Barcelona – The Transport – Airport to Centre, Metro, Buses, Trains

How to go from the Airport to Barcelona Center ?

The airport of Barcelona (El Prat) is situated at 14 Km from the center, towards the west, right on the beach (See on Map). There are two terminals: T1 and T2. The new and big one is the T1.
To reach the Center of Barcelona, you have mainly these options :

1. Aerobus:
The easiest way to reach the center of Barcelona. It takes about 35 minutes. The last stop in town is “Plaza de Cataluña” (metro station “Cataluña”) which is the most central point in Barcelona (see it on a Metro map). The bus has also a middle stop at “Plaza de España” (metro station “España”) which is close to “Sants”, the main train station of Barcelona. It is a high frequency bus. The price is about 6 Euros. It functions till about 1 at night. There are aerobuses in both terminls (T1 and T2). For the exact timetable and prices see the Aerobus site.

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2. Suburban Train :
The train line R2 passes at terminal T2 but not T1. If you land at terminal T1 (probably) there is a free shuttle bus between the two terminals. The frequency of these trains is about each 30 minutes. The train has a stop at “Paseo de Gracia” (metro station) which is very close to Plaza Cataluña, the most central point in Barcelona (see it on a Metro map). The journey takes about 30 minutes. Before that, the train has also a stop at “Barcelona Sants”, the main railway station of Barcelona. See it on the Suburban trains Map.
Price :
About 4.5 euros for a single ticket, but only about 1 euros if you buy a T10 ticket for the metro (ticket for 10 rides). So, yes, this option is a little bit cheaper than the Aerobus. It is not possible to use a regular single metro ticket.

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3. Metro :
The metro line L9 passes at both terminals (T1 and T2).
The problem is that in order to arrive to “Plaza Cataluña” in the center of Barcelona you’ll have to change lines and it takes more time compared to the Aerobus or the Suburban Train R2. See it on the Metro Map.
Price :
About 4.5 euros for a single ticket. It is not possible to use the T10 ticket or a regular single metro ticket.

4. Taxi :
About 30 Euros. About half hour to reach the center of Barcelona.
You can also visit the : Barcelona Airport Site

The Metro (+ Tram) in Barcelona

Look at the following Map. Click to enlarge :
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The first metro station to note is : “Cataluña”. Plaza de Cataluña is there and it is the most central point in Barcelona.
The famous Rambla avenue is in the stations : Cataluña, Liceu and Drassanes.
I have highlighted the Rambla avenue in the following map :

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The Metro of Barcelona is pleasant and efficient. The frequency of the trains is high, usually you don’t wait more than 4 minutes at day time and there is a big electronic board with a countdown timer announcing the coming train. Making a connection between lines is easy, you don’t walk too much.

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At night, during the week, the last metro is at around midnight. On the week-ends it may be later. At night, you can use the night buses of Barcelona.
You can visit the Tourist Attraction page to get oriented on the Metro map.
You can visit the official Metro site for exact schedule.

The Tickets for Metro and Buses in Barcelona

The most useful ticket is the T10 (T-Casual), which gives 10 rides in Barcelona. It costs around 12 euros, so it is about 1 euro per ride. If you buy a normal ticket for just 1 ride, it will cost you the double.

You can use the tickets in the Metro, Buses and Tram in Barcelona. You can make a connection between a Metro and a Bus with the same ticket (with a certain time limit). The T-Casual is a personal ticket. There is also a Ticket which can be used by several people, it is called T-Grup and it is a little bit more expensive.
For the use of Metro tickets to reach the airport, see above the the suburban train for the airport and the metro for the airport.

You can buy tickets from the automatic vending machines. They accept cash, coin and credit cards. They are very easy to use.

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For more details about the tickets and prices, visit the official site of the Metro of Barcelona.

The Buses in Barcelona

Very good service of buses in Barcelona. Use them if the Metro is not in your trajectory.

  • You can see Bus Maps in the official site of Barcelona Metro (warning :
    these maps are complicated).
  • The Metro Tickets are also valid for the buses. You cannot pay the driver, you need to have a ticket when you board the bus.
  • You can download to your smartphone the application Moovit (free). It works fine in Barcelona. The application detects the bus stop where you are and tells you which lines are about to arrive.
    You can also consult bus itineraries. Of course that you need an internet connection on your smartphone.

Night Buses in Barcelona

The night lines are numbered N1, N2, N3 etc (these lines do not exist during the day). The frequency is lower than at day, of course. All lines start or pass in Plaza de Cataluña. You can use the regular Metro tickets for the night buses.
You can see the night bus lines (Nitbus) on the AMB site.

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The Central Train and Bus Stations in Barcelona

Look at the following Map, Click to enlarge :

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The Central Stations in Barcelona :

  1. Sants :
    Main Train and Bus Station of Barcelona
  2. Catalunya :
    Suburban train station
  3. Paseo deGracia :
    Suburban train station
  4. España :
    Suburban train station
  5. Estación Bus Nord :
    Central Bus Station
  6. Estación deFrancia :
    Train station (relatively small)

Look also on this Map, click to enlarge :

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How to go from Barcelona to…

How to go from Barcelona to Sitges

With a suburban train, it takes about 40 minutes from the main station “Sants” or from “Paseo de Gracia”. Train line R2, to the west.

How to go from Barcelona to Montserrat Mountain

With a Suburban train from “Plaza de España” (metro station “España”), about 1 hour ride with an interchange to a cable car or a funicular to climb the mountain. Train line R5, to the north (frequency : about 1 train per hour).

How to go from Barcelona to Lloret del Mar – Costa Brava

With a suburban train from Plaza de Cataluña (metro station “Cataluña”), Train line R1, direction to the east (frequency : around each 30 minutes). Need to get down at the station “Blanes” and then a shuttle bus ride till Lloret del Mar (in total 2 hours). Nice travel along the beaches with the train.
There are also direct buses from the train station Sants or from the bus station Estació del Nord.

How to go from Barcelona to Girona

Suburban train from “Paseo de Gracia” or “Sants” stations.
Travel Time : Between 1 to 2 hours, depending on the type of train.
Frequency : About each hour.
There is also a high speed train from “Sants” station, just 40 minutes ride, but the frequency of this train is low and it is more expensive.
There are also buses to Girona, of course, from “Sants” station or “Estació del Nord”.

How to go from Barcelona to Figueres

The same trains that go to Girona, continue also to Figueres. The two towns are just 40 Km apart. So, see how to go to Girona.

How to go from Barcelona to the Baleares Islands

  1. balearesA night or day boat from Barcelona port which is located at the bottom of la Rambla (metro station Drassanes). The navigation is about 8 hours.
  2. A speed boat for about 4 hours. The speed boats don’t operate all year.
  3. Flights from the airport, about half hour. There are many flights and the price is low if you book on time.

How to go from Barcelona to Andorra

With a special Bus, about 3 hours. See Bus site. There are no trains.

The Distances from Barcelona to other cities

Note : These are aerial distance, not driving distances.

Madrid 507 km
Andorra 135 km
Palma de Mallorca 202 km
Marseille – France 338 km
Perpignan – France 160 km
Paris – France 830 km
Girona 85 km
Figueres 117 km
Sitges 35 km
Lloret de Mar 66 km
Monserrat 40 km

 The Sightseeing Bus of Barcelona

You can use the sightseeing bus to move between attractions in Barcelona. It’s possible to get on and off the bus at the many stops.
There are 2 companies : Barcelona Bus touristic and Barcelona City Tour.
You can buy a ticket at the hotel, tourist information offices or at the bus itself. The ticket is per days, not journey.

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