The town of Sant Pol de Mar, in the Maresme region is a great place to enjoy the beach. It’s just an hour train from Barcelona, and you can enjoy a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and cristal clear water to swim.
The town has a few restaurants, supermarkets, ice cream shops and more. You don’t need to bring any food if you don’t want to. There is plenty to choose.
Sant Pol de Mar is a cute small beach town, with a church, the hermitage, a few modernist houses and modernist details.
Enjoy the beach and the sun
The sea is clean, cristal clear and usually safe. People come alone, mostly residents and go swimming or nap in the sun without bothering too much. You will probably not see people trying to sell stuff on the beach, not like in other touristy areas like Barceloneta.
Remember, the Mediterranean water is colder than other places in Spain. The sand is a bit rocky, you don’t need special shoes just go bare foot. One of the best moments of the day is watching the sunset.
Modernism in Sant Pol de Mar
There are a few modernist houses around the main street, one of them is in Can Planiol (1910, architect Ignasi Mas i Morell) is located on Abad Deas street another one from the same architect is Cal Doctor Fernández, located in Passeig de la Punta (Dr. Furest).
The school built from 1907 to 1910 from the same architect, Ignasi Mas i Morell, located in Santa Clara street. Other buildings worth mentioning are Ca la Mònica (Plaça street), and Edifici Riera (La Riera street).
Church of Sant Jaume
The church of Sant Pol de Mar is gothic style and was built in the sixteenth century over an existing chapel.
The hermitage of Sant Pau
The hermitage of Sant Pau dates back to the 11th century. It was then part of the monastery of San Pol del Maresme and is currently the only remaining part of this religious complex. From the hermitage there are spectacular views of the village, the Maresme coast and Barcelona.
Sant Pau Restaurant by Carme Ruscalleda
This is one of the best known restaurants in Catalonia with three Michelin stars. Its prices (menu at 150 USD) and the waiting list to go to eat give a glimpse of the fame it has achieved. Carme Ruscalleda, the chef in charge of this restaurant has been awarded many prizes in recent years.
How to get there from Barcelona
To get to Sant Pol de Mar there are several options:
- By car: To get to Sant Pol you must take the C-32 and exit at exit 117. From the freeway exit to the village it is only 5 minutes. From Barcelona it is approximately 45 minutes.
- By local train: If you don’t want to worry about parking your car, the best option is the train. All trains that terminate in Calella (R1), Blanes (R1) or also the RG1 that terminate in Portbou stop in Sant Pol de Mar. From Barcelona it takes approximately 1h and 5min. You will have to buy a single ticket for 5 zones or put Sant Pol de Mar as destination on the vending machine. To go back to Barcelona the trains are the same (R1 and RG1) towards Hospitalet de Llobregat.
