Barcelona’s urban coastline
From Port Vell to the mouth of the Besòs / Port Vell, Barceloneta, Port Olímpic, Forum, Besòs
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This itinerary explores the evolution of the relationship of the city of Barcelona with the sea and its waterfront at the urban, social and cultural level, discovering some of the main architectural projects of the Barcelona coastline.
Walking through ports, promenades, beaches and other coastal areas, we will see how the relationship of the city with the sea has changed, going from having a maritime front of a port and military character, to one of an eminently recreational, commercial and tourist character, and we will comment on the latest urban projects in the area.
The construction of the Barceloneta from 1753, the Pla Macià by Josep Lluís Sert and Le Corbusier (1932-34), the bombings of the Civil War, the post-war shantyism in the Somorrostro and other beaches of Barcelona, the 1992 Olympic Games and the construction of the Olympic Village, the Forum de les Cultures of 2004, the America’s Cup or the Manifesta 15 of 2024 are some milestones with greater or lesser relevance in the history of the Barcelona waterfront. .
We will know the future urban plans that want to promote a growing connection and cohesion of Barcelona with neighboring municipalities, Sant Adrià del Besòs and Badalona, historically disconnected.
It is around the mouth of the river where the metropolitan area will face some of the most interesting challenges, such as the development of the Catalunya Media City, an audiovisual and digital hub located in the Tres Ximeneies area, the creation of parks and landscapes that integrate climate change protection, and the construction of new mixed-use neighborhoods that combine economic development and quality of life.
Due to the length and variety of the itinerary, we propose 2 routes of 3h30 min that can be combined into a full day itinerary (approx. 3h30min +1h + 3h30min):
The first one is a tour visiting the Port Vell, La Barceloneta, Sant Sebastià beach until arriving at the Port Olímpic.
The second route, with private or public transport, runs along the seafront from the Olympic Village to the waterfront of Sant Adrià, at the mouth of the Besós river, passing through Poblenou, Diagonal Mar and the Forum area.
Upon request, private transportation and lunch at one of the restaurants and/or terraces in the area can be arranged.
