Badalona travel guide
Roman Baetulo, the Pont del Petroli and quieter beaches
A seaside city at the end of Barcelona's metro line L2, with Roman remains, a pier walk and beaches calmer than Barcelona's. June and September are the best beach months, and 10 May brings the devil-burning. A day trip is enough, though it also works as a cheaper base.
Just across the Besòs from Barcelona, Badalona is a seaside city of about 230,000 at the end of metro line L2, 15 to 25 minutes from Barcelona's centre. People who know it come for beaches that are far less crowded than Barcelona's, and some stay here when rooms in the capital are full or overpriced.
Roman Baetulo lies under the Badalona Museum, where you can see the remains of baths, a stretch of street and a row of shops. Down on the shore, the Pont del Petroli, once a pier for unloading oil, runs out to sea; from the far end the whole coast unrolls back towards Barcelona. A statue of the Anís del Mono monkey, bottle in hand, stands at its entrance.
Inland, the Serra de Marina hills hold Sant Jeroni de la Murtra, a 15th-century Gothic monastery reached on easy paths from town. Basketball is close to a religion here, with street courts everywhere. Come on 10 May for the Cremada del Dimoni, when a devil figure is burned on the beach to fireworks during the festivities for Sant Anastasi.
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Top things to do in Badalona
Roman remains, a long seafront, a pier walk and an easy hike to a Gothic monastery.
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Best time to visit Badalona
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Beach weather without the peak-summer crowds, and the May festivities for Sant Anastasi.
Busy, but still calmer than Barcelona's city beaches; good for kayaking and windsurfing.
Quiet beaches and mild days; good for the pier walk and the monastery hike.
On 10 May crowds gather on the seafront from early evening for the Cremada del Dimoni, a devil effigy burned on the beach with fireworks.
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Getting there
Metro, train and NitBus
Badalona is on Barcelona's metro, so most visitors simply ride out from the city. Line L2 has four stations here (Sant Roc, Gorg, Pep Ventura and Badalona Pompeu Fabra, the last in the city centre), and Barcelona's centre is 15 to 25 minutes away. Line L10 reaches Llefià, La Salut and Gorg, where tram T5 also stops. Rodalies R1 trains call at Badalona station, in the centre and right by the sea. Flying in, use Barcelona-El Prat and cross the city by metro or train. Drivers arrive on the B-20 or the C-31.
- Metro L2
- Badalona Pompeu Fabra in the centre, 15 to 25 minutes from Barcelona
- Rodalies R1
- Station in the centre right by the sea
- NitBus
- Several night buses from Barcelona stop in Badalona
- Pompeu Fabra is the stop for the museum and the centre; Gorg is the hub where metro and tram lines meet.
Where to stay
Pompeu Fabra, Dalt de la Vila or the Passeig Marítim
Badalona makes sense as a base if you want the sea outside your door and can live with a metro ride into Barcelona each day. Choose by line: anywhere within a short walk of an L2 station or the R1 platform keeps central Barcelona under half an hour away. The districts further inland, around Llefià and La Salut, are residential and on L10, which is slower for sightseeing, so most visitors are better off nearer the coast.
- Centre around Pompeu Fabra
- Museum, shops and the metro in one place; the easiest all-round choice
- Dalt de la Vila
- The old upper town above the museum, quiet lanes and a few small places to stay; uphill walk back from the beach
- Passeig Marítim
- Sea views and seafront restaurants, close to the R1 station; trains run right alongside the promenade
- Pep Ventura
- Budget hostels by the L2 station, practical and basic
- Book Badalona early for major Barcelona trade-fair weeks, when visitors spill over from the capital.
Getting around
Passeig Marítim on foot, local buses inland
Most landmarks, restaurants and bars sit in the centre and towards the sea, so walking is the easiest way around: the museum, the seafront promenade and the Pont del Petroli are all close together. A network of local and regional buses connects every district, and many routes pass close to the museum. For the hills, paths lead up from town to Sant Jeroni de la Murtra in the Serra de Marina, a common easy hike for locals.
- On foot
- Museum, pier and seafront promenade are all close together
- Paths to Sant Jeroni de la Murtra
- Easy hike into the Marina hills
- Use Pep Ventura or Badalona Pompeu Fabra as your base stations for the centre and the sea.
Know before you go
What makes Badalona worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The view from the end of the Pont del Petroli, with the coast stretching back towards Barcelona.
- Roman Baetulo under the museum, where baths, a street and shops survive in place.
- The walk up to Sant Jeroni de la Murtra, a Gothic monastery in the Marina hills.
Good to know
- The beaches are calmer than Barcelona's in summer, and the towns further north are quieter still.
- Seafront restaurants focus on lunch: L'Estupendu, a paella and seafood place on the Passeig Marítim, is busiest in the long Spanish lunch hours.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Badalona, month by month
Badalona's August averages 28°C, and January holds 14°C days and 7°C nights. October brings the most rain, about 81 mm.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Badalona (MeteoBDN, via Wikipedia).
Baetulo, the oil pier and a monastery above the L2
One day is enough. Start with Roman Baetulo under the Badalona Museum, walk out along the Pont del Petroli, eat paella on the Passeig Marítim, then choose between the beach and a hike to the Sant Jeroni de la Murtra monastery. Metro L2 and the R1 train link it all with Barcelona.
Ride metro L2 to Badalona Pompeu Fabra and begin at the Badalona Museum, built over a slice of Roman Baetulo. The baths, a paved street and a line of shops are shown where they were found, and the visit takes about an hour. Afterwards climb a few streets into Dalt de la Vila, the old upper town, before heading down to the water.
Late morning, walk the length of the Pont del Petroli. The old oil pier reaches well out to sea, and from the far end the coast runs all the way back to Barcelona's towers. Pass the bronze monkey with his bottle of Anís del Mono on the way in.
Lunch on the Passeig Marítim, where L'Estupendu does paella and seafood, then give the afternoon to the beach or a kayak. Walkers can instead take the paths inland to Sant Jeroni de la Murtra, the 15th-century monastery in the Marina hills. Head back to Barcelona on the metro or the R1, which runs right along the shore.
Paella on the Passeig Marítim and a glass of Anís del Mono
Eat on the seafront. The Passeig Marítim restaurants cook paella and seafood to order for long lunches, and the town's own product is Anís del Mono, an anise liqueur made here since the 19th century. Evenings belong to the local bars in the centre and along the sea.
Along the Passeig Marítim, restaurants such as L'Estupendu specialise in paella and seafood, and lunch, the main meal for most locals, runs well into the afternoon. Order the rice for the table and expect it to take a while; it is cooked to order.
The city's best-known product is a drink. Anís del Mono, the anise liqueur whose monkey mascot stands at the entrance to the Pont del Petroli, has been made in Badalona since the 19th century. Try a small glass after lunch, then walk it off along the pier. In the evenings, bars around the centre and the seafront fill up with locals, which is much of the appeal.
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How we research our Badalona travel guide
Badalona's beach and metro details are checked against the official Badalona website, Spain.info and Renfe Rodalies.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Badalona.
Getting there
Both take roughly 15 to 25 minutes from central Barcelona. L2 ends at Badalona Pompeu Fabra in the town centre; the R1 stops at the station beside the beach.
El Prat (BCN) lies on the far side of Barcelona, so cross the city by train or metro and change onto L2 or the R1.
General
Usually far less so in summer, and the towns further north along the coast are calmer still.
A former CAMPSA oil-unloading pier, opened to the public as a walkway in 2009, with long views along the coast.
Parts of the Roman town, including baths, a road and a row of shops, displayed in place beneath the Badalona Museum.
The burning of a devil figure on the beach with fireworks, held on 10 May during the festivities for Sant Anastasi, Badalona's patron saint.
Yes, several NitBus routes from Barcelona stop in Badalona.
Easy. Paths climb from town into the Marina hills to the Gothic monastery, a favourite short outing for locals.
Basketball is the city's sport by a long way, and street courts are everywhere. On the beach, surfing, windsurfing and kayaking are the common pastimes.
Most landmarks, restaurants and bars sit in the centre and towards the sea, so walking is the easiest way around: the museum, the seafront promenade and the Pont del Petroli are all close together. A network of local and regional buses connects every district, and many routes pass close to the museum. For the hills, paths lead up from town to Sant Jeroni de la Murtra in the Serra de Marina, a common easy hike for locals.
Stay & facilities
Yes, as a plan B when Barcelona hotels are full or overpriced. L2 runs straight from Pep Ventura into the city centre.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Badalona is May to Jun, Sep. Warm sea and fewer crowds than July and August, plus the 10 May devil-burning.
- Best overall: May - June, September (Beach weather without the peak-summer crowds, and the May festivities for Sant Anastasi)
- Summer: July - August (Busy, but still calmer than Barcelona's city beaches; good for kayaking and windsurfing)
- Winter: November - April (Quiet beaches and mild days; good for the pier walk and the monastery hike)
August is the warmest month in Badalona, with average highs of 28°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 7°C. October is the wettest month, at about 81 mm of rain; July is the driest. Badalona's August averages 28°C, and January holds 14°C days and 7°C nights.
Visa & documents
Spain follows Schengen entry rules. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Pickpocketing in the big cities is Spain's main crime risk for visitors. Pickpocketing is common in Barcelona and Madrid, especially on the metro and in tourist areas. Heatwaves and wildfires occur in summer.
