Barcelona's public transport system is an easy-to-use and integrated service that makes travelling fairly manageable. As well as your typical public transport options, Barcelona has a cable car, tramway and uphill furnicular train for getting around. Barcelona’s bike paths make the city very adapted for cycling and you can easily hire bicycles to explore the city.
Taking the Barcelona Metro
The underground Metro service runs until midnight and throughout the night on Fridays and Saturdays.
Barcelona’s metro system is fairly simple to negotiate. Frequent trains and clearly indicated arrival times make travelling by underground a fast and simpler option. Escalators are usually available but for those with prams, lifts (elevators) are few and far between. Main interchange stations will usually have lifts although you may have to walk a way to find them.
Travel cards can be purchased at Metro ticket offices, tobacconists (tabacs) and at some newspaper kiosks around town. When you use the city’s public transport system with a travel card, you may travel on the same fare for up to 1hr 15minutes. This means that you will only be charged once as you change between bus, metro, FGC, trams and suburban RENFE trains during this time period.
A bus stop in Barcelona © Bob Milsom
Children under four travel free, but any child about that is required to pay adult fares. Child fares are to be introduced into the city public transport system later this year.
For travel within the city’s Zone 1 (2009 prices):
T10 card (10 trips): EUR 7.70
1 Day Pass: EUR 5.80
2 Day Pass: EUR 10.70
3 Day Pass: EUR 14.30
4 Day Pass: EUR 19.50
5 Day Pass: EUR 23.10
A Single Metro ticket: EUR 1.35
A Single Bus ticket: EUR 1.35
Taking the bus
If you have a travel card, validate it at one of the two machines as you enter the bus. If not buy your ticket from the driver and try not to pay with amounts of more than EUR 5.00. There are preferential seats for people carrying young children, along with the elderly and those with reduced mobility. Parents with prams can park their prams on parking spaces on the bus. Don’t forget to put on the brakes as you can often be subject to a jerky ride in the city traffic.
Taking taxis
Taxis are also an affordable alternative compared to other major cities especially when travelling in numbers. Most trips around Barcelona in a taxi cost between EUR 4 and EUR 8.
If you are travelling into the city from the airport and cannot face the airport bus you will usually find plenty of larger taxis pulling up at the rank, so just join the queue and wait for one to arrive. A taxi from the airport costs approximately EUR 25. You are charged extra for bags.
If you are travelling to the airport, you can pre-book a larger taxi by calling one of the several centralised booking services listed below:
Barcelona Taxi Reservations (for pre-bookings or immediate hire):
Tel. 93 330 0300 Servi taxi
Tel. 93 300 1100 Fono taxi
Tel. 93 303 3033 Radio taxi
A green light means the taxi is available for hire but do flag the taxi like crazy. Unlike most taxi drivers in the world who will over-eagerly stop for head scratchers, in Barcelona, unless you are flapping around like a headless chicken they will often drive right past you!
Row of cabs along curb in Barcelona
Parents who are travelling with children should always travel with a car seat (for children under three) or booster seat for children under 12. This is a grey area for some taxi drivers as although new laws in 2007 made child seats obligatory, taxi drivers will most likely not be stopped for allowing children to travel without a seat.
Some of the larger taxis have fitted booster seats in the back. If you do not have a booster seat, check with the driver.
Cable Car (Teleféric)
Tel. 93 225 27 18
There are 2 cable car options - both offering fantastic views over the city.
The Transbordador Aeri cable car starts from the Torre de Sant Sebastià (the tower at Sant Sebastià beach) in Barceloneta. The trip takes you via the Jaume I Tower at the World Trade Centre and finally arrives at the the Mirador overlooking the port from the Parc de Montjuïc.
There is a cafe there which serves drinks, snacks and ice creams into the early evening.
Adult Single EUR 9.00; Adult Return EUR 12.50
Free for children under six
Alternatively the Telefèric de Montjuïc cable car runs from the Montjuïc Furnicular station to the Mirador overlooking the port and then on to the Castell (Castle) at the top of the Montjuïc hill.
Adult Single: EUR 6.00; Child Single (4-12 yrs) EUR 4.70
Adult Return EUR 8.30; Child Return (4-12yrs) EUR 6.30
Montjuïc Funicular Railway
The Montjuïc Funicular Railway is probably the quickest and most comfortable way to travel the short distance from Parallel up to Montjuïc. The best part of all is that is part of the public transport system so you can use your travel card to make the journey.
Catch the train from Parallel Metro Station (L4) for the short one-stop ride up the side of the hill.
Barcelona Tramway
Tel. 902 193 275
www.trambcn.com
As part of the Barcelona public transport network, you can take the recently built tramway that has six different routes running from the city. The tram connection will not take you across Barcelona but offers you a fast route to the outskirts of the city.
The tram at the Parc de la Ciutadella / Vila Olimpica stop runs past the Teatre Nacional via the Shopping centre of Les Glories and the flea market of Encants, along Diagonal above the Poble Nou area and on to the Forum and Sant Adria. You can also change at Les Glories onto the T5 line which runs by Clot, Sant Marti continuing to Besos and beyond.
Take away bicycles in Barcelona © FaceMePLS
Taking the tram from the other end of town, at the Diagonal stop at Francesc Macia, the line takes you via Maria Cristina, the University zone and on to L'Hospital de Llobregat, Cornella de Llobregat and Sant Feliu de Llobregat. Depending on the route and day, trams run from around 5am up to 2am in the morning.
Tramvia Blau
The Tramvia Blau is probably the most attractive way of reaching Tibidabo mountain. This old fashioned tram takes you through leafy suburbs and past uptown Barcelona houses and ends your journey at the foot of the funicular railway. The route is just over 1km.
Single ticket: EUR 2.70;
Return ticket: EUR 4.10; 20 trip ticket: EUR 20.00
Timetable: 10:00 am - 8:05 pm
(Holidays 10:00 am - 6:05 pm)
More resources on Barcelona public transport information:
Interactive street map of Barcelona
Barcelona Discount Cards for further options for transport discounts.
Barcelona Public Transport website (in English)
Link to Barcelona Bus and Metro maps
National and international train times
Out-of-town bus routes
10 March 2009
Kids in Barcelona / Expatica
Photo credits: Bob Milsom and FaceMePLS
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In addition to the regular public transport, travelling around in the city is made easy with the cable car and tramway, says Kids in Barcelona.
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