Barcelona trains

Arriving in Barcelona by train and the local rail stations

Barcelona-Sants train station

Most trains bound for Barcelona arrive at the Estació Sants (tel. +34-902-432-343; www.adif.es) on the western edge of the Eixample, about six blocks northwest of Plaça d'Espanya.

Useful Catalan

Ticket	bitllet
One way	senzil
Round trip	d'anda i tornada
To	a
One	un
Two	dos
Please	si us plau
Thanks	gràcies
When does the train leave?	A quina hora surt el tren?
track	via

» more

You can get to Bracelona-Sants train station on Metro (subway) lines L3 and L5, or take a city bus (27, 30, 32, 43, 44, 78, 109, 115) to Plaça dels Països Catalans square out in front of the station.

There is a branch of the city tourist office and other handy services inside the station.

A taxi from the train station to the center (Plaça de Catalunya) will cost about €10–12, plus any luggage/after-hours supplements (taxi to the port: €17-€18).

França train station

Some trains to Barcelona—mostly regional, but also the Elipsos Trenhotel from Paris—arrive at the Estació de França (tel. +34-902-432-343; www.adif.es) on Av. Marquès de l’Argentera, near the harbor at the base of the Ciutadella park (Metro: L4; bus: 39, 51).

Passeig de Gràcia train station

Some regional trains—including those to and from Tarragona—use the Estació Passeig de Gràcia (tel. +34-902-432-343; www.adif.es) at C/ Arragó (Metro: L2, L3, L4; bus: 17, 22, 24, 28).

Spain train information:

Renfe.com - Spain's national railway site has all the train and ticketing options within Spain.
Raileurope.com - Good for finding railpasses and ticketing options throughout Europe, and buying important tickets in advance.
Bahn.de - Unlike most national rail sites—where most info stops at the border—the German rail site is unusually good at showing ticketing options on routes that cross international boundaries in Europe.
Seat61.com - A guidesite for global train passengers, with all sorts of tips, hints, and user-friendly information on what it's actually like to ride the rails in a given country.

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