Keeping Fit In Barcelona
Feeling a little heavy after all that great tapas and wine you have been indulging in on your Barcelona holiday?
Don’t despair. Keeping fit in Barcelona is easy and joyful, whether you choose to sweat it out in a gym or take part in any number of fitness and wellness pursuits along the beachfront.
Barcelona Indoor Gyms
Barcelona is full of private gyms and fitness centres, but unless you are signed up for a global pass with your gym at home many are off-limits for casual and short-term visits.
Exceptions to this rule are the municipal gyms, which are funded by the local Catalan government.
Club Natació-Atlètic de Barceloneta (Plaça del Mar, s/n, 08003) is a popular Barcelona gym with both locals and expats. It’s easy to see why. Situated right on the beach, the installations feel more like a hotel resort. It boasts no less than four swimming pools (one indoor), a fitness centre, a spa and a sun deck overlooking the sea. Adult day passes, without spa access, cost 14 euros and you can come and go as you please, combing your time in the gym with a dip in the sea. On the weekends, it’s worth getting there early, as day passes are limited.
Another emblematic Barcelona fitness centre is the Piscinas Picornell (Av. de l'Estadi, 30-38, 08038) on Montjuïc. This was the aquatic event venue for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona – and has a 50-metre outdoor pool, a large indoor pool with splendid views over the surrounding parkland and an up-to-date indoor fitness centre. Adult day passes, which give access to all facilities and classes, costs 13 euros. To get there, catch a bus from Plaza Espanya, or take a beautiful, 15-minute uphill walk as part of your fitness regime.
There has been an explosion of low-cost, privately run gyms in Barcelona recently. These no-frill places offer basic workout and cardio machines for the casual user and are a good option for working up a quick sweat while you are on holiday.
One of the best of these new breeds of Mcgyms is BCN Fitness (Carrer d'Aragó, 322, 08009). Morning passes cost 7 euros (10 euros for the full day). It has over 200 training devices, weights, showers and hygiene products included. For early birds, it’s one of the few gyms in Barcelona that open at 6.30am, so you can squeeze in your fitness regime before beginning your day of Barcelona sightseeing.
Keeping Fit Outdoors in Barcelona
On any given day, there is a fray of fitness fanatics enjoying the Barcelona sunshine in the parks and beaches. From yoga meet-ups to jogging, skating to cycling, the best place to work out in Barcelona is definitely outdoors.
Dubbed "Muscle Beach" the outdoor gym overlooking the sea at Barceloneta (Pg. Marítim de la Barceloneta, 17, 08003) is a tremendously popular spot. A cluster of bars, towers, jumps and other contraptions for callisthenics, you can have a decent workout in the company of other toned-up bodies. Muscle beach gets packed on the weekends, as much with onlookers as bodybuilders, but other outdoor gyms are located in most Barcelona parks, including Parc Turó de la Peira, next to the Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc, and the Parc de les Glòries.
Jogging and running in Barcelona is a breeze. The city
boasts no less than 7kms of beachfront serviced by tracks and pathways
that follow the coastline. Further afield the popular Carretera de les
Aigües in the Collserola natural park offers almost 8kms of running,
walking and cycling track enveloped in natural pine forests and a
stunning, birds-eye view of Barcelona, though you will need to take the
Vallvidrera funicular to get there.
Many runners use Barcelona’s extensive network of cycling lanes for an urban sprint, or head to Montjuïc where there is less traffic and cleaner air on the roads that snake through this beautiful hill overlooking the city.
Forgotten to pack your gear for your Barcelona holiday? With several branches in the city, Decathlon is a one-stop shop for the sports-minded, selling everything for the runner, swimmer, cyclist and every other fitness pursuit at very reasonable prices.
Water sports in Barcelona
Fancy spending the morning on a stand-up paddleboard on the Mediterranean? SUP in Barcelona has taken off in a huge way. Most SUP-ers set out from the crescent-shaped stretch of sand in front of the W hotel, which provides calm water for beginners, especially in the mornings. Gear can be hired from the nearby SUP centre Moloka’i (Carrer de Meer, 39, 08003).
When the wind kicks up, the surfers come out. Ok, Barcelona is not Malibu, but the Mediterranean is capable of turning on some decent waves. The Escola Catalana de Surf in Castelldefells (Local 109, Les Botigues de Sitges, 08860) rents out boards and wetsuits.
Dance classes in Barcelona
When in Barcelona, why not work out to local music and feel the rhythm of the night?
Salsa dancing in Barcelona is huge, and the energy you use up can feel equal to an hour or so in the gym.
Antilla (C/ d'Aragó, 141, 08015) is a long-established Barcelona ‘salsateca’ that hosts dance classes before the live music and Djs start – so you can learn the basics before you step onto the floor.
If you are already adept at swing or lindy-hop (or even if you just want a great night out) check out the web page bcnswing.org for up-and-coming meet-ups, which are often held outdoors.
And for a more refined evening of fox trots and paso dobles, the mythical La Paloma dancehall (Carrer del Tigre, 27, 08001) has just reopened after extensive restorations and promises to rekindle its past, gilt-edge glory as one of the most famous ballrooms in Europe.
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