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Barcelona

Coming & going

AIR

Barcelona is well connected with plenty of flights to other European destinations. Most airlines use Barcelona Airport but Girona Airport is served by budget airlines like Ryanair.

Barcelona Airport

Barcelona Airport (BCN) is at El Prat de Llobregat around 14km south-west of the city centre.

Trains run to the airport from Estació Sants every half hour. The airport is in zone 4 of the Rodalies/Cercanías suburban rail network (but zone 1 of the TMB transit system) and a one-way ticket costs €3. The last trains leave at 10.45pm, so if your flight is at night you will have to take the EN bus from Plaça de Espanya.

The Aerobús is another option with a more frequent service and slightly higher prices. The Aerobús costs €4.05 and departs from Plaça de Catalunya and Estació Sants.

Regular suburban buses also run to the airport and are the cheapest option at only €1.40, although they run only less frequently. If you want to take this option, bus 46 leaves from Plaça d'Espanya around every 25 minutes.

Girona-Costa Brava Airport

Girona-Costa Brava Airport is near the Costa Brava north of Barcelona. Buses to Girona (€1.75) and Barcelona (€12) meet all flights. The coach from Barcelona departs from Estació del Nord coach station (80 carrer d'Ali Bei, Barcelona; metro Arc de Triomf, Marina).

BUS & COACH

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

Estació del Nord coach station (80 carrer d'Ali Bei, Barcelona; metro Arc de Triomf, Marina) handles most buses and coaches particularly thoses to most major Spanish cities as well as international services run by Eurolines/Linebús and Starbus.

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

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).

FERRY

Barcelona is a busy port with Baleària and Iscomar ferries to destinations in the Balearic Islands and Grimaldi Lines ferries going to Livorno and Civitavecchia in Italy.

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.

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