ARRIVING BY AIR

Barcelona International Airport (BCN) is situated approximately 10 miles / 16 km south of the city, in El Prat de Llobregat. Tourist information and a bureaux de change can be found in the two main terminals A and B. For further information on the airport & current flight schedules, please refer to Aena (Association of Spanish Airports).

There are various ways of getting from Barcelona International Airport to the centre of Barcelona:

Trains are the cheapest option. The "Cercanias" ("Rodalies" in Catalan) train line 10 runs about every 30 minutes from the airport to Barcelona’s city centre (6am-11.44pm) and vice versa (check out www.renfe.es or call 902 24 02 02 for timetable). The journey takes 20 minutes to Sants-Estaçió, and costs €1.25. The train stops at the following Barcelona stations: Sants-Estaçió, Passeig de Gràcia (Eixample) and Estació de Francia (Born). Sants-Estaçió and Passeig de Gràcia allow a direct connection to the Metro, although an additional Metro ticket will need to be purchased for €1.25 (alternatively, buy the T-10 travel card good for 10 trips on Rodalies within 1 zone, the Metro, FGC trains, and city buses). If you prefer not to switch to the Metro, you may also travel between Sants-Estaçió and Plaça Catalunya by Rodalies train on different lines; if coming from Plaça Catalunya, take any train from platform 2 and change at Sants-Estaçió (Barcelona's main train station) for the Airport train.

The municipally-operated Aerobús, a coach link, departs every 6-15 minutes directly from terminals A and B with stops at Plaça España and Plaça Catalunya. The buses run daily 5.30am-12.15am from Plaça Catalunya and 6am-1am from El Prat de Llobregat airport. Both locations are connected to Metro & city bus services. The journey takes 20-30 minutes & costs €3.75 (return ticket €6.45).

There are taxi ranks directly in front of the terminals. A journey from the airport to the centre will cost around €25-35, and takes 15-20 minutes. There are extra charges for additional baggage and extra passengers as well as higher fares from 9pm-7pm and on weekends and holidays. Tip: chat with the person next to you in line at the taxi rank to see if you might share a cab (and the fare).

Girona Airport is one of Ryanair’s destinations and located 38 miles / 60 km north of Barcelona. Sagalés operates buses between Girona Airport and Barcelona's Estació del Nord bus station, located on C/ d'Alí Bei 80 in Eixample Dreta. The trip takes about 70 minutes and cost €12 for a one-way ticket, €21 return. Bus times are coordinated with flight arrival times and run 8.30am-12.15am from Girona and 3.15am-7.30pm from Barcelona. Sagalés info line:+34 902 361 550, Estació del Nord +34 902 260 606.

There is also a shuttle bus from the airport to Girona's central station (€1.75, return ticket €3.30). From here, there are regular train connections to Barcelona. If you take the Catalunya Express you can expect to be in Barcelona in about one hour at the cost of €6. Information & tickets available at RENFE, on by phone +34 902 24 02 02.

Reus Airport is located around 62 miles / 100 km outside Barcelona, 10 miles / 16 km from Tarragona and 2 miles / 3 km from the town of Reus. There is a shuttle bus to the centre of Reus. The journey takes around 30 minutes & costs around €2. From Reus there there is a regular train connection. Again the Catalunya Express will get you to Barcelona in about one hour and costs approximately €6.45). Information & tickets can be acquired at RENFE, or by phone +34 902 24 02 02. There is also a direct shuttle bus to the centre of Barcelona (takes about 1 hour, one way €11, return ticket €18).

ARRIVING BY COACH OR TRAIN

If you prefer not to fly, Barcelona is very well connected to coach and train services. However, they are not necessarily more cost effective in comparison with today’s low air fares. A return ticket from London via Paris by train, for example, costs €338 and will obviously take a lot longer than flying (a train journey from London to Barcelona via Paris takes 18 hours and 26.5 hours by coach). Eurolines offers regular coach service from a variety of European major cities to Barcelona. A return ticket from London to Barcelona by coach is available from €115.

We recommend shorter international train & coach travel, for instance an outing to the South of France: The journey from Barcelona to Montpellier takes around four hours by coach or train. Trains leave from both Estació-Sants (Barcelona's central station) and Passeig de Gràcia in the city centre. Coach services run, depending on the coach company, from the main coach stations in Estació-Sants, Estació del Nord, Fabra i Puig, Ronda Universitat (centre), and Pg. Sant Joan-Diputació.

ARRIVING BY CAR / MOTORCYCLE

From the South of France (Montpellier / Perpignan), you can take the A7 which leads directly to Barcelona, by-passing much of the Costa Brava (motorway fees €9.55).

Factbox&Feedback

Prices and transport details are often subject to change. Therefore, corrections, updates and comments are most welcome: feedback@miniguide.es