Barcelona

Travel to and from Barcelona

Air:

Barcelona International airport 
Address: Barcelona Airport, Edificio Bloque Tecnico, 08820, El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona
Airport Code: BCN
Airport Tel: +34 932 983 838
Airport email: bcninfofi@aena.es
Barcelona International airport is situated 18 km southwest of the city. A new terminal (T1) opened in June 2009. Terminal 2 has three buildings, named T2A, T2B and T2C.

From the airport, the RENFE train (from Terminal 2) goes to Estacio de Sants and Passeig de Gracia stations. The journey takes about 25 minutes and costs 2.80 euros.

Alternatively, you can catch the “Aerobus” express bus to the city centre. It goes to Placa Espanya and Plaça de Catalunya, every 12 minutes. There is a stop in front of each terminal building. The journey to the city centre takes approximately 40 minutes. Price: 4.25 euros, one-way.
From the airport: weekdays from 6 am to midnight; Sundays & holidays from 6.30 am to midnight.

Free shuttle buses (they are green, so you shouldn’t miss them) run between T1 and T2, every 7 to 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. T1 and T2 are 4 kilometres apart, so allow about 30 minutes with waiting time.

Taxis to the centre take about 30 minutes and cost around 25 euros, though expect to pay more after 10pm and at weekends.

Train:
There are two main train stations in Barcelona (Estació de Sants and Estació de França).

Estació de Sants
Estació de Sants is Barcelona main train station for national and international arrivals and departures. Five major lines to and from Estació de Sants cover most of Barcelona. It is easily reached by bus and metro (blue line L5, green line L3). For more information about timetables and prices, refer to www.renfe.es
Address: Plaça del Països Catalans
Tel: (93) 495 6215

Estació de França
For travel to France and the rest of Europe. The station also serves destinations to the north of Barcelona, like Figueres and Girona.
Address: Avda. Marqués de L´argentera,
Tel: +34 902 24 02 02.
It is just a few minutes’ walk from Parc de Ciutadella. The nearest metro is Barceloneta.

Public transport:
Public transport in Barcelona is cheap and efficient.

Buses:
There are two main bus stations (Estació de Sants and Estació de Nord).
Barcelona has over 100 bus lines, and although they go to more places than the metro lines, tourists may not find them all that easy to navigate. They run from 6am until 10.30pm, Monday to Saturday and run every 5 to 20 minutes, less frequently on Sunday. When the day service stops, you can use night buses (marked “N”) between 10.30pm and 4am (depending on the line). All go through Plaça Catalunya and run roughly every hour.
For more information about routes and timetables, see www.tmb.net

Metro:
The metro runs between 5am and 11pm, Monday to Thursday (5am-2am, Fridays & Saturdays; 6am-midnight on Sundays).
The metro network operated by TMB consists of six lines (L1 to L5 and L11); 3 lines are FGC commuter lines (L6, L7, L8) that run through the city. People refer to the lines to by their number and individual colour. As the metro is air-conditioned, it can provide a more comfortable option in the hot summer months.

There are also 7 tramlines in Barcelona.

Tickets
You can buy a single bus or metro ticket for 1.35 euro, or opt for a T-Dia (5.25 euros), which allows unlimited travel, including the airport train, for one day.
Alternatively you can buy a T-10, which allows 10 journeys on the metro, buses, trams and the RENFE train to the airport. A T-10 (zone 1) costs 7.70 euros and covers
most of Barcelona main attractions and the city centre. The advantage is that it can be shared with other members of your group. If you want to travel outside zone 1, T-10 tickets are available for all other zones.
The Barcelona Card is another good option. It costs 26 euros for two days (22 euros for children 4 to 12), or 42 euros for 5 days (33 euros for children 4 to 12) and will give you unlimited travel by public transport, as well as discounts in shops, restaurants and major museums. The Card entitles you to a 20% discount on the express bus service to the airport (Aerobus). You also get a free Barcelona map and guide when you buy a Barcelona Card.

Maps and information can be obtained from the TMB office near Plaça Universitat. Tel: 93-443 0859. www.tmb.net

Tourist bus:
The Tourist bus service is a pleasant way to discover the city aboard an open-topped double-decker bus. You can hop on and off as many times as you like. They run along three main sightseeing routes. You can choose between a one-day or two-day pass. A commentary is given in 10 languages. The service runs everyday between 9am and 8pm.
Prices: adults from 21 euros; children (aged 4 to 12) from 13 euros; children under 4 travel free.

Taxis:
Taxis are a good and affordable alternative, although the streets in the city centre can be congested. Barcelona taxis are yellow and black; a green light on top shows that they are available for hire. Licensed taxis display the fare on the meter, although you may be charged extra if you carry a lot of luggage.
There are taxi ranks at Plaça Catalunya and near the Ramblas.
RADIO TAXI (Barcelona) Tel: +34 93 225 00 00
SERVI TAXI (Barcelona)  Tel: +34 93 330 03 00    
FONO TAXI (Barcelona)   Tel: +34 93 300 11 00

Cable cars and funiculars:
Funicular del Tibidabo: 3 euros one way. It runs every half hour, from 7.05am to 9.35pm (going up) and 7.25am to 9.55pm (going down)
Funicular de Montjuic. It runs weekends and holidays 11am to 8pm in winter, daily 11am to 9.30pm in summer. You can then reach the Montjuic castle with the aerial cable car.
Another cable car runs between Miramar and Montjuic across the harbour to Torre Jaume I and Torre Sant Sebastiá. It runs daily 11am to 9pm (July-Sept); midday to 5.45pm at other times of the year.

Car:
Parking is a major problem in the city, so the best option is to leave your car at the park and ride Glòries car park. The price of the parking includes a Metro & bus pass for one person.
You can leave your car from one day (4.65 euros) to one week (19.10 euros)

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