Transport in Barcelona
Barcelona is a big city with a lots of transport. There are many options to get from A to B and over the years the transportion options are only expanding. With new companies like Electra or Donkey bikes offering bicycles and motor scooters by mobile applications, it can be nice to drive around a bit yourself instead of taking a taxi or a bus. A good alternative instead of taking a taxi is Cabify a Uber like company offering cheaper ride´s with a better service, also bookable thru the mobile application.
Below more handy info on how travelling in Barcelona.
To and from the airport
Taxi´s are not really expensive in Spain if you compare it with other European cities. A Taxi to Barcelona center will cost you between €30 and €35 and €1 extra per suitcase. The extra tax to or from the airport of €3,10 is included. And with normal traffic, it does not take longer than 30 minutes.
There is a train leaving from the airport at T2, it´s easy to find and leaves every 30 minutes, it takes about 25 minutes to arrive in the city center. A single ticket costs €2.20, if you are planning to travel with public transport it might be better to buy the T10 ticket which gives you 10 rides for €10.20. At the station, there are vending machines where you can purchase the tickets. If you arrive at Terminal 1 taking the train is not the best option as you first need to take a connection shuttle to the train. If you arrive at T1 and not wanting to spend €35 on a taxi and not losing time taking the connection shuttle a good option might be the AeroBus.
The AeroBus leaves from T1 and T2 every 5 minutes, there is always a second and a third bus waiting. They are very blue with big letters saying AeroBus so it is not difficult to locate them. They start operating at 5 am and finish at 1 am. With normal traffic it takes about 35 minutes to or from the city center They charge €5.90 and operate every day of the year to see time schedule click here . It is one of the better options as it is cheaper than a taxi and you do not have to wait for the bus to arrive.
Public transport in Barcelona
Travelling with the metro in Barcelona is a fast and cheap option. Tickets are fair value, one ride will cost you €2,20 and 10 rides €10.20.
They operate by color and once you have figured out the metro map it is pretty easy and fast to travel around the city. On what type of ticket to buy depends on your needs.
Most people would take a day pass (€8.60) but this is only profitable if you do many rides on one day and it is only for 1 person´s use. In most cases the T10 (€10.20) will be the best option, it gives you 10 rides and you can pass the card to other people if you should be traveling in a group. Another option is the Barcelona Card (€41.50) this offers you free public transport ( also to and from the airport) and many cultural and leisure activities free or at a reduced price.
Such as the best of Gaudi at La Pedrera and the Casa Batllo, the Picasso Museum, Barcelona Zoo, the Museu Nacional dÁrt de Catalunya and other museums.
To buy metro tickets you can do this in the metro station at a vending machine with cash or credit card. Do be aware of pickpocketing on the trains as it is a favorite place for thieves to operate when it is very busy.
Transport by Taxi in Barcelona
Taxi´s are a good option in Barcelona, the price is fair and the service good. They are easy recognisable as they are all black with yellow and you can stop any available taxi in the street, order one or go to the taxi stand nearby. It is fairly safe to take a Taxi in Barcelona but if you find something suspicious you can always ask for the License number and registration.
Fee´s are:
- On working days (8:00 to 20:00). The minimum fare is 2,15€. The price by Kilometer is 1,13€. Keeping the taxi waiting for one hour it will cost 22,10€.
- On working days (20:00 to 8:00, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays). The minimum fare stays the same but the price by kilometer increases to 1,30€ and one hour wait 21,70€.
- If you take the taxi from the Airport or Train station the minimun fare rises to 3,10€ (from Terminal 1 and 3,40€ from Terminal 2). The minimum fare for the whole ride is 20€.
- An approximate Taxi fee from the Airport to the City Center is around 35-45€
- Depending on the case the Taxi will apply an extra charge on the fare. If you’re carrying suitcases, an extra charge of 1€ is applied for each piece of luggage.
- On special holidays such as Christmas or New Year’s Eve, an extra charge of 3,10€ is applied (on top of the minimun fare).
- All taxis are able (and obliged if asked) to handle receipts to the costumer, this is important if you need to contact the driver in the future in case you leave an item in the car.
- Any additional fee (toll for example) will be payed by the customer.
Driving a scooter in Barcelona
Haha… driving a scooter in Barcelona might seem a good and romantic idea and it can be if you are very experienced or if you avoid the city and choose the amazing nature scene. In the city traffic, it can be intense and locals seem to have very little patience. For some reason, it seems police do not seem to control the speed limits much what makes it that traffic does not seem to care about speed limits. I
f you can handle all of this it can be a very nice, fast and effective way of transporting yourself. As you may notice scooters all over the city. If you have a driving license and you would like to rent one than the mobile app from Yego might be a nice option as you can locate the scooter, pick it up or leave it anywhere in Barcelona and… they are all-electric.
Driving a bicycle in Barcelona
Exploring Barcelona by bicycle is great! It is probably the best transportation vehicle. Barcelona Council has invested a lot of work and money in the bicycle lanes over the past few years and by the end of 2019 Barcelona will have 172km of bicycle lane. A great route to take is the one along the beach, it is 7 km long, great views, nice bars and restaurants along the way and no cars or motorbikes.
