Gehry's Golden Fish
A sculpture of metal scales gleaming in the sun on the front.
Ralf Roletschek — CC BY-SA 1.0 fi · Bybbisch94, Christian Gebhardt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bybbisch94, Christian Gebhardt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Enric — CC BY-SA 4.0
A marina built for the 1992 Olympic Games, standing between the Barceloneta and Nova Icària beaches on Barcelona's waterfront. Its story matters more than its appearance: before the Olympics this area was a strip of industry and railway that cut the city off from the sea entirely — Barcelona was a coastal city that had turned its back on the coast. The Olympic project demolished that strip, opened the city to the water and created the beaches millions now come for. So what you see here is not just a marina but the point at which a whole city's relationship with its sea changed. Two towers mark it: a hotel and an office tower, among Barcelona's first skyscrapers, along with Frank Gehry's Golden Fish sculpture on the front, a mass of metal scales that gleams in the sun. The area is free and open, and the walk along the front from the marina to the beach is enjoyable, particularly at sunset. The marina's restaurants are aimed at visitors and are plainly dearer than the city's streets.
A sculpture of metal scales gleaming in the sun on the front.
Before 1992 an industrial strip cut Barcelona off from the coast.
Among Barcelona's first skyscrapers and the waterfront's landmark.
Between Barceloneta and Nova Icària beaches
Ciutadella ParkCiutadella is Barcelona's mother park: on the ground of a hated military citadel11 minutes walk4.7
El Born Centre de Cultura i MemòriaAn iron-and-glass market hall from the 1870s, later the city's wholesale fruit-a16 minutes walk4.6
Museum of the History of CataloniaA museum telling the history of Catalonia from prehistory to the present, in the17 minutes walk4.4
Basílica de Santa Maria del MarIn the middle of El Born, this Catalan Gothic church went up in the 14th century18 minutes walk4.8
Picasso MuseumBarcelona's Picasso Museum tells what no other can: how Picasso became Picasso. 19 minutes walk4.3They are city beaches: sandy, organised and very close to the centre, but crowded in summer and not the cleanest water on the Catalan coast. For swimming, go north to beaches like Badalona or further to the Costa Brava. For a nearby break and a sunset these are entirely fine.
Pickpocketing is common along the waterfront and at the nearby metro stations, especially on crowded summer nights. Do not leave a bag on the sand while you swim, and carry only what you need. Avoid restaurants with someone outside calling you in — the highest prices and the lowest quality.