Enjoy this free practical guide for getting around Barcelona including getting to/from the BCN airport. Plus the cheapest ways to get to all the top tourist attractions in the city.

Exploring on your own is easy – you just have to decide which of the methods of transportation you wish to use.

How to get around Barcelona

You will find that you have many choices for transport options in Barcelona.

• Walking
• Transit Bus
• Tram
• Metro
• Hop-on-Hop-off Tourist Bus
• Bicycle
• Scooter
• Taxi
• Rental Car

Read more about traveling to Barcelona

• 9 Days of Solo Travel – Highlights of my Trip – my first solo trip to Barcelona
• Parc Ciutadella – a Perfect Afternoon in Barcelona
• Planning and Preparing for my Solo Trip to Barcelona – plan your trip
• Gaudi’s Amazing Architecture – Casa Battlo in Barcelona – loved the blue tiles
• Trencadis Serpentine Mosaic Tile Bench at Gaudi’s Park Guell – spend a day

 

Walking around Barcelona

My favorite mode of transportation in most cities is walking. Slow, yes – but so enjoyable. I see so much more when I am walking than when I am in a taxi or bus. Just remember to bring comfortable walking shoes for travel and a lightweight backpack for your Barcelona trip.

Break-in those shoes before your arrival so that you can enjoy your visit to the fullest. In Barcelona watch for the blue signs pointing the way to tourist sites around the city.

You can also buy a handy laminated map of Barcelona to help find your way around on your own.

Looking at guide books, I brought both the National Geographic Walking Barcelona guide and the Eyewitness Travel Barcelona and Catalonia guide for an all around guide to Barcelona.

A guide book is an easy way to assist in finding your way around Barcelona.

Very handy to have when you are exploring on your own on foot. With the NatGeo guide you can do you own walking tours around Barcelona.

READ NOW: 25 Best Things to Do in Barcelona

 

 

For my first solo trip to Barcelona I took an overnight flight from NYC, landing in Barcelona at 7:15 in the morning.

I had researched my options for getting to my apartment in La Ribera neighborhood and AeroBus turned out to be a great option – such a cheap and easy way to get from Barcelona airport to the central historic region.

 

AeroBus gets you to and from BCN airport

AeroBus is a convenient mode of transportation from BCN El Prat airport to central Barcelona, and back to the airport from the city center. At a cost of 5.90 Euros (single trip is valid for 90 days) or 10.20 (for a return ticket – valid within 15 days of validation) it is also a very affordable option, great for the budget traveler.

Buy AeroBus tickets online, from the bus driver (cash only), or from a vending machine at the airport or at Placa de Catalunya (across from El Corte Ingles shopping mall)

1. Gran Via-Urgell,
2. Placa Universidad)
3. Placa de Catalunya

There are 3 stops from Barcelona to BCN  airport

1. Placa de Catalunya
2. Sepulveda-Urgell
3. Placa Espanya

AeroBus runs every 5 minutes (365 days per year) from airport Terminals 1 and 2.

The bus ride takes approximately 35 minutes to Placa Catalunya.

Have a look at hotels near BCN El Prat airport – check here for the latest hotel rates – if you have an early morning flight this is a great option to ensure you are at the airport on time – and no traffic worries on your travel day!

On my first trip to Barcelona I was through customs and immigration and sitting on the AeroBus within 45 minutes of landing. Another 30 minutes or so and I was getting off the bus at Placa de Catalunya enjoying a sunny morning walk in the historic district.

With the AeroBus ticket I was given a coupon book for discounts at local restaurants, art museums, music events, bicycle and scooter rental, etc.

Buy your ticket upon arrival at BCN airport or online at the AeroBus website: FAQ AeroBus schedule and rates. If you need a ticket to the airport you can also buy tickets at the vending machine at Placa de Catalunya.

 

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Getting around Barcelona by Bus or Tram

Barcelona has an extensive public bus system for travel throughout the city. All of the buses have been adapted for people with reduced mobility.

On the TMB (Transport Metropolitans de Barcelona) website you can look up information for bus schedules and maps.

Visit the main TMB website for bus schedules and maps.

 

 

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Getting around via Metro in Barcelona

Metro was my favorite way to get around the city fast and cheap. I bought 10 ride passes (called a T10 card) at the ticket vending machine.

10 ride pass costs 10.20 Euros (September 2018) and is good for 10 individual trips on the metro

Each time you use the ticket – feeding it into the machine at the entrance to the metro – the date and time of use are printed on the back of the ticket.

There are numerous entrances to the underground metro stations so do take note of the street name for the entrance/exit at the metro. Overall I do find metro to be the fastest way to get around Barcelona.

If you are directionally challenged like me, you may want to bring a map of Barcelona with you.

 

Barcelona Metro is air-conditioned – stay cool in summer while exploring the city!

 

 

The metro lines are identified by number and color. To locate metro stations look for signs bearing a red “M” with white background.

When buying metro tickets from the vending machines at the metro stations you can select language preference on the bottom right-hand part of the display – see the flags in the photo above.

Transport Metropolitans de Barcelona website: Metro schedule, rates, maps

Android users can download the app for Barcelona Metro Map and Routing

iPhone users can download the Barcelona Metro TMB map App

 

Barcelona Hop-on Hop-off Tourist Bus

These tourist buses charge a flat rate for the ticket which is good for 24 hours, or you can buy a 2-day option. You can hop-on and hop-off the bus at any of their stops as many times as you like for the duration of your ticket.

This is the perfect option for exploring Barcelona by yourself. It’s easy to explore all the top tourist attractions with the Hop-on Hop-off tourist buses.

The beauty of the Hop-on Hop-Off Tourist Bus is that you don’t need to figure out how to get to all the best tourist sites – just hop-on and hop-off at the top attractions that you want to see.

For 10% discount on tickets as well as information on routes, maps, and more visit the website:

Hop-on hop-off Bus website

 

Buy your Barcelona Guide Book NOW!

 

Bicycle rental in Barcelona

There are bicycle rental options and there is the Bicing bike-share system in Barcelona. The Bicing website is only available in Spanish or Catalan but here is a link. Using Google translate: The map can be display stations in operation and see real-time availability of bicycles at each station.

Update: Bicing is set up for locals traveling on short trips around Barcelona – not really for tourists but you can use it for FREE for the first 30 minutes.

Bicing bicycle rental service is available year round 24/7 with a few thousand bicycles distributed around the city. If you are living in Barcelona or staying long term you may want to sign up.

Bicing bike rental cost

47.16 Euro per year – annual subscription sign-up required
4.54 Euro fee for the card when first signing up for Bicing
FREE first 30 minutes (requires annual subscription sign-up)
.74 Euro per half hour – up to 2 hours maximum
4.49 Euro fee for exceeding the 2-hour maximum
150 Euro for non-return of bicycle 24 hours after removing bike from station

I am a bit of a chicken when it comes to riding a bike in a city. I think I am too easily distracted and would probably get in an accident due to my lack of attention to traffic.

Or I would make such an effort to pay attention that I wouldn’t enjoy the seeing the city as I rode my bicycle.

Smaller towns are more my style for bicycle riding but I know plenty of people who would be keen to explore Barcelona by bike.

 

Scooter rental in Barcelona

You can zoom around town with a scooter rental. For me, a scooter would offer the opportunity to get lost that much faster and much more often than I do on foot. I did not try out a scooter rental but it looks like a fun way to get around in Barcelona.

 

Taxi

Taxis are always an option in any major city. I mostly try to avoid using taxis as they are generally more costly than public transportation. I would use a taxi in Barcelona if I were attending an event that was not easily accessible by metro and walking.

• Taxi rates start at around 2 Euro + 1 Euro per km
• Bring cash as many of the taxis will not accept debit or credit card

 

Rental car

If you prefer to do the driving yourself then a rental car is a great option. There are plenty of great day trips from Barcelona so a rental comes in handy if you want to get to Sitges or Montserrat on your own.

Whatever transportation options you choose for finding your way around I hope you love the city as much as I do. Enjoy your travels! Remember to buy a guide book for Barcelona!

Check out my other Barcelona blog posts below. You will find so many attractions in Barcelona you could spend a week and not see everything.

 

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