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Barcelona

Coming & Going

TRAIN

Barcelona is served by several stations. The two main stations are Estaciós Sants and França. Estació Sants serves most destinations in Spain and also has several international trains (metro Liceu or Drassanes). Trains to Geneva, Milan, Paris and Zurich depart from Estació França. (metro Barceloneta). Some long-distance trains also stop at some smaller stations which may be more convenient. These stations include Catalunya (metro: Catalunya) and Passeig de Gràcia (metro Passeig de Gràcia).

Most signs in the main stations should bilingual (Catalan and Spanish). You should be right as long as you can recognise arribades/llegadas (arrivals) and sortides/salidas (departures).

BUS

Frequent buses run from Barcelona to Spanish and international destinations. There are two main bus stations so it is important to work out which station your bus departs from.

Estació del Nord handles most buses particularly thoses to most major Spanish cities as well as international services run by Eurolines/Linebús and Starbus. Estació del Nord is situated at Carrer d'Alí Bei near Arc de Triomf metro station.

The smaller Estació d'Autobuses de Sants near Estació Sants train station handles buses to Montserrat and international services operated by Eurolines/Julià Via.

FERRY

There are several ferries a week between Barcelona and Genova (Italy) although it is quicker and easier to take the train. This ferry service is operated by Grimaldi (website www1.grimaldi.it/english/) and departs from Moll de Ponent.

Ferries to the Baleric Islands are more popular with independent travellers. Trasmediterrànea operates both slow and fast ferries from Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza while Buquebús (website www.buquebus.com) run a fast catamaran service to Palma de Mallorca.

HITCHHIKING

Like much of southern Spain, Barcelona can be a difficult city to hitch from. Your best bet is to take public transport to get to the good hitching spots.

If you're heading north to Girona or Paris it is best to hitch on Avenida Meridiana to get traffic bound for the A7. Take the metro to Fabria y Puig.

For lifts to Madrid or Valencia, take the metro to Zona Universitaria and pick a hitching spot where traffic bound for the autopista can safely stop.

Try Barnastop - a local ride-sharing agency - if you'd rather have your lifts organised for you. You'll have to pay a fee, although it should still work out cheaper than the bus. Barnastop are located at C Sant Ramon 29 (metro Liceu).
BUG Ride (website http://europe.bugride.com) is our own web-based ride sharing service, it allows travellers to both offer lifts and search for rides throughout Europe. This is a free service which links travellers to drivers - you contact the driver by email when you have found the ride you want.

BUG Ride (website http://europe.bugride.com) is our own web-based ride sharing service, it allows travellers to both offer lifts and search for rides throughout Europe. This is a free service which links travellers to drivers - you contact the driver by email when you have found the ride you want.