Barcelona Beaches Go Smoke-Free Across 90% of Coast

Barcelona is seeing a major shift on its coastline this summer, as 22 coastal municipalities have approved, or will approve, bans on smoking on their beaches. The move, announced by the Diputació de Barcelona in Gavà, covers 93 beaches and 48.6 kilometres of coastline, almost 90% of the demarcation.

The campaign was presented at the start of the 2026 beach season in Gavà, one of the towns joining this year. The aim is to bring all 26 coastal municipalities into the scheme by 2027, with the longer-term plan to extend the model across Catalonia.

Gavà mayor Gemma Badia, of the Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSC), said beaches are public spaces where people need to balance shared use with environmental care. She said the campaign is about more than smoke, pointing to cleanliness and conservation as part of the same effort.

Josep-Ramon Mut, deputy for commerce, consumption and public health at the Diputació de Barcelona, said the project has grown quickly since it began with just three participating municipalities. He said 24 of the 26 municipalities in the demarcation are now involved, and that the campaign has reached nearly 90% of the beaches. The Barcelona branch of the Association Against Cancer also backed the expansion, warning against normalising tobacco use in places where children and young people spend time.

The policy is also tied to beach upkeep and public spending. Mut said cigarette butts are a major source of litter on the sand, and that the measure helps protect natural spaces that need regular maintenance and regeneration. The Diputació will allocate 1.5 million euros this year to coastal municipalities for lifeguards, beach maintenance, safety and public health work.

Two councils, Castelldefels and Badalona, are still outside the campaign. Badalona says it needs to update its 2009 beach ordinance before it can add a tobacco ban. Mut said councils that stay out of the scheme will receive less funding this year, and no aid next year if they do not join. For more local coverage, see our community and sport pages.