Travel information: getting to Barcelona

You can approach this compact and easily accessible city from all angles. The airport has easy links to the city by bus and train. Should you decide against flying, there are good international road and rail links, as well as a daily ferry to the Moll de Barcelona Quay. Cruise ships use several berths around the harbour.

Barcelona by air

Aeroport de Barcelona
Barcelona’s airport, Aeroport de Barcelona (91 393 60 00/www.aena.es) is at El Prat, south-west of the city. There are three main terminals (A, B and C), with a fourth (T-Sur) scheduled for completion in autumn 2009. Tourist information desks and currency exchanges are in terminals A and B. Website www.barcelona-airport.com also lists departures and arrivals.

Airlines

Terminals are shown in brackets. Numbers to dial from the UK are listed second.

Air Berlin (B) 93 478 7594/0870 738 8880/www.airberlin.com.
Aer Lingus (B) 902 50 27 37/www.aerlingus.com.
Air Europa (B) 902 40 15 01/www.air-europa.com.
bmi (B) +44 (0)133 264 8181/0870 607 0555/www.flybmi.com.
bmibaby (B) 902 100 737/0870 126 6726/www.bmibaby.com.
British Airways (B) 902 11 13 33/0870 850 9850/www.ba.com.
easyJet (A) 807 260 026/0871 244 2366/www.easyjet.com.
Iberia (B or C) 902 400 500/0870 609 0500/www.iberia.com.
Jet2 (A) 902 88 12 69/0871 226 1737/www.jet2.com.
Monarch Airlines (A) 902 50 27 37/0870 040 5040/www.flymonarch.com.
Ryanair (from Girona or Reus) 807 22 02 20/0871 246 0000/www.ryanair.com.
Spanair (B) 97 191 60 47/902 13 14 15/www.spanair.com.
Thomsonfly (B) 91 414 1481/0870 190 0737/www.thomsonfly.com.

Getting from Barcelona airport

By bus

Aerobús
The airport bus, Aerobús (93 415 60 20), runs from each terminal to Plaça Catalunya, with stops at Plaça d’Espanya, C/Urgell and Plaça Universitat. Buses to the airport go from Plaça Catalunya (in front of El Corte Inglés), stopping at Sants station and Plaça d’Espanya.

Buses run every 8-10mins, leaving the airport 6am-1am Mon-Fri and 6.30am-1am at weekends, returning from Plaça Catalunya 5.30am-12.15am Mon-Fri and 6am-12.15am at weekends. The trip takes 35-45mins; a single is €4.05, a return (valid six days) €7.

City buses
Bus 46 runs between Plaça Espanya and the airport every half hour. The first leaves from Plaça Espanya between 5am-12.15am Mon-Fri and then between 9am-8pm at weekends. From the airport the first is at 5.30am and the last at 12.24am. Journey time is about 45mins.

At night the N17 runs every 20 minutes between the airport (from 10pm) and Plaça Catalunya (from 11pm), with several stops on the way, including Plaça d’Espanya and Plaça Universitat. Last departures are at 5am. Journey time is 45mins.

By train

The long overhead walkway between terminals A and B leads to the train station. The Cercanías train (C10) leaves the airport at 29 and 59 mins past the hour, 6.29am-10.59pm, with an extra train at 11.44pm daily, stopping at Barcelona Sants, Passeig de Gràcia and Estació de França.

Trains to the airport leave Barcelona Sants at 25 and 55 mins past the hour, 5.25am-10.55pm daily (13mins earlier from Estació de França, 5mins earlier from Passeig de Gràcia). The journey takes 20-30mins and costs €2.60 one way (no return tickets). Tickets are valid only for 2hrs after purchase (902 24 02 02, www.renfe.es/cercanias; 020 7725 7063/www.spanish-rail.co.uk). The T-10 Zone 1 metro pass is also valid.

By taxi

The basic taxi fare to town should be €15-€26, including a €3.10 airport supplement. Fares are about 15 per cent higher after 8pm and at weekends. There is a €1 supplement for each large piece of luggage placed in the car boot. All licensed cab drivers use the ranks outside the terminals.

Barcelona by bus

Estació d’Autobusos Barcelona-Nord
C/Alí Bei 80, 902 26 06 06, www.barcelonanord.com.
Most long-distance coaches (national and international) stop here. The Estació d’Autobusos Barcelona-Sants at C/Viriat is only a secondary stop.

Eurolines services
Information 93 490 40 00, www.eurolines.es.
Some international Eurolines services both begin and end their journeys at Sants.

Barcelona by car

The easiest way to central Barcelona from almost all directions is the Ronda Litoral, the coastal half of the ring road. Take exit 21 (Paral·lel) if you’re coming from the south, or exit 22 (Via Laietana) from the north. Motorways also feed into Avda Diagonal, Avda Meridiana and Gran Via, which all lead to the city centre. Tolls are charged on most of the main approach routes, payable in cash (the lane marked ‘manual’; motorbikes are charged half) or by credit card (‘automatic’).

Barcelona by rail

Most long-distance services run by the Spanish state railway company RENFE leave from Barcelona-Sants station, easily reached by metro. A few services from the French border or south to Tarragona stop at the Estació de França in the Born, which is otherwise sparsely served. Many trains stop at Passeig de Gràcia, which can be the handiest for the city centre and also has a metro stop.

RENFE operate the high-speed service AVE (Alta Velocidad) between Barcelona Sants station and Madrid, via Zaragoza and Lleida. Travelling at speeds averaging 300km per hour, AVE whisks travellers to the Spanish capital in about 2hrs 45mins. A single ticket to Madrid starts from €106.10 but there are special deals if you book online and in advance.

RENFE
National 902 24 02 02/international 902 24 34 02/www.renfe.es. Open National 5am-10pm daily. International 7am-midnight daily. Credit AmEx, DC, MC, V.
Some English-speaking operators. RENFE tickets can be bought online, at stations and travel agents, or reserved over the phone, and delivered for a small fee.

Barcelona by sea

Grimaldi Lines
93 508 88 50, www.grimaldi-ferries.com.
Runs a ferry a day, except Sundays, between Barcelona and Civitavecchia (near Rome) from the Moll Sant Bertran; or to Genoa three times a week from the Moll de Ponent, a few hundred metres south (902 40 12 00).

Trasmediterránea
902 45 46 45, 91 663 2850, www.trasmediterranea.es.
This is the main operator for Balearic Islands ferries, which dock at the Moll de Barcelona quay, at the bottom of Avda Paral·lel.

Cruise ships use several berths around the harbour. The PortBus shuttle service (93 415 60 20) runs between them and the bottom of La Rambla when ships are in port.

Our listings

While every effort and care has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this guide, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors it may contain. Before you go out of your way, we strongly advise you to phone ahead and check the particulars.

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