Here, we'll explain the various modes of Transportation in Barcelona including Barcelona Metro, Barcelona City Buses, Barcelona Taxis, Barcelona Cablecars, and even Barcelona's Trams "Funiculares". We'll also describe Barcelona's Hop On Hop Off Touristic Bus tours and detail OUTBOUND Barcelona buses to other Spain destinations. Also feel free to DISCUSS Barcelona Transportation topics on the SPAIN Message Board.

Airport Arrivals - Train Arrivals & Departures - Bus Arrivals & Departures
Metro - City Buses - Taxis - Cablecars - Trams "Funiculares" - Tour Buses.

One can reach Barcelona City by CAR, TAXI, BUS, or TRAIN from the airport. See the different categories below.

Barcelona's International El Prat Airport - or "Aeropuerto Internacional El Prat de Barcelona" - (see Barcelona Airport website HERE) is located 12 kilometers southwest of the city near the village of El Prat de Llobregat. The Barcelona Airport is the second largest in Spain (second to Madrid) and serves Spain, Europe, North America, and much of the rest of the world. Having three terminals, Terminal A handles nearly all of of the international flights while Terminal B is mainly for domestic flights. Terminal C is used only for the Pont Aeri (Puente Aereo) air shuttle between Madrid and Barcelona. Interesting notes: Barcelona's El Prat Airport has 26 fee-based Wi-Fi HotSpots as well as cash machines ATMs "cajeros" throughout the 3 terminals.

Serving Barcelona's El Prat Airport are the following major airlines: Air Berlin from Dusseldorf and Mallorca, Air Europa from London, Paris, Rome, Milan, New York (via Madrid), and all over Spain, Basiq Air from Amsterdam, British Airways from the United Kingdom, Delta from New York & Atlanta via Madrid, EasyJet budget airline from U.K., Amsterdam, Berlin, Geneva, & Paris (Orly), Iberia from Madrid & throughout Spain, Meridiana from Florence, Italy, Ryanair flies to nearby (80km) Girona from London, Dublin, Brussels, Frankfurt, Milan, Paris, & Rome among others, Spanair from Madrid and throughout Spain, Copenhagen & Stockholm, Virgen Express from Brussels, Volare from Milan, Rome, & Venice, Vueling Barcelona-based budget airline receives flights from Brussels, Paris, and within Spain.

TO BARCELONA BY CAR: (from airport)
A number of CAR RENTAL COMPANIES have "Car Hire" counters at the EL Prat Barcelona Airport. They include (but are not limited to) Avis, Europcar, Herts, National/Atesa, Pepecar, and Vanguard. You can compare the offers of multiple car rental companies online through EasyTerra's Car rental Barcelona website.

Upon leaving El Prat Airport, the C-31 motorway takes you to the city of Barcelona and the direction is very well distinguished by several signs.

CLICK HERE for road map to/from Barcelona Airport. Also, see the "Driving in Barcelona" section for more information on negotiating Barcelona's streets to better equip you for Grid-Streeted driving and parking in the Catalonian capital.

TO BARCELONA BY PRIVATE CAR TRANSFER: (from airport)

Barcelona Airport Arrival Private Transfers and Barcelona Airport Departure Private Transfers can give you a smooth transition both to your hotel from Barcelona's El Prat Airport or from your Barcelona Hotel to the Barcelona Airport. Transfer services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Upon arrival at Barcelona's airport, after you have collected your luggage, the English & Spanish-speaking driver will meet you at the Arrivals Hall located outside the Customs Area, waiting to personally take you to your hotel. The driver will be holding a sheet with the Lead Passenger's name. The one-way private transfer will be in an air conditioned car (1-3 persons) or air conditioned minivan (4-6 persons). Leave the driving to the professionals. BOOK TODAY!

TO BARCELONA BY TAXI: (from airport)

Taxis pickup passengers outside all three terminals and will take them absolutely anywhere. Approximate weekday prices (7:00 am to 9:00 pm) to the following destinations are: Plaza España - 14.90 ?, Plaza Catalunya - 17.20 ?, Sagrada Familia - 20.60 ?. Approximate weekends, holiday, & nighttime prices (9:00 pm to 07:00 am) to the following destinations are: Plaza España - 17.80 ?, Plaza Cataluña - 20.60 ?, Sagrada Familia - 24.50 ?. The aforementioned price already include the "supplement" for an airport pickup. (a supplement is also added to the meter for taxi trips TO the airport) . There's also a 0.90 ? suppliment added for each suitcase. While most taxi drivers are honest, diligent persons, it's recommended to ask for a sales receipt when paying in the event you might later believe to have been misled or cheated. Inside each taxi cab you'll see a sticker in English and Spanish detailing all the prices, hours, and supplement costs.

TO BARCELONA BY BUS: (from airport)

A1 AeroBús adequately serves as a standard shuttle bus from Terminals A, B, & C of Barcelona's El Prat airport to the city center and makes stops at Plaza Espanya, Gran Via/Urgell, Plaza de la Universitat, Plaza Catalunya, Passeig de Gracia/Diputació, Avenida de Roma/Urgell, Estació de Sants (train station), Plaza Espanya, and back to the airport. The A1 AeroBus shuttle, with a 15 minute frequency, lasts a little more than 30 minutes from the airport to Plaza Catalunya and costs 3.75 Euros. Weekday schedules are 06:00 am to 01:00 am from El Prat Airport to Plaza Catalunya. Going from Plaza de Catalunya to the airport the weekday schedule is from 05:30 am to 00:15 am. Weekend and holiday schedules start approximately 30 minutes later. CLICK HERE for the AeroBús schedule map. Buy tickets ON the bus.

Nighttime Local Bus #N17 serves Terminals A, B & C. At Terminal B, #N17 picks up passengers in front of the Joan Miró mural and at the corner of terminal B, beside the access to the technical block. Its final stop destination is AT the Ronda Universitat and DOES NOT STOP AT THE PLAZA DE CATALUNYA. Ronda Universtat is NEAR the northwestern corner of the Plaza Catalunya. CLICK HERE for bus #N17 map to/from Barcelona Airport. Daily nighttime schedule from the airport is as follows: 22:05, 23:05, 0:05, 1:05, 2:05, 3:05, 4:05 and 5:05. Departures from Plaza Catalunya: 23:00, 0:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00 and 5:00. Price: One-way 1.20 euros or a T-10 ticket is 6.65 Euros. The T-10 tickets can be used for 10-trips on local buses.

Directbus serves Terminal B only, and picks up passengers in front of the Joan Miró mural. The bus' course is the following: Airport -> Sants Station (Barcelona) -> Sant Julià de Lòria -> and on. It's not known if this same bus accepts passengers TO the airport from the aforementioned bus stops but I assume so. Daily schedule from the airport is as follows: 07:45 am, 10:45 am, 12:45, 15:15, 17:45, 19:45 and 21:45. Price: One-way 28 euros, return tiket 48 euros, voucher for four trips 74 euros, ten trips 175 euros and twenty trips 325 euros. Airport - Sants Station (Barcelona) - Sant Julià de Lòria - and on.

TO BARCELONA BY TRAIN: (from airport)

Train Line C10 - Línea C10 de Renfe Rodalies (Cercanías) serves Barcelona's airport. The train has a 30 minute frequency on weekdays, takes about 25 minutes from the airport to Estació de França and costs 3.80 Euros. Schedules are 06:00 am to 23:44. This same Barcelona-bound train, Line 10, also passes through Sants or Passeig de Gracia on its way to Estació de França. IMPORTANTE NOTE: The LINE C10 starts/ends at the Barcelona Airport and ends/starts at the Estació de França - BUT THE C10 LINE DOES NOT PASS THROUGH PLACA CATALUNYA. If your destination is someplace OTHER than the Estació de França (for example, to Plaça Catalunya), one must CHANGE TRAINS IN SANTS. Please view the Barcelona Train Lines Map HERE to better illustrate the routes.

TO BARCELONA BY METRO: (from airport)

A new metro line (LINE 9) is in the planning/construction stages and is not yet available. Expected inauguration is in 2009. HOWEVER, one make take the Barcelona-bound train line 10 to SANTS station and, there, take the metro to Plaza Cataluña and many other destinations in Barcelona.

Also feel free to DISCUSS Barcelona Transportation topics on the SPAIN Message Board.

SANTS-ESTACIO TRAIN STATION: ARRIVALS
Barcelona uses 4 train stations: Barcelona Sants Station, Estació de Franca, Passeig de Gràcia Station, & Placa de Catalunya Station. Most all of the national, regional, and international visitors coming to Barcelona by train will arrive at the "Estació de Sants" - Barcelona Sants Train Station - but some others will arrive at Estació de França, the train station for France. The other train stations serve mainly regional visitors. Some trains arriving in Barcelona have international origins from, for example, Paris, Milan, or Zurich. For information on international trains TO Barcelona from foreign origins please visit the RENFE Elipsos website at http://www.elipsos.com . Below, we'll focus on the more popular Barcelona Sants Station as the point of arrival by train.

From Estació de Sants, one can enter Barcelona by:

Train: Once arriving at Barcelona Sants Station one can change to city trains (or regional trains) which reach several points in Barcelona by Renfe Cencanías/Rodalies trains. CLICK HERE for city Barcelona Train Routes map.

Taxi: one only need step outside the Barcelona Sants Train Station (or any train station) to find numerous taxis waiting to take you (almost) anywhere in the city Barcelona. If you're not comfortable speaking Spanish or Catalán you may want to have prepared a paper with the hotel name and address as it's not likely your Barcelona taxi driver will speak any English. See more below about "TAXIS IN BARCELONA".

Metro: From the Barcelona Sants Train Station, one can reach most all points of Barcelona City by metro. From the train station, look for the not-so-well-marked signs pointing to the metro station UNDER Barcelona Sants Train Station. If you think you'll be using the metro more than 6 times total it's recommended to buy the 10-ride tickets for 6.65 Euros (good for ZONE 1, most of Barcelona). Vending machines selling these 10-pass tickets can be found before upstairs and downstairs in the metro station below. A single-use ticket costs 1.20 Euros. Both the 10-pass and single-pass tickets are good for both Barcelona metro and Barcelona city buses. Click here for metro map and see more detail about the BARCELONA METRO in its aptly-named section below.

Bus: Buses 32, 44, 78, and 109 leave from (or pass by) Estació de Sants: (click bus number for route map and stops)
#32: goes to the Northeastern corner of the city.
#44: bisecs the city and passes Passeig de Gracia (northern end near Casa Batlo) & near Sagrada Familia
#56: get bus near Sants on Avenida Paral.lel, bisect the city going east to Plaza Universitat near Pl. Catalunya, Plaza Tetuan
#78: goes north and then west out of the city, passing near Estadio Camp Nou, F.C. Barcelona's stadium
#109: goes south and out of BCN by Parc Joan Miró, Plaza Espanya, industrial port of Barcelona
#157: get bus near Sants on Avenida Paral.lel, goes south to port, Christopher Columbus, then to Barceloneta
Barcelona Bus Turístic's blue route (= south route) passes by Sants Train Station, going south and along the water, stopping and passing the tower statue of Christopher Columbus at the bottom of Las Ramblas, and onward.

Go down to the aptly-name section below called "BARCELONA BUSES".

ESTACIO DE SANTS TRAIN STATION: DEPARTURES FROM BARCELONA
From the Barcelona Sants Train Station one can also reach other parts Catalunya, other parts of Spain, and a few international destinations. Click HERE for REGIONAL outbound train schedules & information or go to www.RENFE.es for Spain train schedules and routes from Barcelona and from/to anywhere in Spain. A stated above, a few trains from Barcelona have international destinations to, for example, Paris, Milan, or Zurich but these usually leave from the Estacio de Franca Train Station. For information on international trains leaving FROM Barcelona, visit the RENFE Elipsos website at http://www.elipsos.com .

A few words about Spanish buses...
Barcelona is well-connected to a wide, spider-like network of commercial buslines reaching most every point in the country and to several international destinations as well. Traveling by bus is also considered to be the most economic mode of national (and regional) transportation. Many United Statesens (like me) might remember "the old days" of the ancient, uncomfortable, un-air-conditioned buses which took you on long journeys across country, stopping at every small town along the way. I have news for you folks - these aren't your father's buses! These are just the opposite, in fact. Today's European buses (including those in Spain) are modern, tall, near-luxury buses with comfortable seats, high seatbacks, reclining posture, arm rests, lots of legspace, a drop-down lap table, headphone/music jacks (you're often given free - albeit "cheap" - headphones), celing-mounted video monitor for free movies on longer-distance trips, air conditioning, large windows, and a broom-closet-sized bathroom which is usually located halfway down the steps in the middle of the bus. And most long-distance bus routes only make one (or two) stops along the way, usually at the mid-point.

Bus Stations: Barcelona is served by several bus stations. Serving most all of Spain & the busiest Barcelona bus station is, by far, the Estació d'Autobusos de Barcelona Nord - "Estación de Autobuses de Barcelona Nord" (web: www.BarcelonaNord.com , near metro station ARC DE TRIOMF (L1), Bus #54, Train - Renfe Cercanías, Line 1, 3, 4). The Estació d'Autobusos de Sants "Estación de Autobuses de Sants" (metro SANTS ESTACIO) serves many destinations to Spain, near-Europe, & Morocco but comparitively few outbound buses. The smaller HIFE bus station serves most of near-Barcelona destinations. And finally, the Barcelona Airport Bus Station serves popular, "nearby" destinations such as Figueres, Girona/Gerona, Lleida/Lerida, Reus, & Tarragona. The major bus company serving National inbound/outbound buses is Alsa while Eurolines serves international bus travelers, often using local carriers.

Bus Arrivals to Barcelona
Barcelona has a number of bus stations. Knowing at which bus station your Barcelona-bound bus will arrive depends on the bus company with whom you're riding. See the table below & reverse your direction to find your arrival bus station in Barcelona.

Bus Departures from Barcelona
Similarly to bus arrivals, knowing from which bus station you're leaving Barcelona depends on your destination. See the table below for your destination in order to find the bus company and bus station from which you're leaving Barcelona.

Barcelona's metro Here, we'll explain the various modes of Transportation in Barcelona including Barcelona Metro, Barcelona Buses, Barcelona Taxis, Barcelona Cablecars, and even Barcelona's Trams "Funiculares". We'll even describe Barcelona's Hop On Hop Off Touristic Bus tours. Also feel free to DISCUSS Barcelona Transportation topics on the ALL SPAIN Message Board.

Here, we'll explain the various modes of Transportation in Barcelona including Barcelona Metro, Barcelona Buses, Barcelona Taxis, Barcelona Cablecars, and even Barcelona's Trams "Funiculares". We'll even describe Barcelona's Hop On Hop Off Touristic Bus tours. Also feel free to DISCUSS Barcelona Transportation topics on the ALL SPAIN Message Board.

Here, we'll explain the various modes of Transportation in Barcelona including Barcelona Metro, Barcelona Buses, Barcelona Taxis, Barcelona Cablecars, and even Barcelona's Trams "Funiculares". We'll even describe Barcelona's Hop On Hop Off Touristic Bus tours. Also feel free to DISCUSS Barcelona Transportation topics on the ALL SPAIN Message Board.

Here, we'll explain the various modes of Transportation in Barcelona including Barcelona Metro, Barcelona Buses, Barcelona Taxis, Barcelona Cablecars, and even Barcelona's Trams "Funiculares". We'll even describe Barcelona's Hop On Hop Off Touristic Bus tours. Also feel free to DISCUSS Barcelona Transportation topics on the ALL SPAIN Message Board.

Here, we'll explain the various modes of Transportation in Barcelona including Barcelona Metro, Barcelona Buses, Barcelona Taxis, Barcelona Cablecars, and even Barcelona's Trams "Funiculares". We'll even describe Barcelona's Hop On Hop Off Touristic Bus tours. Also feel free to DISCUSS Barcelona Transportation topics on the SPAIN Message Board.

Here, we'll explain the various modes of Transportation in Barcelona including Barcelona Metro, Barcelona Buses, Barcelona Taxis, Barcelona Cablecars, and even Barcelona's Trams "Funiculares". We'll even describe Barcelona's Hop On Hop Off Touristic Bus tours. Also feel free to DISCUSS Barcelona Transportation topics on the ALL SPAIN Message Board.

Here, we'll explain the various modes of Transportation in Barcelona including Barcelona Metro, Barcelona Buses, Barcelona Taxis, Barcelona Cablecars, and even Barcelona's Trams "Funiculares". We'll even describe Barcelona's Hop On Hop Off Touristic Bus tours. Also feel free to DISCUSS Barcelona Transportation topics on the SPAIN Message Board.