From October 22, all ships must moor at the Moll Adossat pier, located south of the city center. This means that tourists will now have to get to the central streets of the city by bus; the journey will take about 30 minutes.
Previously, the ships used the World Trade Center Pier, which is a block from La Rambla, Barcelona’s famous pedestrian street. Now the pier area will be turned into a public space.
With the help of the ban, the mayor’s office hopes to combat the excessive flow of tourists who leave garbage, make noise, and worsen the lives of Barcelona residents.
Barcelona is the largest cruise port in Europe. According to official figures, more than 2.3 million passengers passed through it in 2022, with a population of just over 1.6 million.
Other European cities are also struggling with excessive tourist flows. For example, cruise ships no longer sail to the center of Venice and Amsterdam.