Spain Travel—Barcelona Public Transportation Basics

Video 1

Figure 1.  Barcelona City Center

Barcelona Metro Map 

The map (Barcelona Metro Map PDF) shows both TMB, FGC and TRAM lines in Zone 1 which cover the city centre. 

• TMB (Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona) lines
• L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L9 
• FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat) lines 
• L6, L7, L8  
• Tram Lines
• T1 to T4

Together they form the Barcelona Metro system.

Figure 2.  Line 1 & L3 Map at Train Station

Barcelona L1 & L3

LINE L1 - Red

The red line crosses the whole city from east to west and stops at many tourist places such as the Arc de Triomf (Parc de la Ciutadella), Plaça Catalunya and Plaça d'Espanya.

Its main connections are with the yellow line at metro station Urquinaona, the green line at Plaça d'Espanya, the purple line at Plaça Universitat or Clot and the blue line at Sagrera-Meridiana or Plaça de Sants.

LINE L3- Green

This line has 3 stops on the Rambla (Plaça Catalunya, Liceu, Drassanes) then continues north to Passeig de Gracia and Diagonal, while on the other side continues to Plaça d'Espanya via the Poble Sec and Parallèle. This metro also has stops near Parc Güell (Vallcarca), Camp Nou (Les Corts) and Parc du Labyrinthe de Horta (Mundet). Its main connections: with the blue L5 line at Diagonal, the red L1 at Plaça Catalunya and Plaça Espanya, the yellow L4 at Passeig de Gracia and the violet L2 at Parallel and Passeig de Gracia.

Video 2

Transportation between Barcelona Airport (BCN airport) and City Center

The major transport hubs in Barcelona city center include: 

• Plaça de Catalunya
• Estació Sants
• Plaça España

There are multiple transportation choice between Barcelona Airport (BCN international airport) and Barcelona City Center (see Figure 1):

• Suburban Trains
• RENFE airport train
• 25 mins / €4.90; leaves every 30 mins
• If you are leaving from Sants, or from Passeig de Gràcia stations and you want to go to Terminal T2, it may be more convenient to use the RENFE airport train as this train runs directly from these stations.
• Note that there is no RENFE train stop at Terminal 1 at Barcelona Airport.  You would need to transfer from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2B using the free airport shuttle bus. 
• Airport Metro line (L9 Sud)
• Runs all the way to Barcelona airport and has stops at both T1 and T2 (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2). 
• These stops are called Aeroport T2 and Aeroport T1.
• Note that you cannot use the T10 ticket from the airport on the Metro Line L9 Sud. 
• Taxi
• 20 mins; €30 - €40
• Aerobus express bus
• 30 mins; €5 / Air-conditioned / Free WiFi / leave every 10 mins
•  If you are travelling from Plaça de Catalunya or España it may still be more convenient for you to use the Aerobus express bus service because this service runs directly from both Catalunya Station and España station without any changes involved. 
• Stops at both Terminal 1 & 2

T10 card Purchase at Barcelona Airport (BCN airport)^[2]

For tourists, T10 transport card might be the best choices for train rides.  You can purchase the T10 transport card at Barcelona Airport (El Prat de Llobregat) entrance to the RENFE airport train from Terminal 2B.

There is no RENFE train stop at Terminal 1 at Barcelona Airport. You would need to  use free airport shuttle bus.

The T10 transport card will cover your cost

• From the Barcelona airport on the RENFE train to the city center 
• It will count as only one journey
• TMB bus
• For example, it can also be used on the TMB bus N46 and the Night buses N16 and N17.

However, it won't cover your cost

• From the airport on the Metro Line L9 Sud
• This means the T10 ticket is not valid at the stops Aeroport T1 or Aeroport T2 on the airport metro link.
• Aerobus express bus

You can purchase the T10 ticket with either cash or credit card (watch video 3) from the vending machine at the entrance to the RENFE train or alternatively there is an attendant at the entrance to the train were you can also purchase the ticket.

There are other T10 zone tickets which you may wish to consider if you are travelling further afield than Barcelona city centre. There are six variations of the T 10 ticket one for each of the zones. For most tourist visits however you will only need a zone one ticket since this will cover all of the city centre.  For more information visit the official TMB link for the exact transport zone map:

• T10 ticket zone map showing the zones 1 to 6.

Video 3

References

1. How to use the T-10 Ticket in Barcelona (Important)
2. T10 card purchase at Barcelona Airport (BCN airport)
3. Barcelona Metro : map, stations, pass, tickets, prize..
4. Using a credit card in Spain
5. Chip-and-PIN Credit Cards in the USA
6. Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN)
7. Finding public restrooms in Barcelona
• No toilets in underground stations