PUBLIC TRANSPORT
in Barcelona
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
in Barcelona
GETTING AROUND THE CITY
ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Barcelona isn’t as big as some of the other cities in Europe, so you can do most of your exploring on foot. Having said that, it’s nice to have the option of hopping onto public transport every so often to get from one side of the city to the other a bit faster.
Once you’ve finished reading about your options here, you’ll know how to get around and what to watch out for along the way.
LET’S START
WITH THE BASICS...
- You can take your pick from three types of public transport in Barcelona – the metro, the bus and the tram.
- The Bicing bike sharing system is only available to locals – sorry!
- Metro services start at 5.00 a.m. and run until midnight (weekends longer). You can hop on a bus between about 6.00 a.m. and 11.00 p.m. – you’ll have to use the night bus after that.
- Barcelona is divided up into zones, but you don’t really need to worry about that because you’ll probably just be sticking to Zone 1.
- Watch out for pickpockets! We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again! Lots of thieves operate on the metro and buses in Barcelona. Just make sure all of your belongings are tucked away safely and keep your bag close to you at all times.
Over-
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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
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PRICING AND TICKETS
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TOP TIP 1: ON THE METRO
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TOP TIP 2: HOLA BARCELONA CARD
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TOP TIP 3: TMB APP
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EVERYTHING
YOU NEED TO KNOW
What types of public transport can I use?
You can take your pick from three types of public transport in Barcelona – the metro, the bus and the tram.
The metro is probably the easiest option for tourists on the whole, but it might be best to take the bus to certain attractions outside the city centre. You can make the most of the opportunity to explore the city through the bus window on the way there too.
The tram isn’t quite as handy since there aren’t many lines and none of them go directly from the city centre.
But don’t forget that the “Funicular” that takes you up Montjuïc hill from Parallel station is covered by your public transport ticket too.
Cycling has become a more popular way of getting around Barcelona. You’ll be able to spot the stands full of red Bicing bikes all around the city. The bad news for tourists is that the city council decided to reserve its substantial bike sharing scheme for locals. So if you want to hire a bike when you’re visiting the city, you’ll have to go private.
When can I use public transport?
The metro runs from Monday to Thursday from 5.00 am to midnight, on Fridays from 5.00 am to 2.00 am. On Saturdays from 5.00 a.m. until midnight on Sundays.
Buses run from around 6.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m., with each bus route having its own timetable. The night buses (Bus Nit) then run at night. However, it is often easier to take a taxi, especially at night, as the route plans are different to those of the daytime buses, and it is therefore not always easy to find your way around.
Zones
The metropolitan area (àrea metropolitana) of Barcelona is divided up into zones. Luckily, the whole city centre (and beyond!) falls under Zone 1, so you probably won’t have to worry about venturing into the next zone.
Watch out for pickpockets!
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again! Lots of thieves operate on the metro and buses in Barcelona. Just make sure all of your belongings are tucked away safely and keep your bag close to you at all times.
Access for wheelchairs and pushchairs
All buses have extending ramps. If you signal to the driver that you’d like to get on board when the bus arrives, they will extend the ramp for you. Most of the city’s metro stations (147 out of 161) have lift access and the tram is fully accessible too.
MORE ON
PRICING AND TICKETS
You can use your public transport ticket to travel by bus, metro and tram. Feel free to hop from one to the other but make sure you’re still travelling in the same direction. Tickets are valid on the metro for two hours and will get you to the end of the line on the bus or tram. All the prices shown are for Zone 1 tickets.
- Single: EUR 2.40
- Day ticket (24 hours): EUR 10.50
- T-casual ticket, 10 journeys, non-transferable: EUR 11.35 (works out at about EUR 1.00 per journey)
- T-familiar ticket, 8 journeys, transferable: EUR 10.25
- Hola-Toursist Transport Card, more about this in Tip 2 of this article
- T-usual ticket, unlimited travel for 30 days, non-transferable: EUR 40
- Children under the age of 4 travel for free. Other cities don’t charge kids to travel until they’re much older. Just so you know, children living in Barcelona don’t have to pay for public transport until they’re 16 if they have a special ticket.
Where can I buy tickets?
- You’ll find ticket machines at every metro station.
- Head to the sales points on the streets near the major bus stations. Just be aware that only card payments are accepted here.
- Most kiosks sell the most popular public transport tickets. Make sure you have cash – especially if you’re only spending a small amount.
- Use the TMB (Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona) public transport app to buy tickets online.
Important update: It’s no longer possible to buy tickets on the bus. If you buy a single bus ticket via the TMB app, you can use the QR code to validate it on the bus. If you’re after anything more than a single, make sure you get it sorted elsewhere before you even think about getting on a bus.
NEW since 2024: Don’t worry, the prices and ticket types are still the same. But what is new is that the paper tickets are now rechargeable. This means that the first purchase costs 50 cents to get such a rechargeable card. Unfortunately, only these are available…
Unlimited journeys with the
Hola Card
Top Tip 1
ON THE METRO
There are 11 metro lines in Barcelona, each with their own colour. Two of them – L9 and L10 – are divided into North and South. So, basically, you have L9N, L9S, L10N and L10S. This is important if you’re planning to travel to and from the airport on the metro because you’ll need to use the L9 South line.
Three of the metro lines – L6, L7 and L8 – are operated at the regional rather than the city level (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat). That doesn’t affect the way you use them and your ticket will still be valid on these routes. It’s just good to be aware of this because you may spot that they’re missing from the website or the TMB public transport app.
Plaça Catalunya, Passeig de Gracia and Plaça Espanya are major stations on the metro network because they’re served by three different lines each.
TOP TIP 2
HOLA BARCELONA TRAVEL CARD
The Hola Barcelona travel card offers unlimited metro, bus and tram journeys. You can buy one to cover two days (48 hours), three days (72 hours), four days (96 hours) or five days (120 hours) in a row.
The Hola Barcelona travel card is valid at any time of day for your 48/72/96/120 hours from the moment you validate it.
Metro journeys between the city centre and airport are even covered.
Prices:
2 Days: EUR 17.50
3 Days: EUR 25.50
4 Days: EUR 33.30
5 Days: EUR 40.80
If you’re not planning to use public transport very much, it’s probably going to work out cheaper to buy a T-casual ticket. This one is for ten journeys for yourself (EUR 11.35) or a T-familiar ticket for eight journeys for you and anyone travelling with you (EUR 10.25).
Anyone planning to take the metro from the airport to the city should definitely consider buying a Hola Barcelona travel card.
Top Tip 3
TMB APP
You can download the TMB Barcelona public transport app for free and use it in English.
The journey planner is handy – just search for your destination (e.g. Picasso Museum) to see your public transport options and the upcoming departure times. The ‘Where am I?’ feature, meanwhile, shows you the nearest bus stops and metro stations as well as listing the next bus times.
You can use the app to buy your tickets online too. If you’re just buying a single ticket for the bus, you can use the app to validate it digitally with the QR code. Although you can pay for all the other types of tickets on the app, including the T-casual and so on, you still have to collect them from a ticket machine so you won’t actually end up saving any time or money.
As you’d expect, the app is also packed with everything you need to know about the metro and bus routes.
P.S. All of the prices and information shared on this page were correct as of March 2021. We can’t guarantee that these details won’t change!
Text and image rights: © Céline Mülich, 2021 – 2024
With the support of Jacqueline Glarner
Other image rights:
Logo TMB: Download from the website www.tmb.cat
Metro Maps: Download from www.tmb.cat website
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