City Review: Longboard Dancing in Barcelona

longboard dancing barcelong

I am fortunate enough to have spent about half the year of 2015 in the great city of Barcelona. As I first discovered the city, I very quickly fell in love with it. It’s truly one of my favorite cities in the world, and this was even before I had discovered longboard dancing.

Can a city skyline get any prettier?

This past week, I had the pleasure to once again visit my beloved Barcelona, but this time wanting to discover how the city is for skating.

I must say, longboard dancing COMPLETELY changed my perspective of the city. I did not think the city could get any better…how mistaken I was.

Longboard Dancing in Barcelona Overall Score: 4.5

  • Riding through the city: 5
  • Specific spots for longboard dancing: 5
  • Longboard dancing community: 5
  • Longboard dancing equipment availability: 3

Riding through Barcelona on a longboard

It really feels as if Barcelona was truly built for boards. The city is truly perfect for cruising around, and to date, is the only city I have ever visited where a longboard is both an efficient and safe form of transportation.

Don’t quote my legal knowledge on anything here, but a friend in the city actually told me that Barcelona is one of the few cities in Europe where boards are actually allowed on the sidewalks.

Geographically Barcelona is also quite flat. Yes, there are some slopes here and there, but generally within the city it is pretty gentle.

There also many parts of the city that offer huge bike lanes with excellent pavement that are just beautiful for cruising.

The only thing that makes cruising difficult sometimes is when the sidewalks have the tiles with the city’s official flower on it. It can get kind of tedious grinding along on those for too long, but it is certainly doable.

Combine all this with an excellent cafe culture that makes it easy to stop and grab a beer or a bite to eat anywhere in the city, and you’re set to cruise on for hours upon hours while having fun doing it.

Best spots in Barcelona for Longboard Dancing

So let me be very clear here, alongside excellent cruising there are many skate able spots in the city. The best way to find them is to just grab your board and start exploring.

That being said, there are some legendary spots in the city, and though they can be pretty crowded, they are definitely worth visiting for a session if you’re visiting.

Crowded but oh so good.

The Arc de Triomf

It’s busy here, so only recommended if you’re already comfortable on your board because you will be weaving in and out of a lot of people here. But it’s beautiful to skate here, perfect pavement, the Arc in the background, interested people walking by seeing what this longboard stuff is really all about. Such an amazing experience.

There are smaller areas on both sides of the main drag where you can practice some freestyle, and some shorter lines. Here you won’t have to worry so much about running into people.

The Arc is also lit at night, so night sessions are totally doable here.

Barceloneta – Behind the W Hotel

The W Hotel right along Barcelona’s beach is one of the most iconic structures in the city’s skyline.

But more importantly, there some spaces behind it that make for great skate spots! The nice thing is this areas is actually not too crowded, compared to the rest of the beach or the Arc de Triomf.

There’s ample spaces to simple practice free style and lines, and the pavement is buttery smooth.

Additionally there is a nice kind of “pier” area where you can ride along and do your dance lines. This pavement (you’ll recognize it because it is red) is not as nice as the normal spots, but you’re over the water at this point, so it is a really beautiful ride. Good for filming.

Barceloneta – The Docksession Spot

This is THE spot in Barcelona to skate. The beach is constantly in your view, the asphalt is smooth, and it’s HUGE!

What more could you want in a skate spot?


Gazing out into the Med.

Barcelona’s Longboard Dancing Community

Barcelona’s community is also top notch. There’s skaters everywhere, and for the longboarding dancing and freestyle community, Barcelona has its own Docksession.

Those guys meet every Sunday at Barceloneta, they’re all super cool, all at different levels, and riding with them is a blast. There is definitely no shortage of passionate longboarders in this city.

Getting proper equipment in Barcelona

As far as I could tell, Barcelona has one shop dedicated to longboard disciplines – Kaina Skate Shop up by the hospital off the yellow line (L4).

The shop is well equipped and carries a lot of familiar brands. Alternatively, there are smaller skate shops all over the city where you can grab a tool, or bearings, or any other standard fare, but I think longboard specific stuff will only be found here in Kaina.

Summing it up – Barcelona for the win

Just when I thought this magic city could not get better, it somehow manager to get better.

I cannot recommend Barcelona highly enough, it’s a great city in very many aspects. If you’re looking for a good skate trip for your next holiday, I would definitely consider Barcelona.

If you want to get a sense of the city’s skate scene in video format, be sure to hit up our Barcelona video recap as well.

About Shawn Segundo
Shawn is the founder of Longboard Dancing World and is also an avid longboard dancer. When he's not boarding or building this community, he can be found doing other marketing stuff professionally, or trying to find the best vegan cakes in Leipzig.

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