The world’s most prestigious sailing event, the America’s Cup, comes to Barcelona this August to October 2024, and with it the unique chance to watch the fastest sailing yachts in the world compete against each other.
The AC40 and AC75 boats seem to literally fly across the water, and are capable of travelling at 50 knots (100 kmph). This summer and autumn you can watch them race, either from a rented boat, or from the Fan Zones on the shore. Keep reading to find out how!
Best Ways to Watch the America’s Cup
1. Discover & Live America’s Cup (Shared sailing yacht)
2. Watch the America’s Cup (Shared sailing yacht)
3. Sailing Excursion for the America’s Cup (Shared sailing yacht)
4. Watch from Barcelona Party Boat (Shared catamaran)
5. America’s Cup Frontline in a Private Sailing Yacht
The defending champions are the Emirates New Zealand team, but 5 other teams have arrived in Barcelona to steal their crown… those 5 teams will compete in a round robin regatta, before semis and a final to decide which of them will compete in the 7-day Match Race Final in October to take home the coveted America’s Cup!
Americas Cup 2024 Schedule
Training: until August 19th
Official practice days: August 20th and 21st, September 10th-13th, September 30th, October 3rd
Preliminary regatta: August 22nd-25th
Louis Vuitton Cup Round robin: August 29th-31st, October 1st, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th
Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-finals: September 14th, 15th, 16th, 18th and 19th
Unicredit Youth Cup: September 17th, 18th, 20th, 21st, 22nd and 26th
Louis Vuitton Cup Final: September 26th, 28th, and 29th, October 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th
Puig Women’s Cup: October 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 11th and 13th
37th America’s Cup Final: October 12th, 13th, 16th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st
Note: Dias de practica (marked with a ‘P’) offer a chance to see the teams practicing. Dias de reserva (greyed out) are dates set aside for rescheduling, in the event of adverse weather conditions etc. (Image copyright Americas Cup).
Watch the Americas Cup From a Boat…
Here are some of the best options to get a front line view of the action, either on a shared boat (where you pay per berth / person), or on a private yacht (where you pay per boat, and then can share the cost between your friends!).
1. Discover & Live America’s Cup 2024 Sailing Experience
Enjoy the America’s Cup with one of Barcelona’s most reputable sailing companies. You can choose to either ‘Discover‘ the America’s Cup which means you take a sailing tour of the Port Vell where all the training team bases are and you might get to see some of the AC75s training on the water, and learn about the history of the competition. Tickets cost just €66 per person, and the tours leave at 10:30 each day from Port Olimpic. Or choose the ‘Live‘ option and book a berth on a sailing yacht to watch the actual racing events (see Schedule on this page) live from the water. Ticket prices for the Live experience vary! You can book both experiences on Get Your Guide.
2. Watch the America’s Cup 2024 on a Sailing Yacht
This 38-feet-yacht isn’t quite as rapid as the AC75, but nevertheless it will get you into a great position to watch the racing action as you lounge on deck, or sit in the cockpit with a glass of cava. Their Get Your Guide reservation page is particularly easy to navigate, so you can choose your dates and see the prices for each event (training, round robin, semis, finals etc.). Tickets for some of the match race final days in October are already selling out, so you might want to act quickly to secure yours!
3. Shared Sailing Excursion for America’s Cup Regatta
Ok, how about one more shared sailing trip, before I move on to some private boat rental options? This company has a small fleet of attractive Bavaria sailing yachts and I suggest comparing their prices and reviews vs. the competition before making your choice. Check their product page on Get Your Guide.
4. America’s Cup from Barcelona Party Boat (Shared)
Imagine a fan zone on water, and that’s what you’ll be getting with this two-floored catamaran decked out with multiple huge TV screens and a patronised by a fun-loving younger crowd. The catamaran sets off from at 13:30 on any day where there’s some racing action happening (see schedule above!) and spends 3 hrs on the water. Your ticket comes with two alcoholic drinks and you can buy more at a reasonable price. Soft drinks are free! Priced at €120, this is one of the most affordable ways to watch live from the sea.
5. America’s Cup Front Line in a Luxury Sailboat (Private)
When you book this luxury 15 metre sailing boat you are guaranteed a front line view of the action from the water! The price of €950 is pretty affordable when split between 10 people and it includes a crew of skipper and hostess. The boat is rather lovely, with plenty of space for lounging on deck. Reservations via Get Your Guide.
6. America’s Cup in a Luxury Motor Yacht (Private)
To watch the F1 of the seas the right way, then check out this private experience on Get Your Guide. Hire a luxury motor yacht for you and up to 10 friends and get a great view of the action in a fast, powerful and manoeuvrable boat of your own! If this boat is no longer available for your preferred dates, then try this lovely looking motor yacht instead, or this huge one!
More Private Boat Rentals
If you can’t find a private boat on which to watch the America’s Cup action on the above list, you could try heading to our dedicated section on boat hire, for a more extensive list of vessels. Demand is likely to outstrip supply during the cup, so best to book a bit in advance. You can also email me on info@barcelona-life.com and I will try to help.
Tips for Booking
When booking a boat to watch the America’s Cup live from the water, you might want to double check the location where the boat is moored. Port Vell and Port Olimpic are the central ports, and all of the above suggestions leave from there. Other ports are accessible by public transport, but you will need to spend time getting there and then the boats will need to spend longer getting to the race area.
Watch the America’s Cup On Land!
If seeing the action on the sea is too much hassle and expense for you, then there are easier options… for example, you could head to one of the two Spectator Areas (marked in blue on the map below) to watch from the shore.. they are located at the Port Olimpic and by the W-Hotel.
Or else you could head to one of the two official Fan Zones (marked in yellow), where big screens help you keep close track of the action. The Fan Zones are located at Plaça de Mar in Barceloneta and at Bogatell beach, and are free to enter (no ticket required!).
The official Racing Village at Passeig de Colom (marked in red) also has big screens for following the action.
Map of key areas (copyright America’s Cup and Barcelona Tourist Board).
Finally, you can watch the America’s Cup on TV and also online, where it will streamed live on the competition’s official Youtube channel.
Visit The America’s Cup Experience
1. America’s Cup Experience Tickets
If you want to learn about the history of the America’s Cup… the oldest continuous sporting competition in the world!… then grab tickets for this fun expo, where you can find replicas of the trophy and boats, learn about the cutting edge technology that powers these foils and also watch a premiere of the film “One Hell of a Battle” on an IMAX screen. A must for sailing buffs!
2. America’s Cup 360 Card: By Land, Air & Sea
Double down on your America’s Cup exploration with this land, sea and air experience that includes tickets to the America’s Cup Experience, a ride on the Golondrinas ferry through the Port Vell, where the team bases are situated, a walking tour through the Racing Village and even a helicopter flight for breathtaking aerial views of Barcelona’s coastline and the entire America’s Cup infrastructure. Reservations via Get Your Guide.
Still looking for more info? I suggest you check the America’s Cup official website, or their social channels. Meanwhile this video, explains some of the (nerdy!) tech and science behind the futuristic AC75 yachts.
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