Barcelona Airport El Prat to city
Barcelona El Prat BCN airport transfers to Barcelona city centre
From and to Barcelona El Prat airport: transportion from El Prat airport and Barcelona airport transfers. How do you get from BCN airport to Barcelona city centre by the metro of aerobus?
Barcelona El Prat airport to Barcelona city centre
Are you looking to get from Barcelona El Prat airport to Barcelona's city centre? In that case you have a number of options. The El Prat airport is just twelve kilometres outside Barcelona. The Aerobus is a fast way to travel from El Prat to the city centre of Barcelona. A night bus is available at night. Since 2016 there's also the option to take the metro from the airport to the city centre. Here's more information if you're landing at Girona airport.
1. Metro Barcelona airport
Important: check this website in advance whether you should be at Terminal 1 or Terminal 2! These terminals are 4 kilometers apart, but there is a free bus service between both terminals.
The L9 metro departs from Barcelona Airport El Prat to Zona Universitària (L3) every seven minutes. Along the way you can change to the metro lines at Collblanc (L5) and Torrassa (L1). You will need to buy a special metro ticket for this line, called ‘Bitllet Aeroport‘. It's available at the ticket machines. The price of this ticket is 5.15 € to your final destination, and it allows you to change lines. The times for this metro are the same as the rest of metro network: Sunday through Thursday from 05:00 until midnight (Friday until 02:00). On Saturdays and holidays, the metro trains run from 5 AM and throughout the rest of the day and night. Please check in beforehand if you need to be in Terminal 1 or 2. More on travelling by metro here.
Tip: Many tourists buy the affordable and specially developed Hola BCN Travel Card for tourists; with this ticket you can make unlimited use of public transport for 2, 3, 4 or 5 days, whereby you also immediately have your metro ticket from the airport (More information Hola BCN Card).
2. Aerobus from El Prat airport to Barcelona city
Daily bus connection that departs from Barcelona Airport El Prat about every five to ten minutes. The ride takes about 35 minutes and the price is 9.75 euros (14.65 euros for a return). Tickets can be easily ordered in advance through this website. There are two different Aerobus lines:
- Aerobus A1: runs between Barcelona city and the airport terminal 1 (book your bus tickets)
- Aerobus A2: runs between Barcelona city and BCN Airport Terminal 2 (book your bus tickets)
Both Aerobus A1 and A2 take the route Plaça d'Espanya – Gran Vía/Urgell - Plaça Universitat Barcelona centre and have Plaça de Catalunya as their final destination. To return to BCN airport, it's best to change at Plaça de Catalunya or Plaça d'Espanya.
Terminal 1 El Prat BCN |
Terminal 2 El Prat BCN |
| Pl. Catalunya - Terminal T1 (Airport)
From 5.30am to 6.50am, every 10 minutes |
Pl. Catalunya - Terminal T2 (Airport)
From 5.30am to 6.50am, every 20 minutes |
| Terminal T1 (Airport) - Pl. Catalunya
From 6.10am to 7.30am, every 10 minutes |
Terminal T2 (Airport) - Pl. Catalunya
From 6.00am to 7.00am, every 20 minutes |
3. Airport taxi
The black-and-yellow taxis are parked right outside the airport exit and use a meter. Regardless of the distance of the ride, you will always pay at least 20 € (this includes an airport surcharge, for instance). On average, it will cost you about 30 €. Taxis in Barcelona city are fairly cheap, trustworthy, and a decent alternative for getting to your hotel. If you're going to the airport, be sure to check if you have to take a taxi to Terminal 1 or 2.
Recommended: I've had good experiences with Welcome Pickups, where a taxi driver will meet you at the airport with a name sign. With this you are sure of an available taxi and the price will hardly differ from a normal taxi. Simply check your fare at Welcome Pickups.
4. Bus transfers to Costa Brava or Costa Daurada
Are you flying into Barcelona El Prat Airport and do you have a hotel at the Costa Brava (Lloret de Mar, Blanes, Calella, Pineda de Mar, Santa Susanna or Malgrat de Mar) or at the Costa Daurada (La Pineda, Port Aventura, Salou or Cambrils), then you can also easily book a bus transfer from the airport via Terravision. Choose your destination for more info and reservations:
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Bustransfer Costa Brava (Lloret de Mar, Blanes, Calella, Pineda de Mar, Santa Susanna or Malgrat de Mar)
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Bustransfer Costa Daurada (La Pineda, Port Aventura, Salou or Cambrils)
5. Train to and from El Prat airport
Train to and from El Prat airport The station can be easily reached from Terminal T2 at BCN airport. You can take the shuttle bus service to the station from T1. A train leaves for Barcelona every half hour. Tickets are available on the platform and from the ticket machines. This train (Line R2 Norte Aeropuerto) stops at the following stations in Barcelona:
- Barcelona Airport BCN
- El Prat de Llobregat
- Bellvitge
- Barcelona Sants – (Transfers are possible on the L3 or L5 metro line)
- Paseo de Gracia – (Transfers are possible on the L3 or L4 metro line)
- Barcelona-El Clot Aragó – (Transfers are possible on the L2 metro line)
- Barcelona-St. Andreu Comtal
More information on trains: www.renfe.com.
6. With a rental car
Are you going on a tour of Catalonia from Barcelona airport or do you have a hotel on the outskirts of the city? Then you can also rent a car at Barcelona airport. Please note that if you want to stay in the city center you book a hotel with good parking facilities as the traffic in Barcelona can be hectic. We have very positive experiences with car rental at the airport via Easyterra, where all providers are compared. View your options via the search engine below:
Where is Barcelona El Prat Airport located?
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