Barcelona has an excellent public transport network, a model for other cities plagued by congestion, overcrowding and expensive fares. The metro is modern, cheap and efficient, bus routes are shown at all stops and tour buses are great for the first-time visitor.
The six metro lines are identified by number and colour. Tickets must be validated in a platform machine before boarding and carried at all times. They can be bought at TMB operator centres and station machines. Trains run until midnight or 2am at weekends.
Suburbs and surrounding areas are served by rail lines run by the FGC and RENFE. The RENFE local network is known as Rodalies or Cercanías and the central station is at Plaça de Catalunya.
Buses run from around 6.30am to 10pm. Almost all run through Plaça de Catalunya, Plaça Urquinaona or Plaça de la Universitat. Buy single tickets on board or validate travel cards in machines on boarding. Yellow night buses need separate tickets. The TombBús is a shopping service that runs every 7min weekdays, 15min Saturdays, between Plaça de Catalunya and Plaça Pius XII.
Multi-ride tickets - Targetas - are cheaper with prices depending on the number of zones. Bus passes vary from daily to monthly, while widely available tourist passes range from two to five days for all city transport, including airport routes.
The Barcelona Bus Turístic, operated by TMB (tel: (93) 285 3832) allows visitors to hop on and off anywhere - an excellent introduction to the city sights. The open-top buses have red and blue routes and leave Plaça de Catalunya daily from 9am at 30min intervals, or every 10min in peak season.
Julià Tours (tel: (93) 317 6454) have tours from Ronda Universitat 5, while Pullmantur (tel: (93) 318 0241), sets off from Gran Viá de les Corts Catalanes 645. Morning tours head for the Barri Gotic and Montjuïc, while the afternoon tours take in architectural highlights and the Picasso Museum.
There are four tram lines. The one behind the zoo at Ciutadella-Vila Olímpica Metro stop for Sant Andrià is of most use to visitors.
A funicular railway climbs Montjuïc from near Parallel Metro to Avenida Miramar, daily 9am to 8pm or 10pm in summer. From the amusement park, there is a cable car (telefèric) to Montjuïc Castle daily from 11am. Another runs every 15min from the San Sebastian Tower, calling at the Jaume I tower, daily from 10.30am and is a fabulous journey with stunning views.
There are 11,000 yellow-and-black cabs in the city. They can be hailed in the street or booked. Luggage costs extra and tips are normally 5-10% of the fare.
Driving is best avoided as most attractions are central, parking is difficult and there is excellent public transport. There's also a complicated one-way system. Parking is in the ‘blue’ zones, daily 8am - 2pm and 4pm - 8pm. Illegally parked cars are towed away with no favours for tourists. City centre car parks are expensive.
Barcelona has a limited network of bicycle lanes but bicycles can be carried on buses and trams, with peak hour restrictions. Hire bikes from Al Punt de Trobada, Carrer Badajoz 24 ((93) 225 0585); Un Coxte Menys, Esparteria 3 ((93) 268 2105); and Biciclot Carrer Vernada 16 ((93) 307 7475). ID is required.