Transport from Barcelona Airport to the center (2026)

What you need to know about Barcelona Airport?

Barcelona International Airport (Barcelona Airport) is located near the town of El Prat de Llobregat, which it lies about 20 kilometers south of Barcelona (map). Sometimes, therefore, in the case of this airport, you may encounter the designation El Prat Airport or Barcelona–El Prat Josep Tarradellas Airport. You can also find the airport in search engines simply under the abbreviation BCN. 

Right after the Madrid airport is the Barcelona airport the second largest in Spain and offers passengers two terminals from which they can travel to different corners of the world. The terminals are less than 4 kilometers apart and run between them free shuttle bus, which makes the round trip in about 15 minutes. 

Attention, some airlines can transport you to the airport in the more distant Girona (GRO) – if this applies to you, read my article on how to get from Girona airport to Barcelona.

How long does it take to get from the airport to the city center?

If you need to get from the airport to the center of Barcelona, ​​consider that the journey itself will take you approximately 30-40 minutes. The length always depends on the chosen means of transport and the current traffic density. 

And how can you get from the airport in Barcelona to the city center? There are quite a few options: metro, commuter train, public transport bus, aerobus (airport bus) or perhaps taxi. 

The following overview table will tell you more about the options for transportation from the airport, the length of the journey and the price: 

	Type of transport from the airport	How long it takes?	How much does it cost?
	Metro L9 Sud		€5,50
	Renfe R2 Nord train		€4,60
	Public transport bus no. 46	40-55 minutes	€2,55
	Aerobus A1, A2		€6,75
	Taxi		€ 30-40

What means of transport do I recommend for the journey from the airport to the centre? 

Below on this page, you will find a detailed description of the individual transport options to the center. In order for you to know it a little better, I will try to limit your choice a little and give you advice on a means of transport based on my personal experience. 

If you have accommodation somewhere in the center of Barcelona and its surroundings, it will be best to use either a train, an airbus or a taxi. I will try to explain when which means is good:

• The train is great because it is cheap and relatively fast. You can rely on him for timetables and there is no risk of getting stuck somewhere in a traffic jam. The downside is that the train runs at half-hourly intervals, so if you miss one, you have to wait another 30 minutes. This is a no-go for me unless I travel with children and we arrive at the airport perhaps at night after a long and demanding day... More about the train
• Although the Aerobus costs a few euros more than the train, but on the other hand, it will take you to the center really quickly. But mainly they drive all day and night in relatively short intervals. All you have to do is climb in front of the terminal, take a few steps to the stop and at any time of the day or night you are sure that an aerobus will be waiting there and will leave shortly (at night the intervals are a little longer than during the day...). If you don't really care about every euro, take the aerobus. More about the airbus
• A taxi will take you exactly where you need to go and you don't have to drag your suitcases. An advantage that nothing beats. With the train or airbus, you will probably have to change somewhere else, with the taxi you just get into the car in front of the airport and get off at the hotel. Simple, you don't solve anything, but of course you pay the most in the final sum. More about taxi

What to do if you arrive at the airport at night?

If you arrive at the airport really late at night - for example, some low-cost flights arrive just before midnight (regards Ryanair passengers :-) - you have a very limited choice: de facto you can only go by airbus, night bus or by taxi. Aerobuses and night buses go to the city after midnight at approximately 20-minute intervals. The subway and the train do not run at night from around midnight. 

Now let's take a closer look at the other means of transport that you can use to get from the airport. 

How to get from the airport to Barcelona? A complete list of all options for transport from the airport to the center of Barcelona and back

You can get to the center of Barcelona from the airport by the following means of transport - click on the one you are interested in: metro, commuter train, public transport bus, aerobus (airport bus), taxi

Is Barcelona your transfer station? I advise how to get to Barcelona Nord bus station or Barcelona-Sants train station, so that you can continue inland.

How much are the tickets?

If you want to see the prices of all important tickets in one place, jump to the article Traveling around town.

Metro L9 Sud from the airport to the center of Barcelona

Metro line L9 at Barcelona Airport

The metro from Barcelona airport to the city center is relatively new - a line marked as L9 South it was opened in February 2016 and thanks to it you can get from both Barcelona terminals comfortably to the city center in about 20-30 minutes. An interesting fact is that the metro cars on this line are completely autonomous and have no driver. So that you don't get scared that no one is driving the first car... :-) 

He leaves on weekdays metro from the airport every 7 minutes, on weekends the intervals are a little longer. You can use it for transportation daily from early morning until midnight, or even later on the weekend (see opening hours below).

Unlike other types of transport this metro line does not build in the very center of the city (i.e. for example the station Pl. Espanya, Pl. Catalunya or Paseo de Gracia). I recommend getting off at some of the stations that offer a transfer to a connecting connection: Europa | Fira (switch to line L8), Can Tries | Gornal (transfer to L10 South),Torrassa (transfer to L1 a L10 South), Collblanc (switch to L5 a L10 South) or Zona Universitària (L3).

All L9 metro stops from the airport - click to enlarge

Although the metro is the fastest for transport from the airport to the wider center of Barcelona, you always need to consider what your final destination is and whether it will pay off for you with one or more transfers. That is, if you don't currently have accommodation somewhere on the line of this subway... 

What metro ticket do I need and how much will it cost?

To use the metro from the airport, you need a special "airport" ticket, the so-called airport ticket. Its price is €5,50 and you can buy it in a machine directly at the airport, via mobile application or online on the web. With the ticket, you can transfer to another metro line within the same station; transfer to another type of transport is not possible. 

Therefore, you cannot use the L9 subway from the airport to the center standard tickets of the Barcelona public transport company and not even advantageous T-casual or T-familiar tickets. The same applies to the journey in the opposite direction, i.e. from the center to the airport.

However, if you have any of tourist cards such as Hola Barcelona or Barcelona Card, you can easily use the metro from the airport - the ride is included in the card price. 

Metro operating hours

• Monday-Thursday: from 5 am to midnight
• Friday: from 5 am to 2 am
• Weekend: from 5 am on Saturday morning, all day until midnight on Sunday

I have more about the metro in Barcelona in a separate article >>>

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Renfe R2 Nord train from the airport to the center of Barcelona

If you like to look out the window on the way and don't want to be underground the whole way, my tip is clearly the suburban train with the designation Renfe R2 Nord. It is both cheap and more comfortable compared to, for example, a bus. On the other hand - unlike, for example, the metro - its departure intervals are longer: the train from the airport leaves twice an hour, every 30 minutes, so if you miss the train, you will have to wait quite a long time... 

Renfe R2 Nord train waiting at Barcelona airport for departure

The train station is located at Terminal 2 at the airport – if you arrive at Terminal 1 (e.g. departures from Prague with Vueling / Iberia), you can take the free green airport bus to the latter. Ryanair or Eurowings, for example, land directly at Terminal 2 from Prague. 

To get to the platform, just walk to the exit of the terminal - just before leaving the building on the left you will find escalators that will take you to a long corridor leading to the platform. You can also buy a ticket from the machine there (I recommend the already mentioned T-casual).

If you have a problem with the purchase, there is always an employee of the transport company in a color-coded vest close by who will be happy to help you. This is useful because the machines here are not very understandable at first, even if you change the language to eg English.  

View from the platform while waiting for the Renfe R2 Nord train, the corridor leading from the airport can be seen on the right.

Where should I go by train and where should I get off? 

When you want to get off the train, the closest to the center are Barcelona Sants stations (Sants Estació) a Passeig de Gracia, where you can comfortably transfer to the metro and continue your journey. You are always informed about the current and next station on the train and subway, so you don't have to worry about missing it. In addition to it, information screens are also available here.

All Renfe R2 train stops from the airport to the center of Barcelona - click to enlarge

What train ticket do I need and how much will it cost?

You can use a one-time ticket for the trip for €4,60 (4 Renfe zones, see price list) or if you want to save, buy T-casual ticket (I really recommend it). With it, one trip will cost you no more than €1,5, and most importantly, after arriving in the center, you can travel further, for example by subway or tram, to your destination. More about traveling in Barcelona.

The R2 Nord train going from the airport to the center of Barcelona - you always have an overview of the next station thanks to the screen. 

Train operating hours

The first train from the airport to the center leaves at 5:42, the last at 23:38. Trains from the airport run at 30-minute intervals - if you're in a hurry and don't want to get stuck somewhere, choose an aerobus or a taxi. 

TIP: You can find timetables with departure times of the R2 Nord train the Renfe website. 

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Public transport bus no. 46 from the airport to the center of Barcelona

Bus No. 46 of public transport

Public transport buses with number 46 (operator TMB) have stops in front of both terminals of the airport building. One trip to the city using a one-time ticket will cost you €2,55. You can buy the ticket directly on the bus through the terminal and pay by credit card. Alternatively, you can use any other integrated ticket on the line (e.g. T-casual), but it is necessary to buy it from the machine before departure - you can only buy one-time tickets on the bus. 

Bus journey from the airport to the center of Barcelona it takes about 40 minutes in case of departure from Terminal 2; from Terminal 1 it is 10 minutes more. 

In the centre I recommend getting off at Pl. Spain, from where you can continue by subway or another bus. You can plan your bus trip well on TMB website, where timetables are available, or list of all line 46 stops.

Personally, I don't like the public transport bus very much – it is the least convenient for me, and above all, you cannot rely 100% on timetables: it happened to me a few times that due to heavy traffic, the bus arrived much later than it should have... For the journey from the airport, it is probably OK, it happened to me when I he was rushing from the center to the plane, and it was quite nerve-wracking... :-)

It applies on the bus line (with the exception of the night ones, see below). all standard tickets of the Barcelona transport company, incl tourist cards od Barcelona Turisme, i.e. for example Barcelona Card or Hola Barcelona (but not anymore Tourist bus). 

Operating hours of the bus from the airport to the center

Public transport buses are in operating from 5:30 in the morning to 23:50 in the evening. Buses run at frequent intervals and stops can be found in the area in front of both terminals.

Be careful if you arrive late at night (approx. after 22:00), classic public transport buses are replaced by night connections with the numbers N17 (terminal 1, time tables) or N18 (both terminals, time tables). They run every 20 minutes until the morning and all integrated tickets are valid on the line (such as T-casual). On the contrary, it does not apply here discount tourist cards like Hola Barcelona or Barcelona Card.

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Aerobus A1/A2: the airport bus that will take you quickly to the center of Barcelona

If you want to enjoy a little more comfort than in classic public transport, connect to Wi-Fi and be in the city in about 30 minutes, take an airbus with the number A1 or A2. Its advantage is also that it runs non-stop, all day and all night - this is especially useful if you arrive in Barcelona late at night.

The Aerobus goes directly from the airport to the center with a minimum of stops. Buses stop in front of both terminals, and thanks to their azure blue color, you won't miss them. 

All Aerobus stops on the way to the center from the airport - click to enlarge

The final stop of the airbus is at Pl. Catalunya in front of the El Corte Inglés department store. That's it most center where you can get From where it is just a few steps to metro, train or other bus.

What ticket do I need and how much will it cost?

The price of a ticket is €6,75, a return ticket with a 90-day validity costs €11,65.

You can buy a ticket through the e-shop Tiqets, the official website or directly with the driver when boarding the bus. 

Aerobus is operated by a private transport company and therefore cannot be used standard public transport tickets (i.e. neither T-casual) neither tourist cards.

Aerobus operating hours

Aerobus operates every day of the year, regardless of whether it is a weekday, weekend or holiday. You will find below operating hours valid for departures from terminal T2:

• From 05:35 to 23:00 it runs every 10 minutes
• From 23:00 to 05:35 it runs every 20 minutes

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Taxi from the airport to the center of Barcelona

You can basically catch a taxi at any time in front of the airport building - at any time of the day or night you will find dozens of yellow and black cars parked here, which will take you to the center of Barcelona for around €30-40 (the minimum rate below which you will not drop when traveling from the airport is €21; more about taxi rates in Barcelona).

If you want to have someone make an appointment in advance and know the price, download one of the mobile taxi applications or you book a private transfer to the hotel. 

Although a taxi is the most expensive of all options, someone is happy to pay extra for comfort, help with suitcases, and above all, a taxi will take you exactly where you need to go. And the fastest of all the above options. 

Unlike other cities, you don't have to worry about being robbed - Barcelona taxi drivers are honest. You will find taxi drivers' rates written directly on the car, as here, and it is worth studying them before boarding.

More about taxis and alternative carriers such as Uber or Bolt in Barcelona can be found in the article dedicated to traveling around the city.