Our suggestion: See the boat trip as a break. Especially on hot days the cool sea breeze can be very refreshing.

The shorter harbour tour takes about 35 minutes, the longer one “Port i Litoral” about 90 minutes.

Boat tours

Harbour tour
On the 35 minute harbour tour you will get to know the sea port and the fishing port of Barcelona.
The ship passes the Torre del Rellotge, a clock that used to be a lighting tower at the entrance of the fishing port in former times. The next attraction is the bridge Pont de la Porta d’Europa which can be tilted up for passing container ships. At the Moll Contradic, bulk cargo such as wheat is being transhipped. At the container terminal, large cranes load and unload gigantic container ships within few hours. Then you reach the vehicle loading point not far from the SEAT factory of Barcelona. The ship then goes back along the outer piers where the cruise ships dock.

Harbour and coast tour
The long tour takes about 90 minutes. The boat leaves the port into the open sea and then passes the coast along the Barceloneta, the Port Olímpic, the Vila Olímpica, the beaches of Nova Icària and Bogatell, Mar Bella and Nova Mar Bella until it reaches the Port Fòrum. You’ll recognize the sports harbour by its huge solar plants.
The tour then takes you back to the port.
The long harbour and coast tour is included in the price of the Barcelona Card.

The fleet of "Las Golondrinas"

The company "Las Golondrinas" which means "the swallows", started its business on the occasion of the 1888 World Exhibition and was the first company to show the port from the seaside perspective. Today, Las Golondrinas is the only operator of harbour tours.

Classical double decked wooden boats
For the harbour tours, Las Golondrinas uses classical double decked wooden boats. The boats are 18 m long, 5 m wide and are open and thus not suitable for the open sea. The boats have a capacity of about 200 passengers.

Catamarans
For the long tour "Port i Litoral" (port and coast), Las Golondrinas employs modern catamarans (with a length of 26 or 20 m and a width of 8.30 or 7 m, respectively). These are double decked as well. As opposed to the classical wooden boats, they don’t have a sun screen on the top floor, so use sun protection. There is a bar on the lower floor where you can buy drinks, as well as disability-friendly toilets.
The lower deck is the specialty of the catamaran: through a glass bottom you can look into the ocean. You will see the motors as well. The entrances to the lower deck are in the front part of the cabin.

The port of Barcelona

Barcelona is one of the largest freight ports in the Mediterranean, whereas the fishing port has lost its importance almost completely. Barcelona is an important ferry port as well – from here, ships embark to destinations in the Mediterranean – and has jetties for cruise ships.

See chapter "How to get to the ferry port" for a description how to get there. Book a trip on a ferry on our website "Book a ferry".

Facts about the port of Barcelona:

• Handled freight (2007): over 51 million tons, thereof 1.3 million tons of  feeding stuff and groceries and 3,000 tons of fish
• Share of containers of the freight: around 72 %
• Cars: Around 801,000 cars have been transhipped here
• Passengers: around 2.8 millions
• Oil and gas: 6.3 million tons
• Average tidal range of the Mediterranean Sea in the port: 1.25 m
• Length of the jetties: 20.3 kilometres
• RoRo (roll on-roll off)-ramps: 32
• Largest dry dock: length: 215 m, width: 35 m, tonnage up to 50,000 tons

Gas and oil tankers can also unload their freight about 1 km off the shore at an unloading point. The load is being transported to the mainland via pipelines then.