BCN Airport terminal, Barcelona; credit Ralf Roletschek
Barcelona Transportation
Check the luggage policy for your airline and confirm your flight 24 hours in advance. Make a copy of your passport, flight itinerary & hotel reservations and leave it with someone at home. Pack all medicines, undergarments, and socks in your carry-on luggage.
One of the busiest airports in Europe, Barcelona Airport (BCN) greeted 52 million passengers in 2019, prepandemic. Terminal 1 is the main terminal for domestic and international flights. Terminal 2 handles low-cost airline flights. Iberia is the principal airline of Spain. BARCELONA AIRPORT MAP.
BCN Airport has Wi-Fi, ATMs, currency exchange, duty-free stores, a pharmacy, cafes, lounges, and luggage storage. Taxi service is available in front of both terminals. Taxi vehicles are black and yellow. Uber also serves BCN Airport.
Renfe R2 Nord regional Line links Terminal 2 with Barcelona city centre. R2 Nord Line covers the route between Maçanet-Massanes by Granollers and BCN Airport. Passengers from Terminal 1 transfer by shuttle bus to Terminal 2.
From these Barcelona train stations, passengers can reach BCN Airport by Renfe regional train:
– Barcelona Sants Station: 19 minutes to BCN Airport
– Passeig de Gràcia Station: 26 minutes to BCN Airport
– França Station (R2 Sud LIne): 38 minutes to BCN Airport
Alternatively, BCN Airport provides car rentals by Alamo, Avis, Centauro, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Sixt, and Thrifty.
AVE high-speed train that runs between Barcelona and Madrid; credit Delicias Thealx
Barcelona-Sants Station is the busiest train station in Barcelona located in the Sants district. The station design is boring but functional. Barcelona-Sants has WiFi, cafes, and retail stores as you’d expect in Europe. The train platform is underground but spacious enough for many trains and patrons.
Renfe provides AVE high-speed trains and Renfe regional trains to Barcelona-Sants Station from Madrid, Zaragoza, Figueres, and Paris. Train platforms are underground and the station is served by Metro Lines 3 (Green) and 5 (Blue).
Other Renfe regional train stations are Passeig de Gràcia Station (near La Ramblas) and França Station that are useful for day trips. Franca Station is an architectural beauty worth seeing near the central waterfront.
Barcelona Metro train at the station; credit Paral-lel
Barcelona Metro System has 9 lines and many stations, including a mountain-climbing Funicular service. Metro Rail lines crisscross at many stations and operate daily from 6:00 am-Midnight and until 2:00 am on Friday & Saturday nights, making it easy to reach most attractions.
Most Metro stations are less than 30 years old and have a very utilitarian design. Purchase Metro ticket here. Barcelona Metro lines are both numbered & color-coded and named for the last stop on their line.
Tourists purchase daily, 2, 3, 4, or 5-day Metro cards whose rates are based on different zones. Try the Metro to major attractions for one day to experience an interesting slice of life via Madrid Transportation. Plan on spending 10-30 Euros using the Metro. Like most Metro Rail systems, put the ticket into the slot on the turnstile. When the lights turn green, remove them for the turnstile to let you through.
An aerial cable car to the waterfront provides additional options for visitors.
Barcelona is safer than American metro areas of a similar 3-4 million population. A single person can go anywhere on the system. But at night, there are a few dicey stations for women, so ask your hotel concierge and plan ahead.
Another great way to view the city is Barcelona BusTuristic Madrid Vision. These open-top, double-decker, hop-on hop-off buses make stops at the city’s attractions, historic sites, and monuments. After boarding, tourists receive audio guide headphones to sites in English and other languages. Ticket prices are 33 Euros.
Aida cruise ship docked in Barcelona (BCN) Cruiseport; credit Soul Of America
Barcelona (BCN) Cruiseport is the busiest cruise port in Europe and takes pride in its Sustainable Maritime Energy practices. It does not let ships emit fumes by burning diesel fuel while docked. That makes for a more pleasant wait area, BCN Cruiseport (MAP) is composed of 5 Terminals. North and South Terminals are located in the World Trade Center area, while the other 3 terminals are located on the Adossat dock:
World Trade Centre Terminals
There are 2 terminals at the World Trade Centre pier which are called the North, and South terminals.
Sant Bertrand Terminal
Located near the World Trade Centre and is used for ferries between Barcelona and the Balearic Islands. This terminal is popular for cruise tourists who use the hop on-hop off BusTuristic just a short walk away.
Adossat Quay Terminals
Terminals A, B, & C are based at the Adossat Quay and are furthest away from the city center. Terminal D is also called Palacruceros.
Maremagnum Port Vell
This terminal is not used for cruise liners but it has interesting pleasurecraft nearby
you can reach it from BCN Airport via:
Aerobus: It departs every 5e minutes from the Airport to Plaça Catalunya. From there, you can take the Metro to Drassanes Station, cross the Paseo de Colón and take the Cruise bus to the corresponding terminal.
Metro: There is a metro stop in both terminals of the Barcelona Airport. You can take line 9 to Collblanc, change to line 5 (Vall D’Hebron direction), get off at Sants Estació and take line 3 to Drassanes (Trinitat Nova direction). And then, the aforementioned Cruise Bus.
Regional Train: The train is taken from the Airport to Sants Estació, line 3 to Drassanes (Trinitat Nova direction) and then repeats the operation (Cruise Bus).
Uber & Taxi: The later costs 39 euros and has a flat rate in 2022. If requested beforehand, it is possible to get a vehicle of six people capacity.
WEBSITE: https://www.bcncruiseport.com
