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Gaudí sculpture Barcelona

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Travel to Barcelona

Flying to Barcelona

British Airways, Iberia, BMI Baby and easyJet offer direct flights to Barcelona. As Barcelona is an extremely popular summer destination, travel to Barcelona is most expensive from June to September. Cheap flights to Barcelona are available during the winter.

Flight times: 

From London - 2 hours; New York - 7 hours 30 minutes; Los Angeles - 13 hours 30 minutes; Toronto - 7 hours 30 minutes; Sydney - 22 hours 30 minutes.

Travel by road

Summary:

Road conditions in Barcelona are generally good, but be aware of steep and narrow mountain and countryside roads. Traffic drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 18. Speed limits are 120kph (74mph) on motorways, and 50kph (31mph) within towns, unless otherwise stated.

A valid driving licence and third-party insurance are required to drive in Spain. National licences from EU countries are accepted, although drivers are advised to obtain an International Driving Permit. A Green Card is strongly recommended for all visitors and is compulsory for those from outside the EU.

Motoring information can be obtained from the Real Automobile Club de Catalunya (RACC) (tel: 902 452 452; www.racc.es).

* The speed limit on motorways in Spain has temporarily been reduced to 110kph (68mph). The new limit will remain in effect until the end of June 2011 at the earliest. The slowdown is intended to save energy in response to the surge in oil prices sparked by the unrest in Libya and elsewhere in the Arab world.

Emergency breakdown service:

RACC (tel: 902 106 106).

Alternatively drivers can contact the Ayuda en Carretera, run by the Guardia Civil, via the roadside SOS telephones located on both sides of the carriageway at 2km (1 mile) intervals.

Routes:

Barcelona is well-connected to the rest of Spain and Europe by a network of motorways. The A7 motorway is the main route to Barcelona from France, which is approximately six hours away. On the opposite direction, Valencia is within four hours’ drive away and Alicante five hours. A2 heads inland towards Zaragoza in the west via Madrid. The A19 hugs the coast for a short distance to the northeast of the city.

Driving times:

From Montpellier – 3 hours 15 minutes; Zaragoza - 3 hours; Valencia - 3 hours 30 minutes; Madrid - 6 hours.

Coaches:

Eurolines international coach services (tel: 902 405 040; www.eurolines.es) use Estació Autobuses de Sants, situated next to the Central-Sants train station, Carrer Viriato, although services to France also stop at Estació del Nord, Avinguda Vilanova. Most long-distance coaches from other parts of Spain operate from the Estació del Nord. There are Eurolines services to major European cities, including Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Prague and Rome.

Travel by rail

Services:

Train travel in Spain is generally comfortable, punctual and fast, although it is more expensive than other modes of transportation in Spain.

The main railway station in Barcelona is the Estació Central-Sants, Plaça del Països Catalans, serving national and international destinations as well as suburban routes.

The Spanish rail network connects Barcelona to the rest of Spain, with regular trains to Valencia, Madrid, Girona and Tarragona. The high-speed AVE rail service shortens travel time between Barcelona and Madrid to 2 hours 30 minutes, and will extend to the French TGV network by 2012. Overnight train Trenhotel links Barcelona to Paris, Milan and Zurich.

Operators:

RENFE (tel: 902 320 320; www.renfe.es) operates the Spanish rail network, which covers the majority of the country. The operator manages all routes in Spain, from suburban trains (Cercanías) to international rail services. RENFE serves all major Spanish cities including Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and Valencia, as well as other European destinations in France, Portugal and Italy.

Journey times:

From Madrid - 2 hours 30 minutes; Montpellier - 4 hours 30 minutes; Paris - 12 hours; Zurich - 14 hours 30 minutes; Milan - 14 hours 20 minutes.

Travel over water

Summary:

Located a short walk from the city centre, the Port de Barcelona, run by Autoritat Portuària de Barcelona (tel: 93 298 6000; www.portdebarcelona.es) is a major Mediterranean maritime destination. It is the second largest Mediterranean cruise centre and has six terminals.

Ferry services:

Ferries to Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza depart from the Estació Marítima Balears (tel: 93 295 9100), situated at Moll de Sant Bertran.

Acciona Trasmediterránea (tel: 902 454 645; www.trasmediterranea.es) runs a popular service to Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza in the Balearic Islands. It also operates a fast ferry service to Palma (Mallorca) and conventional services to Livorno and Civitavecchia (for Rome).

Nearest port:

Barcelona.

Transport to the city:

TMB (tel: 93 318 7074; www.tmb.net) metro links the port to the centre of Barcelona. The Cruise Port Shuttle Bus Service (Blue Bus) runs from all port terminals to the Columbus monument and the Drassanes metro station (Line 3). Taxis also provide transportation to the city centre.

Transfer distance:

2km (1.2 miles).

Transfer time:

5 minutes.

Transfer notes:

Shuttle bus available to city centre.

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