El Prat de Llobregat: Nature, Beach and Culture

Nature and Trails

On the right bank of the Llobregat, El Parc del Riu runs along the river within the municipality of El Prat de Llobregat. The riverside area accessible on foot includes the river park and the Camí del Sorral trail.

The park covers 6.7 hectares and features a network of paths, a nearly two-kilometre-long promenade running parallel to the Llobregat, recreational areas, numerous play facilities and a viewing tower.

La Pineda de Can Camins is a pine forest covering almost 30 hectares and is recognised as part of the Natura 2000 network. Notable plant species include orchids and rare types of fungi; the woodland birds include woodpeckers and tits.

La Pineda de Can Camins is open only on the first Sunday of each month as part of a free guided tour at 11 a.m. No visits take place in January, February, July or August.

Beach and Wetlands

El Prat beach stretches for 5.5 kilometres from the mouth of the Llobregat to the Estany del Remolar lagoon. Three kilometres of this beach are suitable for public use.

Beach facilities include beach bars, lifeguard and supervision services, the Centre Municipal de Vela and a dog beach open at night. Access is possible on foot, by bicycle and seasonally via two bus routes.

There are 850 parking spaces for private vehicles, which operate as a Green Zone in summer.

The Edifici del Semàfor building is located in a wetland with floodable marshes, rushes, sea beet, glasswort and significant areas of esparto grass on a quiet natural beach.

Several bird species feed on this natural beach, including the black-winged stilt, Audouin's gull and osprey. The black-winged stilt breeds there.

History and Culture

The Carrabiners barracks were built in the mid-19th century to control smuggling and monitor the coast.

The Edifici del Semàfor was built in 1887 to regulate maritime traffic close to the coast. The guards who lived there communicated by flag with Castell de Montjuïc to report possible incidents or shipwrecks.

The approximately 20-metre-high Mirador de l'Illa offers views of the pine groves of Can Camins and El Prat beach.

To the northwest, the view extends across almost the entire La Ricarda estate, the Gomis House and the third runway of El Prat Airport.

L’Artesà was built in 1919 on the initiative of an owners' association as a venue for social events and theatre performances.

After renovation, L’Artesà reopened to the public in 2019 and became a new venue for theatre, dance, music and circus on more than 5,000 square metres.

Guided Tours and Routes

During the CRAM tour, the exhibition “A favor de la biodiversidad, un mar de esperanza” explains the problems affecting the sea and the species that live there, and highlights local conservation measures.

A guided tour of CRAM lasts 90 minutes and includes the educational building and the clinic building with various exhibitions. It also offers an insight into the animals recovering there.

The municipal tourism routes in El Prat include family routes, routes focusing on the city's history and heritage, as well as suggestions centred on local products.

Other places you can discover here include Pals, Ventalló, Sant Joan De Les Abadesses, El Far d'Empordà, Crespià, Albons, Vilamaniscle and Albanyà.

To the higher-level travel overview: Girona.