Barcelona's 15 Outdoor Pools This Summer: Prices From Free to €18.73

It’s hot. Barcelona’s thermometers are sitting in the upper 20s and the city’s 15 outdoor municipal pools have opened for summer 2026. The price range across them is almost comical: from completely free (yes, free) to €18.73 for a single session at the Parc de la Ciutadella — a number that’s been generating genuinely angry comments on social media all week.

“€18.73 for a swimming pool?! Are they out of their minds?!” is roughly the response making the rounds since local account @barcelonasecreta posted a rundown of this summer’s pool guide. They’re not wrong, and they’re not right either. The thing is, that price difference of nearly €16 between the cheapest and most expensive paid pool in the city tells you almost everything you need to know about which pool is right for you.

Here’s every pool, every price, and who each one is actually for.

The short version, if you just want to know where to go

The free one: Banys del Fòrum

Address: Plaça del Fòrum, 1, Sant Martí — View on Google Maps

Almost nobody mentions this one in tourist guides, which is baffling because it’s free and it uses real Mediterranean seawater. The Banys del Fòrum are an urban bathing zone built with concrete platforms stepping down to the sea rather than a traditional pool, but the water is the genuine article.

The catch: it only runs July and August, 11am to 2pm. The restricted hours are deliberate, to manage capacity. And the concrete platforms get dangerously hot in direct afternoon sun, so water shoes are basically non-negotiable here.

If you’re in Poblenou or the 22@ district and want to cool off without spending anything, this is the answer.

Cheapest paid pool: Llac de la Creueta del Coll

Address: Pg. Mare de Déu del Coll, 77, Gràcia — View on Google Maps
Price: €2.75 adults | Free for over-65s | €1.27 large/single-parent families
Season: June to September

This is a former quarry converted into a park with an artificial lake. The maximum depth is 60 cm throughout, which makes it the best option in the network for children aged 2 to 6 but limits it for adult swimmers who actually want to, you know, swim.

For families on a budget, or anyone who just wants somewhere cool to sit in water for the afternoon, it’s essentially impossible to beat at €2.75. The 10-session pass is €20.68.

Best views: Piscines Municipals de Montjuïc

Address: Av. Miramar, 31, Montjuïc — View on Google Maps
Price: €7.55 adults | €5.23 reduced (under-15s and over-65s)
Hours: Mon–Thu 11am–7pm | Fri, Sat, Sun and holidays 11am–8:30pm
Season: 7 June to 7 September

The Montjuïc pool is the most photographed in Barcelona for a straightforward reason: the city skyline sits directly behind the diving platform. It’s the pool you’ve seen in Olympic footage, music videos, and a hundred Instagram posts.

One thing most guides skip over: there are no swimming lanes. This is a leisure pool built for relaxing and sunbathing on its 2,520m² terrace, not for doing lengths. If you want to actually swim, Bernat Picornell is 10 minutes away. If you want the view and a pleasant afternoon, Montjuïc is worth every cent of €7.55.

Biggest pool in the city: CEM Can Dragó

Address: Pg. d’Andreu Nin, 50, Nou Barris — View on Google Maps
Price: €9.60 adults | €6.55 ages 6–14 | €2.70 ages 0–5
Season: June to September

Barcelona’s largest pool by some margin. The aquatic leisure area is 15,000m² with an artificial lake where depth ranges from 10cm to 1.30m across different zones. That range is the key thing: it means toddlers and older kids can both use it in the same space without the risk that comes from uniform-depth pools.

It handles very high user numbers without feeling overcrowded because of the sheer scale. Worth noting: peak August weekends, it can reach capacity before midday. Go in the morning or on weekdays.

The Olympic pool: Piscines Bernat Picornell

Address: Av. de l’Estadi, 30-40, Montjuïc — View on Google Maps
Price: €18.29 adults | €10.99 Targeta Rosa
Outdoor season: late June to 11 September

The most expensive pool in the network, and the only one that justifies it. Built for the 1992 Olympics by Antoni de Moragas, it’s a 50-metre outdoor pool with numbered lanes and filtration systems maintained for continuous lap swimming. If you’re a serious swimmer and you want to actually train or do proper lengths, this is the only facility in Barcelona equipped for it.

The indoor pools run year-round. One thing worth knowing if you’re visiting in winter: Bernat Picornell runs dedicated nudist bathing sessions on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons indoors. It’s a regular programme with a stable user community.

Beachfront pool: CEM Sant Sebastià

Address: Plaça del Mar, 1, Barceloneta — View on Google Maps
Price: €14.08 adults
Season: Almost year-round

The best-located pool in the network. Outdoor pool right on the beachfront, with the Mediterranean immediately adjacent. If you want to do a morning session in the pool and then move to the beach, this is the only place where both are literally next door to each other.

The controversial one: CEM Parc de la Ciutadella

Address: Pg. de Circumval·lació, 1, Parc de la Ciutadella — View on Google Maps
Price: €18.73 adults | €8.74 under-17s | €13.77 over-65s
Season: Approximately 17 April to 31 October (longest season in the network)

And here’s the number causing the fuss. €18.73 for a single adult entry makes this the most expensive municipal pool in Barcelona. The comments on @barcelonasecreta’s post this week were blunt: “Almost €20 to go to a swimming pool? Are we insane?” and “18.73€ an entry... I understood that correctly??”

To be fair: Ciutadella does have one of the longest seasons in the network, running from mid-April to late October rather than the standard June to September window. But whether that justifies nearly €19 for what is, at the end of the day, a publicly-owned leisure pool is a question locals are clearly asking.

The full price list

Targeta Rosa and Targeta T-12 cardholders get reduced rates at all facilities. Under-15s and over-65s qualify for reduced rates across the board.