Municipal bathing season
The mild Mediterranean climate means that the city's beaches can be used throughout the entire year for all kinds of activities, although it is clear that main demand starts in springtime and above all throughout the summer months. It is throughout this period that the Barcelona City Council has to equip and service the beaches to enable their use as a bathing and sunbathing space, fulfilling all possible guarantees in terms of security, rescuing, health and environmental assistance.
Each year a Plan of Uses is drawn up for the Barcelona beach season, covering all the requirements set by the competent authorities as well as the equipment and services that the City Council considers vital for the recreational use of this important part of the city.
The services and equipment are activated in line with the influx and needs of each of the two periods into with the bathing season is divided. Thus, in mid season services and equipment vary from weekdays to weekends and depending on weather conditions. In high season all services and equipment are on offer every day, although they may vary in intensity depending on the rate of activity.
Information on beach occupancy levels will still be provided on the website, in accordance with the current regulations and for improved user comfort.
Bathing season calendar
Mid beach season: from 12 to 21 and from 26 to 30 April, from 1 to 23 May, from 12 to 28 September and on 4 and 5 October. The rescue and lifeguard facilities will be open to the public from 10.30 am to 6.30 pm and all public toilet facilities are open from 10.00 am to 7.00 pm.
High beach season: 24 May to 11 September. The public assistance service is available from 10.30 am to 7.30 pm in all locations.
Mid bathing season: from 12 to 21 and from 26 to 30 April, from 1 to 23 May, from 12 to 28 September, and on 4 and 5 October.
- The Information Service operates on the Barceloneta, Bogatell and Mar Bella beaches, from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm.
- The Rescue and Lifeguard Service is open to the public on all beaches, from 10.30 am to 6.30 pm.
- The Assisted Swimming Service will be available to the public on the Nova Icària beach and in the Fòrum Bathing Area from 12 September, and the Barceloneta point will also be operational from 10.30 am to 6.30 pm.
- All public toilet facilities are open from 10.00 am to 7.00 pm.
High bathing season: 24 May to 11 September.
- The Information Service is available on all beaches from 10.00 am to 6.30 pm.
- The Rescue and Lifeguard Service is open to the public on all beaches from 10.30 am to 7.30 pm.
- The Assisted Swimming Service is available to the public on the Barceloneta and Nova Icària beaches and in the Fòrum Bathing Area, from 21 June, and the Bogatell service will be open from 10.30 am to 7.30 pm.
- All public toilet facilities are open from 10.00 am to 7.30 pm.
Low season: the rest of the year. There is no Rescue and Lifeguard Service, only the 112 emergency freephone line. The only public toilet facilities open are those on the Sant Sebastià, Somorrostro and Bogatell beaches, and Nova Mar Bella, from 10.00 am to 7.00 pm.
The Rescue and Lifeguard Service goes into action at the start of the bathing season on all beaches. During the mid bathing season it is open from 10.30 am to 6.30 pm and during the high season it operates from 10.30 am to 7.30 pm.
Outside the bathing season and the established service hours, there is no rescue and lifeguard service, only 112 emergency freephone line, which means that people using the beaches are responsible for their own actions.
In the Beach Management department building on the Bogatell jetty, there is a purple point which serves Barcelona’s beaches. Specifically, it offers an awareness-raising, prevention and attention service for victims of gender violence and LGBTI-phobia, and it also has mobile members of staff who work on the various beaches in the city.
This purple point operates during daytime hours in the high season, from 10.30 am to 6.00 pm and complements the night-time purple points at the beaches.
For further information: https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/dones/en/bcn-antimasclista
Barcelona's beaches have once again been awarded Sustainable Biosphere Certification, which recognises tourist operators who opt for responsible management that respects the environment, culture, working conditions, gender equity, a social and economic return and, therefore, promote a more balanced and sustainable tourist model in their sphere.
More specifically, this certification highlights good practices aligned with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are carried out on the beaches, as part of the fight against climate change, in relation to the environment, the social return, economic practices and their cultural setting.
In other words, it consolidates Barcelona's beaches as a service that promotes responsible tourism and, in that regard, works hard on greening and the continuous improvement of the service.
By adhering to the Barcelona Biosphere Commitment to Sustainable Tourism, the beaches are now part of the Citizen Commitment to Sustainability and the More Sustainable Barcelona Network.