur takes around 90 minutes, depending on traffic.
Port Bo and Cala El Golfet
El Golfet is harder to reach but rewards those who make the effort.
Photo by Piotr Skolimowski/Shutterstock
Location: About 90 minutes’ drive from Barcelona
Where to stay: Hotel La Torre or Hotel Sant Roc
Not to be confused with Portbou near the French border, Port Bo is the old fishing village turned seaside playground of Calella de Palafrugell. It’s among Costa Brava’s swankiest destinations, filled with upscale restaurants, bars, and hotels catering to well-heeled Catalan tourists. (Don’t get tricked by your GPS: Calella, a big, bustling resort town, is an hour south of here.)
Wander through Calella de Palafrugell’s stone lanes flanked by rustic whitewashed houses, then head down to Port Bo beach and stroll beneath the centuries-old seafront colonnades, featuring vaulted, wood-beamed ceilings. Calm waters await, ripe for simply floating, looking at the sky, and dreaming about living here.
If you’re visiting in shoulder season or early or late in the day, give your legs a workout on the Camino de Ronda path between Calella de Palafrugell and neighboring Llafranc to the northeast; the walk only takes about 20 minutes, but there are some 100 stairs on the Llafranc side.
For a wilder beach, head southeast out of Calella de Palafrugell on a lovely 20-minute coastal walk to reach El Golfet; this sublime stretch of golden sand and shallow blue waters is surrounded by rocky cliffs and can be reached only by a steep flight of stairs from the surrounding streets.
Related: I’ve Lived in Spain for 16 Years—and Here Are 7 Beautiful Beaches Actually Worth Visiting
Sitges
Get lost in the medieval streets of Sitges and cool off on its golden stretch of sand.
Photo by Nirjhar Basak/Unsplash (L) and Ahirton Rojas/Unsplash (R)
Location: 30 minutes southwest of Barcelona by train
Where to stay: Casa Mett Sitges, or stay at a hotel in Barcelona
First, there’s the sheer beauty of Sitges, with its maze of hilly, cobblestone streets lined with whitewashed villas and fanciful art nouveau buildings. Then, there are its chic boutiques and galleries, stylish restaurants, classic tavernas, and lively LGBQT bars.
Toss in several attractive beaches like the lively Platja de Sant Sebastià and family favorite Platja de la Fragata—plus a nearly two-mile-long promenade ideal for seafront strolling and biking—and you’ll understand why this coastal town is wildly popular.
Only a half-hour by train from Barcelona, Sitgets gets crazy crowded on summer weekends and holidays, so opt for a weekday or shoulder-season visit for a more tranquil vibe.
How to get there
Take the train to Sitges from several stations in Barcelona, including Sants and Plaça de Catalunya, on the Renfe Rodalies R2 line. The shortest train ride takes 30 minutes.
Platja d’Ocata
Location: 30 minutes northeast of Barcelona by train
Where to stay: Hotel Arrey Alella
Although it’s about 30 minutes by train northeast of Barcelona, Ocata is far from the city’s perpetually crowded urban beaches. While much of the Maresme shoreline can be narrow, this wonderfully broad, 1.5-mile-long swath of sand ensures that you’ll always find a spot for your towel—and maintain a healthy distance from fellow sun-worshippers.
Pop by one of Ocata’s many xiringuitos (beach bars) for drinks and tapas with your toes in the sand, or take a 15-minute walk to the El Masnou marina, home to dozens of restaurants.
How to get there
Take the Renfe Rodalies R1 train to Ocata from Barcelona Sants and Plaça de Catalunya. The ride takes approximately 30–40 minutes.
Platja de Morer
The town of Sant Pol de Mar, next to platja de Morer, has many Catalan art nouveau buildings.
Photo by BearFotos/Shutterstock
Location: About 65 minutes northeast of Barcelona by train
Where to stay: Sant Jordi Boutique Hotel
On the Maresme coast just east of the resort town of Calella sits the fishing village of Sant Pol de Mar, all winding stone streets with ancient olive trees, whitewashed houses, and richly detailed modernisme (Catalan art nouveau) buildings.
But the beaches here are what truly shine—stretches of fine golden sand framing the Mediterranean with dramatic rocks. Platja de les Barques, so named because of the many fishing boats along its shore, is mere steps from the train station and thus tends to be busy. Instead, head slightly north and stake out your patch of sand on the quieter Platja El Morer.
How to get there
Take the Renfe Rodalies R1 train to Sant Pol de Mar from several stations in Barcelona, including Sants and Plaça de Catalunya). The journey is about an hour.
Castelldefels
The three beaches at Castelldefels are just half an hour from Barcelona.
Photo by Manuel Torres Garcia/Unsplash
Location: 20 minutes southwest of Barcelona by train
Where to stay: Hotel Boutique dONNA
When you’re tired of jockeying for space on Barcelona’s busy urban coastline, the spacious three mile-long beach in Castelldefels, divided into three beaches, is the perfect solution. Scarcely 30 minutes by train from Barcelona, it’s a hot spot for kitesurfers and extremely well-serviced with ample beach bars and freshwater showers. The town itself is also appealing to explore, taking its name from the historic 16th-century castle atop a hill.
There are many other beaches you can explore around here, whether you take the train another stop down to Garraf, a smaller park-surrounded beach with picturesque beach sheds, or go north to the quieter and more residential Gavà Mar.
How to get there
Take the R2 train from Barcelona Estaciò de França or Sants to Castelldefels and you’ll arrive at the town center in 20 minutes. Getting to the beach will take a bit longer; a 30-minute walk, or you could grab cab or take the local bus for 20 minutes.
Related: How to Take a Crowd-Free Trip to Spain
Jennifer Ceaser and Tim Chester contributed to the reporting of this story.
