get in

By plane

 

Barcelona's airport, called el Prat, is about 15 km to the city centre. Once there, you can go to the centre by train (every 30 minutes, stopping at Sants and Plaça de Catalunya), by bus (Aerobus), that stops in the same places and with the same frequencies. The bus is the more expensive option, with the added possibility of traffic jams. Both services finish at 23:00.

 

Two local buses, EA (during the day) and EN (at night) also serve the airport, however these are not particularly frequent and only run as far as the Plaça d'Espanya, which is not particularly central. However, for those on a shoestring budget they may be a good option as they are fairly cheap.

 

There is quite a good taxi service, the only way to reach the centre directly if you arrive by night. The fares are about 12€ if you go to the centre, but this can change depending of the time of the day and, of course, the part of the city you want to reach. All Barcelona taxis are painted black and yellow and are easily recognisable.

 

Of course, you can rent cars and there is a big car park, though it is quite expensive if you leave your car there for more than a couple of hours.

 

El Prat airport is served by a number of airlines, including EasyJet, BMI, Virgin Air, Volare, MyTraveLite...

 

Other airports in Catalonia are:

·    Girona, in the girona region (in the northeastern part of Catalonia). There are now flights to this newly upgraded airport by Ryanair and British Airways. Travel by bus to Barcelona takes about 90 minutes and there is a bus service into Girona which costs about €15 round trip. The buses in Barcelona leave from Estació del Nord bus station (metro stop Arc de Triomf, line 1).

·    Reus, in the Tarragona region near Costa Daurada.

·    Lleida, in Western Catalonia.

 

By train

 

The main train station in Barcelona is called Estació de Sants, but the most central ones are Plaça de Catalunya (most local and regional trains) and Passeig de Gràcia (serving some local and most long-distance lines).

 

The Spanish train company is called RENFE. Barcelona is very well connected by train with Madrid, Valencia (City), Zaragoza and the Basque Country in particular and with the whole country in general.

 

Inside Catalonia, there are frequent trains from the other three provincial capitals (Lleida, Tarragona and Girona).

 

A few trains travel across the Pyrenees, but it's possible to reach the eastern part using the train to Tour de Carol (France).

 

Going by train to the Costa Daurada beaches is the best choice, using the line to Tarragona. The Costa Brava isn't well connected by train.

 

There's also a Catalan train company Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya  (FGC), which serves destinations near Barcelona, and some tourist routes. It also operates a funicular service in the Pyrenees.

 

By bus

 

Buses and coaches connect the principal cities to many national and international locations, and it's the only public transport to get to many local places in Catalonia.

The most important bus stations are: Estació de Sants (Barcelona), mainly for international routes, is next to the train station and very well connected. 'The Estació del Nord (also in Barcelona), close to Passeig de Sant Joan, is the main bus station for medium and long routes - the nearest metro (Line 1) and RENFE station is Arc de Triomf.

 

The routes inside Catalonia are held by different companies, which leave from different places. Every town has normally only one company, so you should ask at some information point, or check online which, although in Catalan, is quite easy to use (put the origin at the left, the destination at the right, and gives the name of the company and it's telephone number).