Barcelona's aiport

A plane at Barcelona's El Prat Airport
Photo courtesy of Aena Aeropuertos.

Arriving in Barcelona by plane and getting to and from El Prat airport

Barcelona’s Aeroport El Prat airport (tel. +34-913-211-000; www.aena.es) is 16km (10 miles) southeast of the city.

Other Barcelona airports
For info on the Girona-Costa Brava airport, used by some no-frills airlines, see below.

Hardly any airline uses Barcelona's secondary Reus Airport anymore, though you can find info on it at www.aena.es.

Terminal T1 handles most international flights.

Temrinal T2 handles some inter-European and most low-cost carrier flights.

In the arrivals halls are several ATMs and a tourist information desk.

How to get between El Prat airport and Barcelona

For once, the fastest choice is also (pretty much) the cheapest—take the train.

If you want personalized, door-to-door service to your hotel, you can actually take a private car service for half the cost of a taxi.

By train (19–27 min; €3.80)
The R2 line of the reigional Rodilies Barcelona train system (www.rodaliesdecatalunya.cat) runs every 30 minutes from the airport to Estació Sants train station and then on to Plaça de Catalunya and Passeig de Gracia in the city center. (At Sants, you could also switch—at no extra charge—to another "R" line to take you elsewhere in the city.)
By airport bus (30–35 min; €5.90)
Two city "Aerobuses" (www.aerobusbcn.com) make the trip between El Prat airport and Plaça de Catalunya downtown (where the stop is in front of the El Corte Inglés department store). Bus A1 services Terminal 1 every 5–10 minutes. Bus A2 services Terminal 2 every 10–20 minutes.
By city bus (40–50 min; €2)
City bus No. 46 makes the trip between the airport and Plaça de Espanya, on the center's southwestern edge (and the intersection of three Metro lines: L1, L3, L8). Since this is a local bus making local stops, it will take longer than the Aerobus, but it is cheaper.
By private car service (30–35 min; €16.30)
You can get a private transfer between the airport and your hotel (or the port to catch a cruise) through our partners at Viator.com for about half the cost of a taxi.
By taxi (30–35 min; €27–€35)
A taxi into town will run you about €27 (downtown) to €33 (the port), plus a €1 supplement per piece of luggage—and, of course, the tip. It's actually way cheaper to hire a private car (see above).

The Girona-Costa Brava airport

Some low-cost airlines—notably Ryanair and Wizz Air—use the Girona-Costa Brava airport (tel. +34-913-211-000; www.aena.es), about 90km (56 miles) northeast of Barcelona, and call it "Barcelona."

You can, indeed, get to Barcelona from the Girona-Costa Brava airport; it just takes longer.

How to get between Girona airport and Barcelona

Take the bus. It's the fastest and (usually) the cheapest.

By bus (75 min; €16)
Barcelona Bus/Sagalés bus No. 604 (tel. +34-902-361-550 or +34-902-130-014; www.barcelonabus.com) runs once or twice per hour (generally timed to the arrival of Ryanair flights, leaving 20–25 minutes after they land) to Barcelona's Estació del Nord bus station (platforms 28 and 29, usually) near Arc de Triomf. (This bus company also connects with downtown Girona, and the Girona airport with Barcelona's El Prat airport.)
By train (90 min; €39.95 or 140 min; €13.25)
First you have to get a Sagalés bus (www.barcelonabus.com) from the airport to the downtown Girona train station (30 min; €2.75), where you can switch to a Barcelona-bound train—either high speed (40 min; €37.20) or regional (90 min; €10.50). Pad an extra 20 min. for waiting or that train. In all, not a wise option.
By taxi (75 min; €123–€140)
Yeah, taxis are monstrously expensive. Those prices are approximate, with the €140 fare for nights or weekends, €123 for weekdays.

Tips & Links

How long should I spend in Barcelona?

If you're just passing through, I'd give Barcelona at least two full days.

It is a lovely place to relax, however, so you might be happier spending 3-4 days.

» Barcelona itineraries

Useful links & resources

SIGHTS

Barcelona tourist info: Barcelonaturisme.com (info office), Guiadelocio.com (events mag); Catalunya.com (regional info), Spain.info

Sightseeing passes: Barcelona Card (20+ sights; transport; discounts), Museum Pass (6 sights)

Tours & activities: Viator.com, ContextTravel.com, UrbanAdventures.com, City-Discovery.com, Intrepidtravel.com, Gadventures.com

LODGING

Hotels: Booking.com, Venere.com, Priceline.com, Hotels.com

B&Bs: Booking.com, Bedandbreakfast.com, Airbnb.com, Venere.com

Apartments: Rentalo.com, Vrbo.com, Booking.com, Airbnb.com, Interhomeusa.com, Homeaway.com

Hostels & campgrounds: Hostelbookers.com, Hostelworld.com, Hostelz.com, Booking.com

TRANSPORT

Airfares:

Airports: Aena.es

Trains: Raileurope.com (throughout Europe), Renfe.com (within Spain), Bahn.de (throughout Europe), Seat61.com

Public transport: Barcelona Card (free transport; sightseeing); Search all public transit: mou-te.gencat.cat; Metro/Bus: Tmb.cat; Tram: Trambcn.com; Light rail: Fgc.cat; Taxi: Taxibarcelona.cat

Car rentals: Autoeurope.com, RentalCars.com, Momondo.com, Orbitz.com, Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, Kayak.com

Get a sightseeing / transport pass

Barcelona has two types of sightseeing/transport passes:

Barcelona Card:
- Free entry to 20 sights
- Free, unlimited rides on all public transport
- Discounts (usually 20%) at numerous other sights, activites, shops, and shows
- A guidebook
- Comes in 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-day versions
- » $45–$80
Barcelona Museum Pass:
- Free entry to seven museums (one entry each)
- » $40

There's a full description of both passes here, but in brief: The only museum covered fully by the Museum Pass that is not also covered by the Barcelona Card is the Museu Picasso (where you get only a 20% discount with the Barcelona Card).

You can also get discounts (usually 10% to 20%) on a wide range of sights, activites, and shows if you have a hop-on/hop-off bus ticket.

Barcelona tours