The Aerobús is the way into Barcelona: one bus from outside your terminal to Plaça Catalunya, at the top of La Rambla, in 30 to 35 minutes for €7.75. It runs day and night, so there's no last bus back to worry about. The metro is cheaper but slower, and the train leaves from Terminal 2 only.
What's the best way from Barcelona airport into the city?
For most layovers, take the Aerobús: a bus every 5 to 10 minutes by day from outside your terminal, 30 to 35 minutes to Plaça Catalunya, €7.75 one way or €13.30 return. It runs all night too. Allow about an hour from landing to the bus, and leave Plaça Catalunya 2 hours 30 minutes before your flight.
Getting through the border
Arriving from outside the Schengen area, you clear passport control before you reach the bus; from inside it, you walk straight out. Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN) publishes no queue times, so allow about an hour from touchdown to your seat on the Aerobús.
- At the desks. Non-EU visitors give fingerprints and a photo for the EU’s Entry/Exit System, which makes the queue slower than it used to be.
- No paid lane on arrival. The Fast Track the airport sells, €16.55 in Terminal 1, speeds up security on the way out, not the border on the way in.
- Bags. If they’re checked through to your next flight, you won’t see them here. If not, you collect them after passport control and can leave them at left luggage (see below).
- A long queue takes time from the city, not from the buffer before your flight: you still leave town at the same time.
Who needs a visa to leave: visa and transit rules.
The options at a glance
| Aerobús | Metro L9 Sud | R2 Nord train | Taxi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To | Plaça Espanya, Plaça Catalunya | Zona Universitària, then a change | Sants, Passeig de Gràcia | Anywhere |
| Time | 30 to 35 minutes | About 50 minutes to the centre | About 25 minutes to Passeig de Gràcia | About 20 to 35 minutes |
| Single fare | €7.75, or €13.30 return | €5.90 Airport ticket | A ticket from the station machine | About €30 to €40 |
| Pay with | Machine or staff at the stop, online, or on the bus | Machine in the airport station | Machine in the station, or a T-casual | The meter |
| From | Both terminals | Both terminals | Terminal 2 only | Both terminals |
The metro, train and taxi times are our estimates; the Aerobús time is the operator’s.
Aerobús: the best option for most layovers
- Finding it. Each terminal has its own line: the A1 stops outside Terminal 1 and the A2 outside T2B, two minutes’ walk from T2A and five from T2C. Follow the Aerobús signs from arrivals.
- The ride. The bus stops at Plaça Espanya, for Montjuïc, then at Plaça Catalunya, the big square at the top of La Rambla, 30 to 35 minutes from the airport. Every plan on our itineraries starts from Plaça Catalunya, except the MNAC plan, which gets off at Plaça Espanya.
- How often. From Terminal 1, every 5 minutes from 7:15am to 10:30pm and every 10 minutes either side; from Terminal 2, every 10 minutes from 5:35am to 11pm. In the small hours both run every 20 minutes. So you’ll rarely wait more than 10 minutes by day.
- Tickets. €7.75 one way or €13.30 return, and children under 4 ride free. Buy at the machines by the stop, from the staff there, online or on the bus. A ticket stays valid for 90 days, so a return covers the ride back the same day.
- Hours. The Aerobús runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year, holidays included. There’s no first bus to wait for after a night landing and no last bus to catch on the way back.
- The way back. Both lines leave from Plaça Catalunya, then call at Carrer Sepúlveda and Plaça Espanya. Take the A1 for Terminal 1 and the A2 for Terminal 2, and check the line on the front of the bus: the wrong one means a shuttle ride between terminals at the end.
The operator’s website is aerobusbarcelona.es.
Metro L9 Sud: cheaper, with a change
- The route. The L9 Sud stops under both terminals and runs every 7 minutes, but it doesn’t go to the centre: it ends at Zona Universitària, on the city’s western edge. Change at Torrassa to the L1 or at Zona Universitària to the L3, both of which run to Catalunya. Allow about 50 minutes to the centre with the change and the waits, our estimate.
- The ticket. You need the Airport ticket, €5.90 from the machines in the airport station, which takes you anywhere on the metro in one journey, changes included, until you leave the metro. An ordinary single ticket (€2.90) or a T-casual (10 journeys for €13) won’t open the exit gates at the airport stations; if you arrive with one, you’ll have to buy the Airport ticket there to get out. A T-usual, T-dia or Hola Barcelona Travel Card does work.
- Hours. The metro opens at 5am. It runs until midnight from Sunday to Thursday, until 2am on Fridays and the night before a public holiday, and all night from Saturday into Sunday. It also runs all night on 23 June, 23 September and 31 December, and stops at 11pm on 24 December. Those are the times the last trains leave the end of the line, so the last train back to the airport leaves the city earlier.
- When it’s worth it. Only if you’re heading to the western side of the city, or the Aerobús queue is long. At €1.85 less than the bus and about 15 minutes slower each way, it’s rarely worth it for the old town. After about 11pm, take the Aerobús back.
R2 Nord train: from Terminal 2 only
- The route. The R2 Nord, a Rodalies commuter train, leaves the station at Terminal 2 about every 30 minutes, from about 6am to midnight. It stops at Barcelona Sants, the main railway station, Passeig de Gràcia, the nearest station to Casa Batlló, and El Clot-Aragó. Allow about 20 minutes to Sants and 25 to Passeig de Gràcia, our estimate.
- From Terminal 1. Take the free shuttle bus to Terminal 2 first, about 10 minutes plus the wait, which makes the Aerobús the easier choice.
- Tickets. Buy a ticket at the station machine before you board, and validate it before you get on. A T-casual, 10 journeys for €13, works on the train too, and then on the metro and city buses in town, though not at the airport’s metro stations.
- When it’s worth it. From Terminal 2, for Passeig de Gràcia or Sants, if a train is due. With trains 30 minutes apart, missing one costs more time than the Aerobús takes. Timetables change, and trains sometimes run late, so check the Rodalies website or app before you rely on it, especially for the way back.
Taxis, ride-hailing and pre-booked cars
- The rank. Taxis wait outside arrivals at both terminals and run on the meter. The official rates add a €4.60 airport supplement to €2.80 when the meter starts, then €1.35 a kilometre on weekdays from 8am to 8pm, or €1.66 in the evening and overnight, on Saturdays and on public holidays. A trip from the airport costs at least €21. We estimate about €30 to €40 to the centre, taking about 20 to 35 minutes depending on traffic. The metropolitan taxi authority’s calculator at taxi.amb.cat gives a quote for your route.
- Pre-booked transfers. A driver waiting in arrivals and a fixed price agreed in advance, which helps most after a late landing, with heavy bags or with a family. Compare the quote with the taxi estimate before you book.
- When a car beats the bus. For three or four people with luggage, a taxi can cost little more than separate Aerobús tickets. On your own or as a couple, the bus is far cheaper and almost as quick.
- At night. You don’t need a taxi to get back late: the Aerobús runs all night, and the night buses N17 and N18 run every 20 to 30 minutes from about midnight to 5am.
Storing bags
The airport’s left-luggage offices are open 24 hours in Terminal 1 and from 6am to 10pm in Terminal 2. Prices aren’t published, so ask at the desk. Leave cases there before you head into town: Casa Batlló and Sagrada Família have no lockers for them. The Picasso museum has free lockers, space permitting, but they take nothing bigger than a cabin bag (56 by 45 by 25 cm).
Between the terminals
A free shuttle bus links the terminals 24 hours a day: every 5 minutes from 8am to 8pm, every 7 minutes in the early morning and evening, and every 10 minutes from midnight to 5am. It takes about 10 minutes from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 and 14 minutes back. Within Terminal 2, T2A to T2B is two minutes’ walk and T2B to T2C five.
If your two flights leave from different terminals, the change takes you out of the transit area and into Spain, so your passport has to let you in. Allow 20 to 30 minutes door to door, our estimate, plus security and passport control again at the other terminal.
Timing your return
Be back at Barcelona-El Prat 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass. Holding it, with no bag to drop, you need only security and, on a flight leaving Schengen, passport control, and 90 minutes covers both. The airport’s 3 hours (outside Schengen) and 2 hours (inside it) are check-in advice; if you still have to check in, come back earlier.
In practice, leave Plaça Catalunya 2 hours 30 minutes before your flight, on the A1 for Terminal 1 or the A2 for Terminal 2.
| Layover | Time in town |
|---|---|
| 5.5 hours | About 1 hour |
| 6 hours | About 1.5 hours |
| 8 hours | About 3.5 hours |
| 10 hours | About 5.5 hours |
| 12 hours | About 7.5 hours |
Each row allows an hour from touchdown to the bus, 45 minutes to Plaça Catalunya with the wait, an hour back to the terminal (5 minutes to the stop, up to 10 minutes’ wait, 35 on the bus and 10 to spare) and 90 minutes at the airport, as in the itineraries.