Barcelona
Boat Tours
Barcelona
Boat Tours
CATAMARAN & SAILBOAT
Barcelona Boat Tours
Barcelona is a fantastic city situated right by the water – literally on the waterfront! There are beautiful beaches for swimming, and you can even go out on a boat!
There’s a wide range of options, from sailing trips to pirate ships and catamaran rides! Sometimes it’s not easy to choose the right one for you.
Here, we have put together a few of our top boat trips for you!
OUR
SELECTION
Barcelona with a
Sailing Boat
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, my husband and I participated in a sailing trip. Unfortunately, the provider no longer exists, but I still want to recommend such a sailing boat excursion to you. It’s a unique experience that you can’t find everywhere.
In our case, there was champagne and food included for the sailing trip! 😀 And for those who don’t get seasick, it can make the trip even more enjoyable.
You don’t sail very far out, but such a trip still lasts a few hours. We went out in October, so we DID NOT jump into the water, but in the summer, some providers offer the opportunity to do just that.
You have a wonderful view of Barcelona: notable points from the water include the W Hotel, the two towers that were built for the Olympic Games. The left tower, as seen from the water, now houses a hotel, while the tower next to it includes the German Embassy, among other things. You can see Tibidabo, the Sagrada Família, and the Torre Glories. And the three chimneys of Badalona are also hard to miss!
Since my provider no longer exists, I would like to briefly mention these two:
EUR 59 for individuals aged 14 and older
EUR 41.30 for children between 3 and 12 years old
Free for children under 3 years old
Duration: 2 hours
What’s included: Snacks (olives, cheese, salami, and crackers) & drinks (Cava, wine, beer, and soft drinks)
Review from Guest: “An unforgettable weather and experience following in the footsteps of Columbus! The snacks and the whole atmosphere with our super skipper were unique! The best experience on this vacation! Our skipper was authentic, competent, and incredibly friendly! … and open to any questions! … we will gladly come back! However, organizationally, we had trouble finding the boat! First, we had no permission to enter the restricted harbor, and then we couldn’t find any signs indicating where the boat was!”, January 2023
EUR 44 for all
Duration: 2 hours
What’s included: Bar with unlimited complimentary drinks: champagne, white wine, beer, and soft drinks, light snacks, use of the stereo system
A swim in the sea in good weather
Review from an anonymous guest: “A super lovely sailing tour where all our wishes were accommodated. Alberto and Rodrigo made the tour a truly special experience. We were pampered with champagne and snacks, could relax on board, or get involved. It was an afternoon exactly to our taste. Both were incredibly warm and created a great atmosphere. Sailing on the beautiful boat was particularly enjoyable. Thank you very much for the wonderful time.”, March 2023
BARCELONA with a
CATAMARAN
We have tested two different catamaran providers for you! You can find our reviews here!
1. Orsom Catamaran Tour
We have now finally tried the second catamaran tour with Orsom.
The departure point is located at Moll de les Drassanes, the part of the harbor where almost all the boats dedicated to tourism depart. This harbor is at the foot of La Rambla, near the Columbus Statue. The tour lasts 1.5 hours, this means you go further out than the Eco Catamaran, which only schedules a one-hour tour.
The boat is exactly as you would imagine a catamaran. Lots of nets, everything “flat” and open. I even briefly worried that there might not be toilets, but they are available! 🙂
Once we secured our spot on one of the 6 nets, we went to the bar to buy a drink. There is no free drink included in the price, but that’s okay, the prices are moderate. And for those who didn’t want to sit on such a net, regular benches were available.
This tour has something else that is very great… Live music: We were accompanied by a saxophone player, and light jazz music accompanied us as we smoothly glided over the water in front of the Barcelona skyline. ❤️ That’s what I missed on the Eco tour earlier this year.
The skipper also did something really amazing. As the sun set, he turned the ship in that direction, and we just waited. We actually stopped and could enjoy the sunset from the water! It was simply wonderful!
2. ECO-Catamaran-Tour
We tried the Eco-Katamaran from Barcelona Naval Tours. The offer was a Chillout Sunset Tour.
The departure point is the same like the Orsom one.
So, we arrived on time and managed to secure a spot on one of the nets. The ship had three of these nets; the rest of the boat looked like a “normal” vessel. There are toilets and a bar inside. For those who couldn’t or didn’t want to sit on such a net, regular benches were available.
Honestly, I have to say that I didn’t imagine this catamaran like this because it looked more like a ship than a catamaran… But at least everything is powered by solar panels and batteries.
The trip lasted for an hour. Since a catamaran travels slower than, for example, the Golondrinas, you don’t get as far along the coast of Barcelona. The journey out of the harbor takes a bit of time, and then you sail past the W-Hotel and turn back already.
Unfortunately, the “Chillout” aspect was also missing for me. The soft music was only available indoors. We also didn’t see the “welcome drink.” Since I only found out about it in the description afterward, I didn’t inquire about it. Tough luck.
As we were already on our way back, another catamaran came towards us, embodying exactly what I imagined a chillout ride to be. The boat consisted only of nets – no indoor cabin (probably why there was no toilet) and had live music on board! That’s exactly what I wanted!
Nevertheless, the trip on the Eco-Katamaran was good. Because you don’t get to see Barcelona from this perspective every day. The price-performance ratio is good in the end. For 16 euros, sailing past Barcelona for an hour with a beautiful sunset is not bad at all!
The Tickets
Catamaran Orsom
EUR 28
With live music!!
Duration: 1.5 hours
Bar on board
Toilets aswell
“Just a great relaxing boat trip with great musical accompaniment. A really great experience with a beautiful view of Barcelona. You can tell that the crew enjoys what they do. We are excited and would book again immediately on our next visit to Barcelona,” March 2023
Rating: 4,5 stars for us!
Eco-Sunset Catamaran Tour
EUR 15
Duration: 1 hour
Little music to hear, not live
A drink? is included…maybe… I don’t know
Toilets available
Bar on board
“Relaxing ride with a great view of the illuminated skyline of Barcelona,” September 2022
Rating: 3,5 stars for us!
This tour is also available during the day:
EUR 13
Duration: 1 hour
Toilets available
Bar on board
“It was an excellent experience. It left on time and provided a beautiful view of the city coast,” May 2023
BARCELONA WITH THE
GOLONDRINAS
I did this tour together with my children because even children should be convinced by the offer. 😉
In advance: You should be at the location fifteen minutes before departure… Sometimes not so easy with children. We arrived after a sprint, 3 minutes before departure. Fortunately, we were still taken on board. 🙂
The Golondrinas have been around since 1888! An institution, indeed. But don’t worry, the very old boats have been replaced by new ones. You can book tours on one of the two boats from 1953 on-site or on the official website. These look a bit like pirate ships… Or at least adventurous.
Our ticket gave us access to the largest ship in the fleet: The 26-meter-long ship can accommodate almost 196 people and dates back to 1997. And time seems to have stood still there… You could consider the interior as “traditional” ;). But that’s not what makes a boat trip, right?
So, we boarded the ship completely exhausted and wanted to see if we could still get a seat in the shade… Well, no: because shade is a foreign word on the upper open deck.
So, we initially positioned ourselves in the shade behind the staircase. The children were excited about how the ship started, first went backward, and then turned around. There was a lot to discover in the harbor, so I was bombarded with questions;).
But then we went down a floor to the inside of the boat after the race and treated ourselves to ice cream.
After that, we explored the boat. We were in the back, front, back up again, and… all the way down. Because the boat has a “basement” where you can look into the sea through large windows. The view outside is not really useful because the boat is going too fast, so you only see churning water. Nevertheless, the kids loved it 🤷♀️.
As with the catamaran, you can see Montjuic with the fortress, the W Hotel, the distinctive towers of the former Olympic Hotel from the boat. You can also see the cable car in the harbor, which offers a great view of the city, and of course, the Columbus Statue.
General tip for kids: They should hold on as securely as possible on the boat. Especially at the railing and when climbing stairs – it’s quite wobbly.
Golondrinas Tour 1 hour
EUR 12 for adults and children aged 11 and over
EUR 10 for students & seniors
EUR 5 for children between 5 and 10 years old
My Rating: 4 stars
Golondrinas Tour 40 minutes
EUR 8 for adults and children aged 11 and over
EUR 7 for students & seniors
EUR 4 for children between 4 and 10 years old
“An excellent and unique way to experience a very nice panoramic view of Barcelona’s urban scenery.” March 2023
Combination with the Zoo etc.:
The Family Fun Pass
Admission Zoo, Admission PortAventura Park (outside BCN) and Cabel Car options Or Park Güell!
EUR 75 for people from 13 to 64 years
EUR 64 for kids between 11 and 12 years
EUR 59 for kids between 3 and 10 years
EUR 11 for kids between 3 and 5 years
Free for kids under the age of 3
CHILDREN'S ACTIVITY
PIRATE SHIP TOUR
We stumbled upon this rather spontaneously and unexpectedly. As we strolled along the harbor in Barcelona – same pier as the other boats -, we suddenly spotted this fantastic pirate ship! The kids immediately started pleading to go on it, and there were tickets available for us, so we decided to give it a try!
The ship looks old and really resembles a pirate ship! This experience is geared towards families with children, as there were plenty of families with kids on board, and the crew was dressed as pirates.
We set sail, and suddenly, the “show” began. We didn’t initially know what was happening, but it turned out that the kids had to search for hidden treasure. Unfortunately, everything was explained in Catalan, but the kids still had a blast. In the end, the treasure was found, and all the children received pirate bandanas to wear.
The view of Barcelona and the many sailboats around us was a reward for the adults on board 😉
You can see landmarks like the Columbus Monument, the W Hotel, the cable car above the harbor, and the Maremagnum Shopping Center.
Note: The ship is currently not operating due to maintenance, but we hope they’ll set sail again soon!
Text and image rights: © Céline Mülich, 2023 – 2026