Barcelona http://www.bcn.es/english/ihome.htm is Spain's second largest city, with a population of 1.5 million people, and the capital of Catalonia. The city is on the Mediterranean coast, and has a wealth of unique historic architecture. Barcelona emerged as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe during the 1990s.

It's a beautiful city, full of markets, shops, museums and churches, and great for walking around. There’s an area called “La Rambla” where people like walking. It’s a favorite tourist attraction because there are flower sellers, street performers, paintings and restaurants. However, you can go to the beach, which is near, or you can walk around.

In 1992 Barcelona hosted the Olympics and the Games were very well organized. However, some time before the city was prepared for that, and the transformation was very important; new areas were made and the city was opened to the sea. This transformation and the games made the city known all over the world, and increased the tourist flow, as well as the naval traffic, with numerous ships docking in Barcelona's port.

On the other hand, Barcelona has lost its 90's leadership in terms of international business headquarters, to Madrid.

Get in

By plane

Low cost carriers operating to Barcelona include: Norwegian http://www.norwegian.com, Air Berlin http://www.airberlin.com, Monarch Airlines http://www.monarch.co.uk, Jet2.com http://www.jet2.com , Vueling http://www.vueling.com (a discount subsidiary of Iberia), Wizz Air, easyJet http://www.easyjet.com, Ryanair http://www.ryanair.com , Blue Air http://www.blueair-web.com, Transavia http://www.transavia.com among many others.

Barcelona International Airport

Barcelona International Airport http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite?pagename=subHome&Language=EN_GB&c=Page&SiteName=BCN&cid=1045569607459 (IATA: BCN, ICAO: LEBL), also known as El Prat, is a major transport hub and fields flights from all over Europe and beyond.

Terminals: There are now two terminals, T1 and T2, the latter with A, B, and C subdivisions. T1 and T2 are linked by a bus shuttle (every 6 to 8 minutes, travel time 10 minutes).

T1 has opened in June 2009 and hosts Spanair and a variety of major international airlines (e.g. SAS, TAP, Lufthansa, Austrian).

Sectors A, B and C of T2 are all within fairly easy walking distance of each other. T2 B is used by some Spanish carriers (Iberia, Air Europa, Vueling) and their partners (eg members of Oneworld alliance for Iberia). T2 C is smallest and used for all domestic flights, including the Puente Aereo (Air shuttle) to Madrid. T2 A is used for all other flights except those now departing from the new T1.

Please be aware that you can check in for your flight only at the respective terminal T1 or T2, and since they are miles apart and there is little information available at the train station and bus stops, it will be good advice to know where to go before arriving at the airport. AENA provides information about the allocation of airlines to terminals http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite?Language=EN_GB&Section=2&SiteName=PlanBarcelona&c=Page&cid=1239793090047&pagename=PlanBarcelona.

Transfer to/from the airport: The airport is only about 10 km away from the city center. Airport transfers can be arranged for groups, taxis are available but expensive (€20-30 to the city center). A cheaper and often faster option is the half-hourly RENFE C-2 suburban train line calling at Sants (20 minutes, but up to 40 minutes if slow or late), Passeig de Gràcia (25 minutes) and El Clot in the city center. Please be advised that this airport train has changed, and no longer terminates at Estació de França (it now goes through the center of Barcelona and into the suburbs, so it is important to know at which station you should get off). The train terminates next to T2, with a connecting green colored bus service to T1 (plan for an extra 15 minutes of travel). The drawback of arriving at T2 by train is that you should overcome several flights of stairs--think twice if with huge luggage, a stroller or a wheelchair. A single ticket is about €1.40, but you can also use the T-10 ticket (€7.85 for ten trips, including all bus and metro transfers made within 75 minutes) instead. You can buy a T-10 from the ticket vending machine at the airport station.

Also bus 46 runs from both terminals (downstairs at T1) to Magic Fountains (1 hour)

Alternatively, the Aerobús A1 line stops at T1 and between T2A and B and travels along Gran Via to Plaça Catalunya. Buses depart every 6-9 minutes, the published journey time is 35 minutes (although can take considerably longer during rush hour) and costs €5 one-way. Buses are heavily air-conditioned in summer: have something extra to wear during the journey. Aerobuses stop running at midnight, but you can catch a Nit Bus night bus service instead (Nit Bus N17, between 22.00 and 05.00. The ride from Plaza Cataluña to Airport El Prat takes about 40 minutes).

Duty-free shops. Open from 6/6:30AM to 9:30PM (few to 10PM). Shops are numerous and some are hard to find elsewhere in the city. After security check, most shops are before the passport control; only one or two are afterwards.

Tax-free shopping refund. Office closes at 10PM without compromises. After that time checks can be processed only by mail: complete your tax-free forms with your passport data and addresses, stamp them with the custom office (a window next to arrivals gate door; they don't ask to see your purchases); put them into envelope you were given in the shop--and wait for several months.

Cafes, pre-security check. Limited options, sub-standard fare. Food at Ars is awful and not cheap. Pans & Company have almost no hot meals.

Cafes, post-security check. Numerous options, all close something between 10PM and 11PM.

Parking: Costs €1.35/hour, €9.45/day, €6.75/day from the 6th day.

Luggage lockers: Baggage storage is €4.60 per day for a large locker that easily fits 2-3 serious suitcases. Left-hand end of Terminal 2B, behind the Ars cafe.

Departure gates: For T2, poorly conditioned at ground level (at least gate #57, sector 2A, after 11PM). T1 is hyper-modern and comfortable.

WiFi: Available throughout the airport, operated by KubiWireless http://www.kubiwireless.com/: €7.5 for 45min, €9 for 1 hour, €15 for 24 hours.

Nearby airports

Some low-cost carriers, notably Ryanair, use the airports in Girona, nearly 100km to the north, or Reus, around the same distance to the south, instead.

For Girona Airport http://www.barcelonagirona.com/ : The Barcelona Bus service runs a shuttle bus from Estació del Nord in Barcelona to Girona Airport and this ties in with various flight times. A one-way ticket costs €12 and a return ticket costs €21. The journey takes approximately one hour and ten minutes. Timetables are available online http://www.sagales.com/index.php?nIdioma=LANG3.

For Reus airport, the easiest way is to take the train from Barcelona Sants station to Reus and then the local bus to the airport. The train costs €6.45 and then the bus costs €2. This takes roughly about an hour and a half.

By rail

Several trains per day (including overnight hotel trains) from other parts of Europe (via France) are regular & reliable.

Main train stations:

• Barcelona-Sants (to the south west of the center).
• Barcelona-Estació de França, Avinguda Marquès de l´Argentera (on the edge of the old town next to the seafront district of Barceloneta).

From/to Estació de França there are several connections per day to Cerbère (France), connecting there on trains towards Marseille and Nice. There are also 2 direct trains a day from Sants and Passeig de Gracia to Perpignan, Beziers, Narbonne and Montpellier in France. The long awaited TGV to France is not yet open, but will be expected in 2012.

The long-delayed AVE high-speed train line to Madrid finally opened in February 2008. Travel time is 3 hours 23 minutes with intermediate stops (11 trains a day) or 2 hours 38 minutes non-stop (6 trains a day during morning and evening peak hours).

By sea

The city's port is one of the busiest on the Mediterranean. It supports both ferries and cruise ships. Large cruise ships dock 1-2 kilometers to the southwest. Many offer bus-shuttles to points near the south end of La Rambla.

You can arrive to Barcelona by boat from the Balearic Islands, from Genoa and from Rome. From Rome (Civitavecchia) it is actually cheaper than the bus. The ferry docks almost directly on the Ramblas.

By bus

Contact Barcelona Nord for all bus connections, national(e.g. 18 buses per day from Madrid) and international.

By car

There are several main roads leading to Barcelona from France and Spain and traffic is usually relatively light outside of peak hours. It is possible to find free parking spaces a few metro stops from the center of the city.

Beware of green colored parking spaces on the street. They might lead you to believe that is free parking, while it is really a paid space that allows a discounted fare only for nearby residents.

Get around

The department store El Corte Ingles publishes a helpful (and free) street map for tourists. You can pick a copy at the store, or from most hotel front desks.

By public transport

• The Bus Turístic http://www.tmb.net/en_US/turistes/busturistic/busturistic.jsp links all of the Barcelona tourist sites you could possibly want to visit. It has three routes (map provided as you board), including a northbound and a southbound line that leave from opposite sides of the Plaça de Catalunya. Each takes 1-2 hours. The hop-on/hop-off format lets you get-off risk-free at any interesting stop, see what interests you, then get back on any later bus at that or any other stop. One approach is stay on for an entire route, then continue while getting off at locations that interested you earlier. Buses are double-decked, with the upper deck offering much better views...sunscreen essential in summer months, jackets in winter/early spring/late fall. As you first get on, you are offered earphones. Outlets near every seat let you choose among many languages and playback volumes. As you approach each significant location, you receive audio describing it. You can buy tickets at the bus stops and elsewhere (e.g., better hotels) valid for one day (€22) or two consecutive days (€29).

• The metro can take you to many places. Stations are marked on most maps; every station has a detailed scheme of exits to the city. A one-journey ticket cost €1.40, so it's probably best to buy a multi-person 10-ride ticket for €7.85 (called a T-10) or a personal 50-ride monthly ticket for €33.10. These tickets are also valid on the buses and trams. http://www.tmb.net/en_US/home.jsp. 1- to 5-day public transport tickets are available that allow unlimited travel on the metro and bus networks (€5.90 for one day, €11.20 for two days, €23.10 for five days). These are excellent value. Be sure to look after them well as bent or damaged cards will not be read by the ticket machines (such cards can be replaced at one of TMB's customer service centers). Metro operating hours are: Sunday and Mon-Thur 5:00 to 24:00, Fri 5:00 to 2:00, Saturday 24 hr (continuous service from Saturday at 5:00 until Sunday at 24:00). Trains are fast, often coming in two minute intervals.

Pay attention to the fact that to get from metro lines operated by TMB (1,2,3,4,5 and 11) to the ones operated by FGC (6,7 and 8) you need to exit and then enter through a new pay-gate. In this case, if you had a one-journey ticket, you need to get a new one. If you used a multiple journey ticket (such as the popular 10 rides T-10 ticket -the one that locals use the most-) you won't be charged for a second time when changing lines.

Unusual features are: all cars are air conditioned; there are large screens for video advertising between lanes (e.g. at Universitat).

• The Barcelona Card http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/Barcelona-Card/_vf-SMlY1yItM-U_l9RgLJoJPG-BcW4K5Nh9zolHzbfEZHPPl-quGpijiyridJcEtcsglia4xSXwRdwl5AJ0wIfR38JCNbSqz features unlimited free travel on public transport and free admission and discounts at around 100 visitor attractions. The card is available for purchase for periods of between 2 and 5 days, costing €24 for a 2-day card and €34 for a 5-day card. If you don't plan to see lots of museums every day, then it is cheaper to buy transport-only tickets (see above).

But there are many things that you will want to do in Barcelona that are not eligible for discounts. You can't use the Barcelona card on fun transport options like cable cars, funiculars or trams, for example.

Exotic transport

• Tramvia Blau is a an old tram (beginning of the 20th century) connects Av. Tibidabo metro station and Funicular station at the foot of Tibidabo. Costs: €3.10 for a two-way trip.

• Funicular connects the foot of Tibidabo with view point. Costs: €9 for two-way trip.

Scooter

• GoCar, http://www.gocartours.es/barcelona/. is a two-seater, 3 wheeled vehicle that runs with a 49cc size scooter engine. It is legally classed as a scooter to drive on the roads. The GoCars were created with the purpose of being rented to tourists as a different way to see a city.

By bicycle

• Terra Diversions, http://www.terradiversions.com. Bicycle hire in Barcelona city center:

You can rent a bike or do a tour. Big selection of city bikes, mountain bikes, hybrid bikes, road bikes and children bikes in different sizes.

• Barceloneta Bikes, http://www.barcelonetabikes.com. One of the cheapest places to rent a bike in the city. Very close to the harbor and the beaches, this company has different kinds of bikes you can choose to rent, but it doesn't organize tours.

• Bicing, http://www.bicing.com. (Barcelona's bike-sharing program, started in March 2007) is another option for an environment-friendly in-city transport. Unfortunately, it is just for residents.

• Biking in Barcelona, http://www.bikinginbarcelona.net. Backed by Biciclot, a cooperative that promotes the use of bicycles in Barcelona. They offer high-quality tours for groups (from 12 to more than 100 people), private groups or individuals, as well as bike rentals.

• Budget Bikes http://www.budgetbikes.eu. With top quality Dutch bicycles on hire, Budget Bikes offers good group reductions as well.

• Fat Tire Bike Tours, http://www.fattirebiketoursbarcelona.com. You can either rent a bike from them or take one of their tours. The tour charge is around €22.

By car

Parking around all major tourist destinations is costly (€1.5-2.5/hour, €20/day) and the spaces are difficult to navigate, as there are several classes of public parking space, with complicated rules for each class. Cars with French license plates are said to be rarely towed, but follow this at your own risk.

Having a driving map is essential - plan your route before you set off. Navigating with an average tourist map is frequently misleading: many streets are one-way; left turns are more rare than rights (and are unpredictable). As an example, Gran via de Les Corts Catalanes is technically two-way, but in one direction supports only minor traffic: after every crossroad you'll find the traffic light on the next crossroad turns red by the time you reach it.

Some free parking spots reported by travelers are:

• Near Moll de Sant Bertran (which is south-west from Museu Maritim) - driving at B-10, exit to WTC and make a complete round at roundabout, heading to warehouses - and park next to its employees cars.
• Somewhere near Guell Park.
• Outside of term time, near Universidad.

Getting around by car makes sense if you plan to spend much more time driving outside the city borders than inside it - and ideally if you don't plan to park overnight at all. Otherwise, for purely in-city transportation, consider renting a scooter.