Barceloneta and the Seafront

Barcelona is that rare great city with a proper beach in walking distance of its medieval centre, and Barceloneta is where most visitors meet the Mediterranean. The neighbourhood itself dates from the eighteenth century, when the military built a grid of narrow blocks on reclaimed land by the port to rehouse families displaced by the construction of the Ciutadella fortress; it became the fishermen's and dockworkers' quarter, with laundry flapping across tiny streets that still give it a village feel. The beach, however, is modern. Until the late 1980s the city's waterfront was a strip of railway lines, warehouses and industrial clutter; the transformation for the 1992 Olympic Games opened the city to the sea, imported sand, cleaned up the water and created a chain of beaches running north-east for several kilometres from Barceloneta past the Olympic Port to Bogatell, Mar Bella and beyond. Today the seafront promenade is one of the city's great public spaces: joggers, cyclists, skaters and strollers, beach volleyball, chiringuitos — beach bars — serving drinks and snacks in season, and landmarks such as Rebecca Horn's stacked-cube sculpture on the sand at Barceloneta and Frank Gehry's shimmering golden fish sculpture beside the twin towers of the Olympic Port. Behind the beach, Barceloneta's seafood restaurants are the place for a long Sunday lunch of paella, fideuà or arròs negre, black rice cooked with squid ink, and its old-school bars serve the bomba, a fried potato ball with spicy sauce said to have been invented here.

Choosing your beach: Barceloneta, closest to the old town, is the busiest and most touristy, great for people-watching and a quick swim but packed in summer. Walk or cycle north-east and the beaches get calmer and more local: Nova Icària, beside the Olympic Port, is good for families; Bogatell is popular with locals and has more space; and Mar Bella has a watersports scene and a section where nudism is common. Lifeguards and facilities operate in the main season, and water quality is monitored and generally good, though it can dip after heavy rain. The city has banned smoking on its beaches. The Mediterranean here is warmest from July to September; spring and autumn are lovely for walking the promenade and lunching by the sea even when swimming is bracing.

Staying safe and sane: the beach is notorious for theft, so never leave bags unattended while you swim — bring only what you need, or take turns. Hawkers sell drinks, massages and sarongs on the sand; politely decline if not interested, and be aware that unlicensed drinks may not be safe. Avoid the restaurants that touts call you into along the promenade; the better seafood places are a block or two inside the neighbourhood, and many locals make paella a lunchtime-only dish, so order it at midday. For a different perspective, ride the Port Vell aerial cable car from the Torre de Sant Sebastià at the end of the beach across the harbour to Montjuïc.

How to fit it in: a late-afternoon walk from the Gothic Quarter down to Port Vell, along the Passeig de Joan de Borbó, then onto the sand for sunset drinks, is the easiest way to add the sea to a city day. In summer, give a whole morning to swimming at a quieter beach, then lunch in Barceloneta. Families should base themselves near the Olympic Port or Nova Icària, where the beaches are wider and calmer. And on a winter's day, the promenade is still a joy: blue sky, sun on the water and a vermouth outside.