Barcelona restricts access to popular sunset viewpoint to stop tourist parties
Barcelona City Council have forbidden both tourists and locals from accessing the famed Bunkers del Carmel viewpoint at sunset, in another example of the consequences of mass tourism on the Catalan capital.
Barcelona’s Bunkers del Carmel has become over the past decade one of the most sought-after spots to see the city’s incredible views and enjoy the changing light at sunset.
But more recently once could argue it has become too popular for its own good, with many tourists crowding the top and partying into the night, often with the accompaniment of lots of noise, trash, alcohol and drugs.
These sunset fiestas have often disturbed the local residents of the nearby neighbourhoods and caused damage to the historic site, with the anti-mass tourism slogan 'Tourists Go Home' seeming more applicable than ever.
The bunkers are located on top of Turó de la Rovira hill, north of the city centre. Originally an old Iberian settlement, during the Spanish Civil War, anti-aircraft batteries were built in order to help defend Barcelona from air attacks.
It also features the remnants of the Canons shantytown, which survived all the way up until 1990 and was home to seven percent of Barcelona’s population until the end of the 1950s.
Down inside the bunkers themselves there’s even a small, yet fascinating museum detailing the turbulent history of this hill.
More than its history, however, tourists are drawn to the site because of its incredible 360-degree city views, which reach all the way down to the sea and offer some of the best photographs of the Barcelona skyline.
It's possible to sit on the dilapidated remains of the old houses and on top of the air-raid shelters themselves in order to best enjoy the vistas.
READ ALSO:
- Barcelona to hand out €3,000 fines to tour guides with groups of more than 15
- Mass tourism return to Barcelona - and with it debate
What began as a few locals heading up to the site at sunset with a couple of beers and a guitar has now turned into raging parties, mostly full of holidaymakers, that became so noisy and destructive that the authorities had to shut them down and restrict nightly access to the site.
May 1st 2023 was the last night that the bunkers were open for sunset. Now they are only accessible during the daytime from 9am to 7:30pm and in the wintertime until 5:30pm.
Illegal tourist parties are now banned, but the new rules also mean that city residents who want to peacefully enjoy one of the best views of Barcelona, now cannot.
On the third day of the closure of the bunkers on May 4th, there were still many tourists who had gathered around the fenced-off area, unaware of the new rules and hoping to enter.
Tercer día de cierre "nocturno" (19:30) de los búnkers del Carmel de Barcelona: acumulación de turistas alrededor del vallado. Esta vez, sin saltos.
Vía @elperiodico pic.twitter.com/fcw9jeeyFi
— Gisela Macedo (@macedogisela8) May 4, 2023
Locals have expressed their sadness and anger at the closure. "This is the fault of the tourists, who believe that Barcelona is the city of drugs and parties. They come here and ruin it, and those of us who have been here all our lives end up paying for it," 15-year-old Joana Grau told El Periódico.
"Before there were no people and now it's full of foreigners. In summer you can't even sit down," she told the Catalan newspaper.
"It gets quite busy at night and it's not pleasant, especially if you're a woman. Foreigners approach you and have no problem talking with you, even if you're younger than them", adds Joana.
In order to stop people from accessing the site, Barcelona City Council has invested €1.6 million to build a new fence to completely seal off the area.
The local police have warned that, despite the closure, it will still maintain control and man the viewpoint, in order to prevent groups of tourists and uncivil behaviour.
READ ALSO: The downsides of Barcelona you should be aware of before moving
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Barcelona’s Bunkers del Carmel has become over the past decade one of the most sought-after spots to see the city’s incredible views and enjoy the changing light at sunset.
But more recently once could argue it has become too popular for its own good, with many tourists crowding the top and partying into the night, often with the accompaniment of lots of noise, trash, alcohol and drugs.
These sunset fiestas have often disturbed the local residents of the nearby neighbourhoods and caused damage to the historic site, with the anti-mass tourism slogan 'Tourists Go Home' seeming more applicable than ever.
The bunkers are located on top of Turó de la Rovira hill, north of the city centre. Originally an old Iberian settlement, during the Spanish Civil War, anti-aircraft batteries were built in order to help defend Barcelona from air attacks.
It also features the remnants of the Canons shantytown, which survived all the way up until 1990 and was home to seven percent of Barcelona’s population until the end of the 1950s.
Down inside the bunkers themselves there’s even a small, yet fascinating museum detailing the turbulent history of this hill.
More than its history, however, tourists are drawn to the site because of its incredible 360-degree city views, which reach all the way down to the sea and offer some of the best photographs of the Barcelona skyline.
It's possible to sit on the dilapidated remains of the old houses and on top of the air-raid shelters themselves in order to best enjoy the vistas.
READ ALSO:
- Barcelona to hand out €3,000 fines to tour guides with groups of more than 15
- Mass tourism return to Barcelona - and with it debate
What began as a few locals heading up to the site at sunset with a couple of beers and a guitar has now turned into raging parties, mostly full of holidaymakers, that became so noisy and destructive that the authorities had to shut them down and restrict nightly access to the site.
May 1st 2023 was the last night that the bunkers were open for sunset. Now they are only accessible during the daytime from 9am to 7:30pm and in the wintertime until 5:30pm.
Illegal tourist parties are now banned, but the new rules also mean that city residents who want to peacefully enjoy one of the best views of Barcelona, now cannot.
On the third day of the closure of the bunkers on May 4th, there were still many tourists who had gathered around the fenced-off area, unaware of the new rules and hoping to enter.
Tercer día de cierre "nocturno" (19:30) de los búnkers del Carmel de Barcelona: acumulación de turistas alrededor del vallado. Esta vez, sin saltos.
— Gisela Macedo (@macedogisela8) May 4, 2023
Vía @elperiodico pic.twitter.com/fcw9jeeyFi
Locals have expressed their sadness and anger at the closure. "This is the fault of the tourists, who believe that Barcelona is the city of drugs and parties. They come here and ruin it, and those of us who have been here all our lives end up paying for it," 15-year-old Joana Grau told El Periódico.
"Before there were no people and now it's full of foreigners. In summer you can't even sit down," she told the Catalan newspaper.
"It gets quite busy at night and it's not pleasant, especially if you're a woman. Foreigners approach you and have no problem talking with you, even if you're younger than them", adds Joana.
In order to stop people from accessing the site, Barcelona City Council has invested €1.6 million to build a new fence to completely seal off the area.
The local police have warned that, despite the closure, it will still maintain control and man the viewpoint, in order to prevent groups of tourists and uncivil behaviour.
READ ALSO: The downsides of Barcelona you should be aware of before moving
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