Experience Barcelona
Barcelona is probably one of the most cosmopolitan areas of Spain! Its unique architecture, artistic heritage, historical monuments combined with the vibrancy of the people make it a jewel of Spain.
Barcelona. View from above Barcelona is quite densely populated, with a population of more than 3 million, although its area barely exceeds 100 square kilometres, it is a special case. Barcelona is made up of very active and hard-working residents, which is why the city is busy throughout the day.
Beautiful Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and they speak their own language, which differs to some extent from Spanish. That is why its inhabitants consider it to be a separate country, independent from Spain. A special air of renewal was given after the organization of the Olympic Games in 1992.
View of Barcelona’s Port Vell on a sunny day The city is built on a hillside and stretches from the hilltops to the sea. The city has several beautiful features such as lovely cobbled streets with views, beautiful parks, but also very special buildings such as temples and medieval palaces, mostly with elements of Gothic architecture and aesthetics. Areas such as the Gothic quarter of Barri Gòtic, the Ramblas, the Boqueria, one of the best food markets in Europe, and Montjuïc Hill, which hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics, are some of the places of interest not to be missed.
Night view of Barcelona harbour Barcelona is quite famous for its vibrant nightlife, its gastronomy and its arts. Great names in art and architecture have lived and created in this place. Names such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Joan Miro are some of them, but there are still some young artists and architects who continue to create today.
Barcelona Transportation
The metro is the most efficient means of transport and serves most parts of the city. Tickets can be purchased at any metro station and validated at a machine before boarding.
Trains run from 05:00 to midnight on weekdays and Sundays, and until 02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, with some variations on public holidays.
The city’s bus network is extensive. Tickets can be purchased on buses and night buses serving many routes. In the summer, the TombBús service runs from Monday to Saturday every few minutes between Plaça de Catalunya and Plaça Pius XII.
For the suburbs and surrounding areas, FGC (tel:90 090 1515, www.fgc.es/eng/index.asp) and RENFE (tel:90 232 0320, www.renfe.es) operate the regional rail lines; the local RENFE network is known as Rodalies or Cercanías.
Multi-trip tickets and unlimited trip cards (daily or monthly) cover all transport in the city.
hola-bcnThe Hola BCN card (www.tmb.cat/en/barcelona-travel-card) offers unlimited travel and can be used for journeys to and from the airport.
The Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (//mou-te.gencat.cat) provides route planning for the city and surrounding areas.
Taxi…
The official colour of taxis is yellow and black, you can stop them on the street or make a reservation. Radio Taxi (tel: 93 293 3111) and BookTaxiBarcelona (//www.booktaxibarcelona.com/) provide 24-hour daily service. Prices increase at night, on Sundays and public holidays. Tipping is not expected, but if you do, give 5 to 10% of the value of the ride.
Driving.
Barcelona’s roads are excellent, but at peak times congestion can occur. Blue metered signs mean that you can park for a limited time for a fee, while yellow signs mean that parking is prohibited. There are many private car parks in the city centre.
Car rental…
The minimum age to rent a car in Spain is 21. A passport and a valid driving licence are required, as well as a valid international insurance policy which can be purchased at the time of rental. Car rental companies include Avis (airport tel: 90 210 8495, www.avis.com) and Hertz (airport tel: 93 298 3637, www.hertz.com).
Bicycle rental…
Barcelona BicycleBarcelona is a cycling friendly city, with the public Bicing bicycle system (www.bicing.cat) offering a cheap and convenient way to hire a bike. Register online to get a card, swipe it at one of the bike stations to unlock a bike.
Bikes can be rented from Al Punt de Trobada, Carrer Badajoz 28 (tel: 93 221 6367, www.alpuntdetrobada.com) and Biciclot, Passeig Marítim 33 (tel: 93 221 9778, www.biciclot.net).
Transportation From the Airport
Be very careful at airports. There are airlines, mainly charters, that when they say “Barcelona”, land at Girona Airport to Barcelona rather than the main airport in the city, Aeropuerto de Barcelona. So make absolutely clear which airport you are landing at.
Barcelona Airport, Aeropuerto de Barcelona, or El Prat de Llobregat Aeropuerto, Aeropuerto de Barcelona el Prat – Barcelona Airport – Aeroport de Barcelona is 13 kilometres from the city centre, a journey which, depending on traffic, takes between 20 – 40 minutes.
You can use a taxi to take you to the city centre, which will cost around 25 euros, and there are additional charges for each suitcase. Prices for these charges are posted inside the taxi. Official taxis in Barcelona are black and yellow and must always use a meter. Taxis are generally very good, clean and reliable.
Please note that if you use a barcelona airport taxi from the city to the airport, you should always make it clear that you are going to the airport terminal. Because there are also terminals at the port. One is the airport terminal and the other is the Cruise Terminal.
You can of course get from the airport to the city using public transport such as buses and trains. The metro does not reach the airport.
Aerobus – Shuttle bus. On their website you will find the exact timetable, EMT-AMB although generally, these buses leave every 15 minutes You will find them at the exit of all three airport terminals. They will take you to the city centre, Plaza Espana or Plaza Catalunya. The ticket costs 4.05 euros one way and 7 euros return. Tickets can only be bought on the bus. You can save 20% if you already have a Barcelona Card.
Trains – RENFE Train. On their website you will find the timetable. Renfe Cercan (in Spanish only) although generally, RENFE trains, leave the airport every 30 minutes, for the city centre. The journey takes 25 minutes. It gets you to the stations Estacio de Franca, Passeig de Gracia, or Barcelona Sants (known as Sants Estacion) and from there you can take the metro. The train sign is Aeropuerto.
If you want to get off at Franca Station, you should know that the nearest metro stop is Barceloneta, on the yellow line, and is about 400 metres away on foot. The Barcelona Sants stop is the largest train station and makes it easy to transfer to other trains going outside Barcelona.
A one-way ticket to Sants Station costs 2.60 euros. If you have a T10 discount ticket, you can change trains without a problem, otherwise you will need 2 different tickets. With the Barcelona Card there is free access to the train and metro. At the airport the train brings you close to the main entrance. It takes 5 minutes of walking to get there, but the ride is on an escalator, so it’s easy to carry luggage.
From the airport to Barcelona port, there is no direct connection. You have to get to the city centre, then change transport and then walk. The best and quickest way to get to the port is by taxi. The airport-port route costs around 25-30 euros and takes around 25 minutes. Each bag costs an additional 0.90 euro cents.
The Girona City Airport, Girona Airport to Barcelona (tel. (0034) 97 218 6708) .: Aeroport de Girona .:. Girona Airport .:. Aeropuerto de Girona :. is 103 kilometres north-east of Barcelona and the journey to Barcelona city centre takes 1 hour and 20 minutes.
You should remember that the name of the airport can be found as i as Gerona. The first spelling, with an i is in Spanish and the second, with an e in Catalan.
The Barcelona Buses bus stop, (tel. (0034) 93 593 1300) is just outside the airport and takes you to the Estacio d’Autobusos Barcelona Nord, Barcelona’s main bus station. From there you can take the metro. You will exit at the Sortida Nàpols exit and the metro stop is a 5-10 minute walk. It is the metro stop Arc De Triomf (Red Line, L1)
Be careful to take the right bus, because the company has two identical buses. One goes from the airport to the centre of Barcelona and the other goes to the city centre of the vehicles. One goes to the centre of Girona.
The one way fare is 12 euros one way and 21 return.
The train only serves the city of Girona. The RENFE arrives in the city centre and then you have to make your own way to the airport. The taxi costs around 20 euros from the centre of Girona to Girona airport. You also have to pay attention to the time, as it will take you another 30 minutes from the centre of Girona to the airport.
If you want to use a taxi, you can expect to pay around 120 euros to the centre of Barcelona, one way, one way.If you have enough time, you can stay overnight in Girona and then take a bus to the city airport the next day. If you need to stay overnight, here are two indicative hotels that may make it easier for you to do so, either coming or going from Barcelona.