Getting to Barcelona and other Barcelona, Spain Transportation Tips

'Mode': TO
Category: Airplane
Getting TO/AROUND: Both times we have visited Barcelona we flew from London Gatwick airport - the first time with Easyjet and the second time with British Airways. The flight from London takes between 1.5 - 2 hours. British Airways also fly there from London Heathrow, and Easyjet from Luton and Stansted as well. Other airlines that fly there from London include Iberia and Air Berlin.

The airport is located around 13km from the city centre.

If you are already in Spain, you may want to catch a train to Barcelona. It has good rail links to other Spanish cities, such as Madrid (4.5 hours) and Valencia (3 hours). I have also heard that you can get cheap flights between Barcelona and Madrid.

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Website: http://www.barcelona-airport.com/ http://www.renfe.es/ingles/

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Barcelona's El Prat airport lies around 13km southwest of the city centre, and there are a few different transport options to get you into town.

The easiest (and of course most expensive) of these options is to catch a taxi. There is a taxi rank just outside the arrivals hall. When we arrived in Barcelona for our latest visit it was a Friday evening and we wanted to get into town as quickly as we could so we could go out to dinner - so taxi was the best solution for us. Although at this time there was a long queue of people waiting for a cab, there was also a constant flow of empty taxi's arriving and it didn't take us too long until we were on our way. A taxi to the city centre costs between 20-30 euro depending on extra charges for luggage etc.

Another easy option is to catch the A1 Aerobus, which departs every 10-15 minutes from outside the arrivals terminal. The bus takes 30-40 minutes and costs around 3.75 euro - you can buy your ticket on the bus. The bus goes to Placa Espana and Placa Catalunya.

On our first visit to Barcelona we caught the train from the airport to the city centre. The RENFE train service departs every 30 mins or so, and the trip to the city centre takes approximately 25 minutes. You can get off the train at Barcelona Sants or Passeig de Gracia and change onto the metro from there if required. A oneway ticket from the airport to Sants station costs around 2.60 euro.

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Website: http://www.barcelona-airport.com/eng/transport_eng.htm

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: Barcelona is a very walkable city, though for those less able, or those who enjoy trying out the local transport, then the TMB Metro is the go. There are 6 lines - L1, L2, L3, L4, L5 & L11, plus also part of the network is the funicular railway that runs from Paralˇlel metro stop to Parc de Montjuic.

The metro runs from 5am to midnight Sun-Thu and from 5am to 2am on Fri & Sat. Some of the lines criss-cross in the centre of Barcelona, though you may find you seem to walk for ages underground to change from one line to another.

Tickets can be bought from the ticket office at each station or from the ticket machines which operate in a few different languages. You can buy single tickets or books of ten single tickets if you are planning a few single trips during your stay.

If you are planning a few trips within the same day you may be better off buying a one-day pass (T-Dia), which costs 5.25 euro for zone 1 (Feb 2007). Or depending on the length of your visit, and how often you think you will use the metro, you may want to consider a 2, 3, 4, or 5 day pass.

Full details of all the tickets and pricing can be found on the website below.

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Website: http://www.tmb.net/en_US/home.jsp