Barcelona getting there

• Essentials
  • Overview
  • Basics
  • Getting there
  • Getting around
• City sights
  • Top sights
  • Tourist trail
  • Offbeat sights
  • Nearby trips
  • Gaudi sights
  • Museums
• Things to do
  • Eating out
  • Cafe bars
  • Shopping
  • Nightlife
• Planning
  • When to go
  • Where to stay
  • Find a hotel

Getting there

Barcelona is one of Europe's easiest-to-reach cities with a wide range of city break flights and ever-improving rail links, including a new AVE high-speed link with Madrid. Barcelona is also a major holiday cruise port.

Barcelona flights

Barcelona airport is 12km southwest of the city centre. There are three terminals - A, B and C - with cheap flights from most major European airports.

Foreign airlines mainly use terminal A while Iberia’s international flights land at terminal B. Airlines include Air France, Alitalia, BMI Baby, British Airways, Continental, Delta, easyJet, KLM, Lufthansa, SAS, Spanair and Virgin Express. Ryanair use a number of airports they dub ‘Barcelona’ but some are actually 100km away at Girona and Reus.

Trains leave the airport for the city centre every 30min daily stopping at Central-Sants (journey time – 17min), Plaça de Catalunya (23min), Arc de Triomf (26min) and Clot-Aragó (30min) for connections to the metro.

The Aerobús service runs to Plaça de Catalunya via Gran Via every 15min on weekdays, and every 30min at weekends, taking 15-30min. Taxis to and from the airport will cost around €20, with an airport supplement and a charge for each suitcase. Taxi ranks are outside the terminal buildings.

Barcelona by rail

RENFE runs the Spanish rail network, which radiates from Madrid to all major cities including Barcelona. There are also rail services running from the French border along the Mediterranean coast. Seat reservations are required on all intercity trains and supplements are charged on many faster trains, even for passengers holding Interail and Eurail passes.

The excellent AVE (Alta Velocidad) train service network now has a Madrid - Barcelona link taking 3hrs from Madrid Puerta de Atocha to Barcelona-Sants. A cheaper alternative, which takes about 9 hours with lots of stops, including stations beyond Barcelona, is the ‘Costa Brava’ train which runs from Madrid-Chamartin to Barcelona-Sants.

Estació Central-Sants on Plaça del Països Catalans is the main Barcelona railway station, serving international, national and suburban routes. It has tourist information, hotel rates and left luggage facilities. Estació de França on Avenida Marqués de l’Argentera also handles many long-distance services, including the Talgo trains from Seville and Malaga. Passeig de Gràcia station near to Plaça de Catalunya and La Rambla handles routes from Tarragona, Figueres and Girona.

Direct trains to Barcelona from Paris take around 11hrs and Milan takes about 13hrs, 15min.

Barcelona by road

Turn off the various Autopistas on to the Ronda Littoral, on the southern side of the city’s ring road and look for signs to Port Vell, the main old town exit. There are plenty of car parks but they are expensive. On-road parking is near impossible. A foreign car is no protection from fines or being towed away.

Barcelona by sea

The Port de Barcelona is the second largest Mediterranean cruise port after Athens. Crueurs del Porte de Barcelona run five cruise ship terminals (two at Moll Adossat and two at Moll Barcelona and one at Moll Espanya) and the Autoritat Portuària de Barcelona runs the Port Vell terminal. All have taxi and shuttle buses to the city centre and there are parking and car hire services.

For ferries to Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, the Estació Marítima Balears or Balearic Maritime Station, is at Moll de Sant Bertran 3 - metro stop Drassanes. They also operate a fast ferry service between Barcelona and Palma.

• Iberan Railways- Railway map of Spain and Portugal courtesy of All Europe Rail