How to get from Barcelona Airport (BCN) ✈️ to the City Center

Barcelona Airport (BCN), also known as Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport, is the main international airport of Barcelona and is located about 14 km southwest of the main city center. Upon arrival, you can reach downtown Barcelona by Public Bus, Express Bus, Public Train, Metro, Taxi or Welcome Pickups (Private Transfer).

This guide compares all available airport transfers at Barcelona Airport (BCN) according to classic travel factors. This includes travel time, cost per person (pp), a short route description and official links to book or buy tickets.

Transfer comparison

Overview of all transfer options from Barcelona Airport to the City Center (Plaza de España, Plaça de Catalunya)

	Transport	Travel time	Cost
	Public Bus	45 Min.	2,40 €	Details
	Express Bus	35 Min.	9,75 €	Details
	Train	35 Min.	4,60 €	Details
	Metro	50 Min.	5,15 €	Details
	Taxi	25 Min.	30‑40 €	Details
	Welcome Pickups	25 Min.	40 €	Details

ⓘ Status 2023

Notices:
• There may be waiting times at the taxi rank if there are high volume of passengers. In this case, a pre-booked transfer (e.g. via Welcome Pickups) is the more faster and comfortable option.
• The optimal transfer depends on the number of travelers, budget and available time.

Barcelona Travel Tips (AD)

Travel tips and recommendations for a great stay in Barcelona:

    Cheap flights to Barcelona

   Best hotels in Barcelona

   Tours and attractions in Barcelona

   Barcelona City Passes

   Lonely Planet Pocket Barcelona

    High-quality suitcases & trolleys

Bus

Timetable here, tickets on-site ↗

Travel time:

45 minutes

Cost:

💸 2,40 € pp

Description:

Public bus line ’46’ from Barcelona Airport (Bus stop in front of Terminal 1 & 2) to “Plaza de España” in the city center of Barcelona, here you can change to metro lines ‘L1’ and ‘L3’

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Express Bus (AD)

Timetable and tickets here ↗

Travel time:

35 minutes

Cost:

9,75 € pp

Description:

Aerobús line ‘A1’ (Bus stop at Terminal 1) or line ‘A2’ (Bus stop at Terminal 2) from Barcelona Airport (BCN) to “Plaza de España”, “Plaça de la Universitat”, “Plaça de Catalunya”. Few stops and free WiFi

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Public Train

Timetable here, tickets on-site ↗

Travel time:

35 minutes

Cost:

4,60 € pp (4 zones)

Description:

RENFE train line ‘R2-Nord’ from Barcelona Airport (Station “Aeroport” in front of Terminal 2) to city center stations “Barcelona-Sants”, “Barcelona-Passeig de Gràcia” or “Barcelona-El-Clot”

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Metro

Timetable here, tickets on-site ↗

Travel time:

50 minutes

Cost:

5,15 € pp

Description:

Metro line ‘L9 Sud’ from Barcelona Airport (Station “Aeroport” in front of Terminal 1 & 2) to “Torrassa Station”, change here to Metro line ‘L1’ to “Plaça de Catalunya”, right in the centre of Barcelona

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Taxi

Official local taxis

Travel time:

25 minutes

Cost:

30‑40 €

Description:

Taxi from Barcelona-El Prat Airport (Taxis in front of Terminal 1 & 2) to the center of Barcelona, Plaça de Catalunya or directly to your accommodation in the city center

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Welcome Pickups (AD)

Book a Private Transfer ↗

Travel time:

25 minutes

Cost:

40 €

Description:

Comfortable private transfer (via Welcome Pickups) from Barcelona Airport (Nameplate in the Arrival Hall) to central Barcelona, Plaça de Catalunya or to your accommodation in the city

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Trip from Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN) to central Barcelona (Plaça de Catalunya, Plaza de España)

Things to know about Barcelona:

1. The FC Barcelona Museum is the most visited museum of Barcelona
2. Both Catalan and Spanish are the official languages in Barcelona
3. Barcelona is the second largest city of Spain with 1.6 million residents (Madrid has 3.2 million)