Many of our visitors (the ones who might have skipped GCSE geography) have been shocked to hear that Barcelona has a beach. In their defence, it’s not really featured in many of the tourist guides, but it exists and it’s wonderful. 

Getting to it, if you’re in the heart of the city can be a little tricky. The Barceloneta metro is a solid 10 minute walk from the sandy shore and the train track that runs up from Francia station puts a physical barrier between Ciutadella and the Med. There are some regular buses but they can be tricky to navigate. 

Luckily, ok, probably not luck and probably very much by design, Barcelona now has a bus boat. It’s called the Bus Nàutic (managed by Alsa) and it solves this very problem, taking you from the bottom of the Ramblas in the Gotic to the dock behind the W hotel. Although this fills a very real gap in transport (you can walk it, but it’s a good 40 mins on foot around the marina), it’s also a really fun and cheap way to see the city from a different perspective.    

We absolutely love it and have made great use of it since it launched in spring 2024. It’s a great activity with the kids that doesn't break the bank and they really enjoy the novelty of it. We’ll jump in with the important bits, but keep reading if you want to know a bit more about our experience of using the bus boat with the kids. 

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Operating Hours

The Barcelona bus boat runs daily from 7am to 7pm. There’s two boats in rotation. One which is decorated in full rainbow colours, with seats just inside, and the other is a little more subdued in decor but makes up for it with a sun-top roof deck. 

They set sail every 35 minutes, but we’ve never had to wait too long to catch one. Also, it takes just 10 minutes, once you get moving, which is pretty speedy. 

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Tickets

You can get tickets at the Kiosk in front of the jetty, or, you can be smart and avoid any potential queues and get tickets online in advance https://www.alsa.com/en/web/bus/touristic-services/bus-nautic

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Cheap, eco travel

We mentioned that this was cheap…we think it's a real bargain. 

Kids under 4 go free (there’s just a small charge, of maybe a euro, for a pushchair) 

An adult fair is currently €1.90 for a single ticket. It’s so great to see the city providing a fun service that’s affordable for locals and tourists. If you’re planning to use the boat regularly you can grab a 10-ride pass for €13.30. A two-day unlimited pass costs €10 which is great value for anyone  who’s staying or working at the W hotel as getting from there into town is a bit of a faff unless you don’t mind jumping in and out of taxis.  

We also love that it's 100% electric. A lot of cities talk about having eco options but with the amount of trams and electric buses it feels like Barcelona is genuinely trying to up their efforts with greener modes of transportation. Bravo!

The journey

Like I said, we’ve taken the boat a few times, so I can give you a run through of how it all works and what you can see from the water. 
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The bus starts from the jetty at the bottom of the Ramblas - Once you’ve got your tickets and the boat is open for business, you walk onto the jetty and the staff will help you onto the boat. We have a double stroller so we were a little worried about if we would fit, but the gate onto the boat is plenty wide enough for us to get on without having to dismantle the pushchair. 
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When you set off, you get a great view of the city from the water.

You can spot some great landmarks such as the controversial Colom (The status of Christopher Colombus pointing out to sea - Apparently he was supposed to be pointing to the “new world’ but he’s actually pointed in the opposite direction bang slap to the centre of the Med). You can get a close up of Port Vell Marina, the shopping centre Maremagnum and an amazing view of Montjuic and the cactus gardens (another Barcelona secret and a great little walk if you’ve got the legs for it). You’ll even be able to spot the very nearly complete (as of writing in Nov 2024) towers of the Sagrada Familia. As you near the dock you can glimpse the famous Barceloneta clock tower in the fishing port and see all of the super yachts getting spick and span in the many drydocks. 
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We’ve been lucky enough to take the boat during the America's Cup and see some of the world's most famous racing yachts cruising by, 
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Docking on the other side is quick and easy. Off the jetty, onto the marina, there’s a little cafe where you can grab a snack, and use the loo. Just a few minutes walk and as you poke your head round the shadow of the W you’ll see the huge expanse of beach. We really enjoy taking a picnic and some beach toys and sitting in the first little cove. The water is shallower here than other parts of the beach and it feels a little smaller and safer spot for the kids. 
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There’s a sprinkling of good restaurants under the W and you can grab a delicious nutritious meal at Honest Greens. 
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Such a fun way to move around the city with the kids. More of this please and thank you. 
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If you want to bag tickets ahead of the kiosk or need more information you can check the official site:

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https://www.alsa.com/en/web/bus/touristic-services/bus-nautic

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