Parc de la Nova Icària

Parc de la Nova Icària is a small but distinctive city park in Barcelona's Sant Martí district, right in Poblenou, next to the beach that shares its name. It was laid out in the early 1990s as one of five large green spaces created on former industrial land in Poblenou during the sweeping redevelopment of Barcelona's seafront ahead of the 1992 Olympic Games. The park was designed by the architectural team Martorell-Bohigas-Mackay, who worked on several other projects tied to the city's Olympic-era transformation.

Where is the park located?

Nova Icària sits in Sant Martí, one of the coastal districts reshaped for the Olympics, and borders the Nova Icària beach directly. That makes it an easy stop for anyone walking the seafront promenade, and a natural link between a visit to the nearby former Olympic Village (Vila Olímpica) and time spent on the beach.

What makes this park distinctive?

The park's symbolic entrance is Plaça dels Campions, a rectangular, slightly raised square reached by a ramp, its form echoing the Olympic origins of the site. The centrepiece of the park, however, is an artificial lake with an irregular outline meant to evoke the shape of the Greek island of Icaria. Wooden footbridges cross the water, and the lake is bordered by broad grassy meadows where irises grow alongside reeds along the banks. This combination of water, timber bridges and marsh-like planting gives the park a quieter, more naturalistic feel than the more geometric, formal parks found elsewhere in the city.

Where does the name Nova Icària come from?

The name ties back to the history of the surrounding neighbourhood. Between 1846 and 1847, followers of the utopian socialist Étienne Cabet attempted to establish a settlement in what is now Poblenou, modelled on Cabet's idea of "Icaria" — a vision of an ideal society whose name referenced the Greek island of Icaria. The settlement itself did not succeed, but the name "Nueva Icaria" stuck in the local toponymy and was later carried over when the Olympic-era park was created on the same ground.

Who is this park good for?

Given its modest size and beachfront location, Nova Icària works best as a shaded pause between a swim and further sightseeing, or as a stop along a walk through the former Olympic Village. The wooden bridges over the lake and the grassy meadows also make it a popular spot for families with children and for anyone looking for shade on a hot day.

Frequently asked questions

Is entry to the park free? Yes, it is an open, publicly accessible city park with no admission charge.

Is the park next to a beach? Yes, Parc de la Nova Icària borders Platja de la Nova Icària directly, so a walk through the park can easily be combined with time on the beach.

When was the park built? It was built in the early 1990s, as part of the redevelopment of Barcelona's coastline ahead of the 1992 Olympic Games.

What are the highlights to see? The main features are the Olympic-style entrance at Plaça dels Campions and the lake shaped to recall the island of Icaria, crossed by wooden footbridges and lined with reeds and irises.

Where does the park's name come from? It comes from a failed 19th-century attempt to found a utopian community in Poblenou inspired by Étienne Cabet's idea of "Icaria."