Swimming

If you're in your element in the water, Barcelona offers lots of great options for swimming. The city has indoor and outdoor Olympic and municipal swimming pools. The Piscines Bernat Picornell inside the Olympic Ring on Montjuïc, were built for the Olympic and Paralympic competitions, and have a heated indoor pool and outdoor pool. And not far away, also on Montjuïc, the Piscines Municipals de Montjuïc, which hosted the Olympic diving competitions, open every summer so you can take a dip while you enjoy spectacular city views.

On Barceloneta beach, the Club Natació Atlètic Barceloneta has three outdoor pools right on the beach, with a sun deck and several indoor heated pools. The club was founded more than 100 years ago, and for more than 90 years has been hosting the cross-harbour swimming race, the Travessia del Port de Barcelona, during the festival of La Mercè. Another historic club awaits in the Barceloneta, the Club Natació Barcelona, which has a number of indoor pools and an outdoor saltwater pool that is open all year round. Since 1907, on Christmas Day, the club has been holding the Copa Nadal, one of the oldest open-water swimming competitions in Europe.

In the Eixample, the Piscina Sant Jordi offers an indoor, Olympic-sized pool. And near Park Güell, the Club Natació Catalunya has an outdoor pool and several indoor pools.

If you want to enjoy a spot of swimming in the sea, the city's beaches run free sessions with instructors to introduce you to this sport or help you hone your skills. You can enjoy almost 5 km of beaches which are all accessible by public transport and have all the necessary amenities for you to swim in the biggest swimming pool of all: the sea.