There is only one airport in Barcelona city, commonly known by the locals as L’Aeroport del Prat. Barcelona Airport is located 12 kilometres south-east of Barcelona city centre and 3km from Barcelona’s harbour (one of the most important in the Mediterranean Sea). There are a few ways you can get from Barcelona Airport to the city centre, let’s have a look at them so you can go by;
By Taxi is without doubt the fastest way to leave Barcelona Airport but not necessarily the fastest way to get to your destination. Barcelona, is a big modern city and has so much traffic that sometimes it can drive you nuts. The airport taxi rank is on the left hand side when you leave the airport main exit. There are taxis 24/7 all year long and they’ll always have change of a 20 euro note (this is your right as a customer) but any bigger note than that, could cause you problems when paying, especially late at night. All official Barcelona taxis are black and yellow and are required to charge you only the value on the meter, though the Beetle has heard stories of unscrupulous taxi drivers who won’t give change and drive off with a large note – but this is taxi drivers the world over. Expect to pay around 25 euros for the journey into the centre of town. There will also be an additional surcharge charge for each bag you’re carrying. The rates are displayed inside the cab. Taxi drivers have been obliged to accept guide dogs for blind people since 1993 by law.
By AeroBus. The AeroBus is, as you may have already guessed, a Bus service. It’s simply one of those Airports to City Centre destinations only that all big airports have. This service runs normally runs every 15 minutes within its fixed hours of operation (see official website) for the exact timetable for the Aerobus.) You can catch the Aerobus from the airport and it stops at all 3 terminals. The aerobus will then take you to the city centre where you can get off at either Placa Espana or Placa de Cataluna in the city centre. From there you can catch the metro – see here for a map and details of the barcelona metro. Please note that the metro does not run to the airport. You buy the ticket on the bus, it costs (at the time of writing) 3.75 euros one-way and 6.45 euros return, they accept Visa. The journey from Barcelona Airport to the city centre is about 30 minutes long.
By Night Bus. There is also a regular local night bus, the 106, which takes you from Barcelona airport to Plaza Espana. This is the only late night public transport service available. Try to be at the bus stop about 10 minutes early, as the timetables are approximate and it always depends on traffic. You can buy a ticket on board just try to have some change on you. If you don’t know where you have to get off, ask tell the driver which your stop is and he’ll let you know.
By Train. The RENFE train service runs approximately every 30 mins to and from Barcelona airport to the city centre. The travel time approximately 25 minuets. If travelling from the airport to the city centre you will need to get off at Barcelona Sants and change either for another RENFE train to Placa Catalunya or for the Barcelona metro underground system. If you have not bought a T10 ticket and just purchased a normal ticket then you will have to buy another ticket for the change at sants. If you have a T10 ticket you can change without paying an additional charge. The metro runs directly from Barcelona Sants station and from Passeig de Gracia. Barcelona Sants station is a major rail station that offers train connections to many other destinations outside Barcelona. The price depends on where you stop but getting to the centre will cost you 2.30 euros. You can get straight into four of Barcelona’s main train stations offering connections to anywhere in Spain. Be warned that you’ll need your ticket on arrival at your destination, so don’t throw your ticket away. While you can take your pets on local transport, they must be on a lead or in some sort of cage. You can also take bicycles on the local train but there are some restrictions at peak times.
By Car. There are many car hire companies based in Barcelona Airport. If you plan to drive in the city you’d better get hold of a good street map, remember Barcelona isn’t a small city (over 3 million people live there and most of them have cars.) The journey to the city could take about 20 minutes but that will depend on traffic conditions. If you plan to stay in Barcelona city, I wouldn’t recommend hiring a car as it’d be more trouble than it’s worth and public transport can take you anywhere at anytime. However if you plan to visit the outskirts of the city, a car would be helpful.
For more information on timetables and routes, see: