Bogatell rocks. Most of the beaches just off of Barceloneta are big, broad, dusty but still packed full of Spaniards and tourists having a great time. They are dusty because the grind the sand constantly to clean it. Bogatell isn’t as wide with a little drop in elevation from the beach down to the water.

It’s more of the locals spot than the first Barceloneta beaches, where people just sort of wind up because they are so close. I’ve had a good time on Playa de Icarai. Get your drink on at any chiringuito, a little shack where they sell cervezas and bebidas.

To get to Bogatell you can walk/run along the entire beach starting from Barceloneta, past the big metal fish and the second Marina, past a beach I can’t remember the name of, then it’s Playa de Icaria and Bogatell. Above Bogatell is a pretty good spot for paella, but most of the catalans would scoff out what they call arroz sold at tourist prices in a nice setting. For a traveler it’s a worthy spot to feel Spanish, even if for just a fleeting moment.

If you get to the sort of odd nudist beach you’ve gone too far. Beyond that is one more beach, La Mar Bella, then you’re getting out to Diagonal Mar and beyond that the Besos River, which means “kiss” in Spanish but it’s quite dirty. Diagonal Mar is where the new Hilton went in, a mega mall and it’s one of the few areas left for Barcelona to grow.

Have fun! This is one of the best cities in the world. I ran over this stretch just about every day for 120 days straight.

Most of the beaches in Barcelona are over-crowded, and the water’s not so great since it’s a big city, after all. The best beach is 45 minutes outside of Barcelona by train. It’s in the town called Sitges, and it is completely worth the one day excursion. It’s a nice little town with a beautiful curving main street, which has this clocktower that looks like it came straight out of a fairytale. They’ve got a lovely ice cream stand you pass on your way back to the train station from the beach. What a tasty end to a day of swimming in the Mediterranean and basking in the sun!

I also like some of the beaches to the north – get a train out from Clot, to Montgat Nord just a short way out, with nice waves and sand more than pebbles, Mataro a little further, or Sant Pol del Mar for a day trip

If you go earlyish in the morning (setting off at 8/9/10) the sea’s really clear and sparkly and there are no other people

Having lived in Barcelona, I have to agree with the first point. Bogatell is a more pleasant beach than Barceloneta. Although I do prefer go into Casadeffels, which is a 30 minute train/bus journey from Passeig De Gracia/Catalunya. The atmosphere is completely different, it is all local Catalan people and is very tranquilo. A definately get away from the madness of the real beaches!