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As of Monday July 25, smoking is no longer permitted on any Barcelona beaches, and bathers caught lighting up on the sand will be fined 30 euros on the spot. Many communities including several towns in Alicante have already successfully implemented the ban in an attempt to reduce tobacco use overall and improve the beach experience for locals and holidaymakers.

 

There are still a few options open to smokers who don’t want to go the entire beach day without a puff, but they require some effort. The first and most obvious is a quick trip up to the boardwalk, where smoking is still permitted. The second is the pedestrian walkways which separate off the different city beaches, although depending on where you’ve set up, this can be a bit of a trek.

 

Finally, there’s always the beach bars, where you can enjoy a cheeky drink along with your cigarette if the mood takes you. Smoking is allowed at all the beach bars, but most will require bathers to buy something if they’re going to take up space.

 

If none of these options are appealing, the beaches of the outlying Barcelona municipalities still permit smoking.

 

The plan to prohibit smoking has been well publicised since April so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to most, but to be on the safe side Guardia Urbana ‘informants’ have been hired to patrol the shores and ensure that the rule is being followed.

 

When the new system began on Monday, the Councillor for Climate Emergency, Eloi Badia, explained that the rules came about as the result of a successful pilot project last summer, which reduced the number of cigarette butts left on Barcelona beaches by 50%. Moreover, a survey showed that 8 out of 10 beachgoers, both smokers and non-smokers, were in favour of the restriction.

 

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