How to get from Barcelona airport to the city center (and vice versa)? There are tons of different ways with different times and prices! In this guide, we’ll discover all the possible means to help you choose the fastest or cheapest mode of transport.
Read also: Where to stay in Barcelona and where not to
Barcelona Airport: the terminals
First things first: Barcelona Airport (El Prat) has 2 different terminals, (T1 and T2). Low-cost airlines usually operate from Terminal T2, while all other airlines operate from T1.
To understand how to get from Barcelona airport to the center (and especially when it’s time to go back to the airport so you don’t get stranded!) it’s important to check which terminal your flight operates from! Nothing difficult: this information is usually clearly visible on your boarding pass, or by checking this page on the official airport website.
Bus between Barcelona Airport Terminals T1 and T2
Wrong terminal? No worries! There’s a free shuttle bus running 24 hours a day, every 15 minutes, that goes back and forth from terminal T1 to T2 of Barcelona airport.
Let’s now look at all the available means to get from Barcelona airport to the city center.
Metro
Pros: frequent from 5 AM to midnight
Cons: doesn’t go right into the center
Stops: at both T1 and T2
Timetable and details: Line L9 of the Barcelona metro (link)
Price: €5.70
Metro from the center to Barcelona airport or vice versa can be a convenient solution depending on where you’re staying. Why? Line L9 of the metro, the one that goes to Barcelona airport, doesn’t reach the city center, but stops a bit outside (at the university area).
If you need to reach the center or any other area of the city, you’ll have to change (still by metro and with the same ticket). Nothing tragic, but depending on where you need to go, travel times might be longer compared to other options.
To give a few examples:
- If you just need to get off at one of the L9 line stops (which you can find detailed on the metro’s official website), the journey time is about half an hour.
- If you need to get to the center (Rambla area), once you reach the end of the L9 metro line, you then have to take the green L3 metro line. In total, it takes about 50-60 minutes.
This google map shows the metro lines and zooming in you can better understand where each line goes.
The entire Barcelona metro network, both for the airport and in the center, operates from 5 AM to midnight (except Fridays when it runs until 2 AM and Saturdays when it runs all night). So, if you arrive late at night, the metro might not be the right option for you.
I talk about how the metro works for getting around the city in more detail in the guide to public transport in Barcelona.
Price of the metro to Barcelona airport
The price of a one-way ticket from the airport by metro is €5.70, regardless of which stop in the center you get off at. For a round trip, it’s two tickets, so €11.40.
If you haven’t booked your accommodation yet, take a look at the guide on the best areas to stay in Barcelona and those to avoid.
Aerobús
Pros: available 24/7, frequent, among the fastest, goes to the center;
Cons: nothing in particular
Stops: at both T1 and T2 terminals;
Timetable and details: on the Aerobus website;
Price: €7.45 one-way, €12.85 round trip
Aerobús is a separate private company that has nothing to do with local public transport, and it only runs two lines (called A1 and A2) that go respectively from/to terminals T1 and T2 of Barcelona airport to the city center. So be careful to choose the right bus when you’re going back to the airport.
Price and stops of the Aerobús to Barcelona airport
The price to reach Barcelona airport with Aerobús has recently increased to €7.45 if you get a one-way ticket, or €12.85 for a round-trip ticket valid for 90 days; the return journey can also be to a different terminal than the one you arrived at.
Tickets can be bought either on the spot or in advance on the official website, from which you’ll get a ticket in the form of a QR code to show when you use it.
The journey time is about 35 minutes, which is among the fastest given the distance and traffic between Barcelona airport and the center. One of its strengths is its availability, as this service operates 24 hours a day, with a frequency ranging from 5-10 minutes during the day, up to a maximum of 20 minutes at night.
The Aerobús only makes 3-4 stops, around the city center, particularly at Plaça de Espanya and Plaça de Catalunya (which is also the last stop). You can clearly see the stops on the Aerobús website. At the airport, it stops right outside the entrance doors of both terminals.
Who is the Aerobús good for? It’s a recommended option in most situations if you don’t care about the higher price or for those traveling at odd hours and those staying in the city center near the Aerobús stops. If you’re staying further out, you’d have to take other transport after the Aerobús, so perhaps it’s worth considering an alternative.
You might also be interested in: How to get around Barcelona: all public transport and tickets
Train
Pros: it’s the cheapest if you travel often
Cons: only found at terminal T2
Stop: at terminal T2
Timetable and details: Rodalies R2 line
Price: €5.05 or just over €1 if you already have multi-journey tickets
The train between Barcelona airport and the center is a slightly lesser-known option but can be very rewarding, especially for frequent travelers.
The train line that runs this route is the Rodalies R2 line, which operates every half hour between 5 AM and 11:30 PM, and the journey time is about 35 minutes.
Train’s only downside is that it departs only from terminal T2 of Barcelona airport. If you’re at terminal T1, you first need to take the free shuttle bus run by the airport, which goes back and forth between the 2 terminals every 15 minutes.
Prices and stops of the train to Barcelona airport
The train ticket from Barcelona airport to the center costs €5.05, but it’s currently the only means of transport for which you can also use integrated tickets on this route. What does that mean? It means if you have a T-Casual or T-Familiar ticket (basically multi-journey tickets for all city transport, which I talk about in more detail in this guide), you can use them, bringing the cost of the journey down to €1.13. If you don’t already have the ticket… you could pop over to a metro ticket machine to buy one and then come back to catch the train!
The train from Barcelona airport arrives in the city center via Passeig de Gracia station (not far from the famous Plaça de Catalunya). So, it’s a good stop if you’re staying in central Barcelona. Otherwise, you’ll then need to take another form of transport.
City bus
Pros: price;
Cons: the slowest;
Stops: at both T1 and T2 terminals;
Timetable and details: line 46 or other night buses;
Price: €2.65
A final option to mention for completeness, but which might be less appealing, is the city bus line 46, which passes by both airport terminals. It makes all stops, so journey times could extend to up to an hour.
The cost is that of a single ticket for any urban journey, €2.65, but if you have multi-journey tickets like T-Familiar or T-Casual, be aware of the catch, as these aren’t valid for the journey to/from the airport.
On the page for line 46, you can see the route more clearly.
Taxi or Hassle-Free Transfer between the airport and Barcelona center
Finally, if you have a lot of luggage or if you don’t feel like worrying about public transport tickets, you can also consider traveling to/from Barcelona airport by taxi or, even better, a private transfer service like WelcomePickups or TaxiLeader, which are now common throughout Europe. These are services similar to a taxi but with a driver who waits for you in the arrivals area of Barcelona airport and takes you directly to your destination in or out of the city (or vice versa).
These services, besides the convenience of having someone wait for you on site and not having to take public transport, saving you time, become more cost-effective than public transport if you’re traveling in large groups, as you can then split the cost.
You can check the exact price by entering your departure point and destination on the WelcomePickups or TaxiLeader websites.
Comparison table of all available means
After this long explanation… here’s a quick summary table to help you choose!
| Means and times |
Price | Stops at Terminals |
Hours |
| Metro 50-55 minutes (1 change) |
€5.70 | T1 and T2 | 05 AM-Midnight 05 AM-02 AM (Fri) 24H (Sat) |
| Aerobús 35 minutes |
€7.45 (€12.85 R/T) |
T1 and T2 | 24H |
| Train 35 minutes |
€5.05 |
only T2 | 05 AM-11:30 PM |
| City bus up to 1 hour |
€2.65 | T1 and T2 | variable |
| Transfer 20-25 minutes |
as low as 7€,check on WP or TL website |
T1 and T2 | 24H |
Now that you know how to get to the airport, it’s also time to discover the best areas to stay and take a look at how Barcelona’s public transport works once you’re in the city, as well as find a great flight! Do a search in the box below which compares all possible flights, highlighting the cheapest and fastest ones:
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