Barcelona

[bluenoxid]

I am off to Barcelona during March and I was wondering if anyone had any advice on travelling around the city?

I am landing at the airport. Which ticket should I get from there to Sants?

Is the Metro the best way round? What is the best ticket to get around over five days?

 

[30907]

These should tell you most of what you need to know.

As well as the suburban trains (2 separate systems) and Metro, buses are also worth checking out - you see more that way! And then there's trams and funiculars - however the cable car over the harbour isn't in the system nor is the Blue Tram.

T-10 is an undated 10-journey ticket, but bear in mind that the city centre is compact and you may find walking just as good. And remember a single ticket will take you all the way to your final destination, and T-10 can be used by several people together if that's relevant.
Use T-dia if you are doing a lot of travel on a particular day, there is also a multi-day Transport Card.

http://www.tmb.cat/en/bitllets-i-tarifes

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide....ort/barcelona-airport-train.html#ticketPrices

You will only go outside Zone 1 if you go to somewhere like Monserrat.

There is a previous post on Barcelona not too far back in the archives and there is an extensive feature in back issues of Todays Railways Europe about 3-4 years ago.

 

[johnnychips]

There is a train twice an hour to Sants from the station adjacent to Terminal 2. If you land at T1, there is a free shuttle bus to the station.

The airport station is not in Zone 1 so you will have to buy a ticket to Sants. Machines take Euro coins and notes and can be put into English. All advice in above post is excellent.

Don't forget to validate your T-10 - as the fare enforcement staff, complete with rottweilers, make group 4 look like Martin off the Simpsons.

 

[W.Tregurtha]

If you're travelling around Barcelona there is one VERY important thing to remember.
Barcelona is one of the most dynamic and beautiful cities in Europe if not the world. The weather, the ambience, the restaurants are second to none. The place is wall to wall with some of the most beautiful women that I've ever seen but - and it is a big but..................................................................
the city is alive with pick-pockets.
When you walk around do not take a penny more than you need in cash, invest in a money belt, do not get distracted by anything. Totally, absolutely totally ignore anyone who tells you that a bird has crapped down your back, your hire car has a puncture, is this the way to (insert location) anything that might distract you. Be very careful of being jostled on the metro, this is the usual precurser to having everything in your pockets removed.

With that caveat enjoy the place, it's fantastic but please take care.

 

[30907]

The airport station is not in Zone 1

Are you sure? I thought so too (makes sense to charge extra!) but
http://www.atm.cat/web/en/veure.php?pdf=ca/xarxa_ferrov_central.pdf&h=610
suggests that it is.

 

[jamieb0202]

The airport is in Renfe Zone 2, whereas its in AMB Zone 1, the latter of which always takes priority. So if you were to buy a T-10 at the station, a 1 zone ticket would be perfectly valid. If you were to to buy a single from the airport to Sants, that's a 2 zone ticket.

Just to add to previous posts: a T-10, just like other multi journey tickets, is valid for up to 1h 15m per journey in zone 1 with unlimited changes between transport types. You cannot, for example, get off at the Sagrada Familia, take a few photos and renter the metro hoping to use the same journey. This is detected by the system and a new journey is started. T-10s can be used my multiple people at once, it is just a case of validating the ticket for each person who is travelling.

There is a good tool called T-Estalvia, available online, which calculates the cheapest ticket combination based on the number of days, number of passengers, age of passengers and number of zones being crossed.

Yes, many sights in Barcelona can be reached on foot, but it does all add up. One end of the Rambla to another, for example, is a good 20 minutes walk. Same goes from the bottom of the Rambla to la Barceloneta. So the metro is very handy, and at only 98 cents per journey if using a T-10, it's a steal compared to London.

 

[30907]

The airport is in Renfe Zone 2, whereas its in AMB Zone 1, the latter of which always takes priority. So if you were to buy a T-10 at the station, a 1 zone ticket would be perfectly valid. If you were to to buy a single from the airport to Sants, that's a 2 zone ticket.

Thanks, that explains the mystery. I arrived by train so obviously didn't have the problem. Sounds like: on arrival get a T-10 and take it from there...

 

[johnnychips]

The airport is in Renfe Zone 2, whereas its in AMB Zone 1, the latter of which always takes priority. So if you were to buy a T-10 at the station, a 1 zone ticket would be perfectly valid. If you were to to buy a single from the airport to Sants, that's a 2 zone ticket.

We live and learn!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Think I've worked it out. You can't buy a 'single' ticket covering all modes of transport in the AMB area. You can buy a single Rodalies Renfe ticket (which from the Airport - actually Zone 4 - is €3.80 to the centre); or you can buy a single bus/metro ticket for TMB services, €2. However if you plan to make several journeys, a Zone 1 T-10 at €9.80 is obviously better value.

Been to Barcelona many times, and pickpocketing seems no worse than any other city, but obviously use your common sense. It certainly shouldn't put you off.

 

[jamieb0202]

We live and learn!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Think I've worked it out. You can't buy a 'single' ticket covering all modes of transport in the AMB area. You can buy a single Rodalies Renfe ticket (which from the Airport - actually Zone 4 - is €3.80 to the centre); or you can buy a single bus/metro ticket for TMB services, €2. However if you plan to make several journeys, a Zone 1 T-10 at €9.80 is obviously better value.

Apologies for my mistake. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that's a recent change. I lived in Barcelona for a year up until last August and I'm sure the Airport wasn't in Renfe Zone 4. Anyway, we now have that cleared up.

As far as I'm aware, the rest of your information is correct. I'd say a T-10 is almost certainly worth purchasing, but do take a look at the T-Estalvia site I suggested above. Some other combination of tickets may actually work out cheaper. At any rate, the T-10 is the ticket of choice for the locals, not least because a monthly or quarterly ticket cannot be replaced if lost or stolen...

My other bit of advice is to be prepared to walk a long way when changing lines on the metro. Passeig de Gràcia is particularly bad, as are, if I remember correctly, Urquinaona and Plaça de Sants. Some changes require you to walk the length of a different lines' platform before you get to the line you require to use. The metro is, otherwise, excellent.

 

[johnnychips]

Zone 4 at the airport is I suppose to increase revenue - it certainly isn't related to distance:

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...egHKaK0AXYqYDYCg&sqi=2&ved=0CC8Q9QEwAA&dur=59

This map's 2005, so it looks like it's been that way a bit.

The map below is more up to date: airport now served by Line 2

http://www.resortsinspain.com/Barcelona/rail-map.htm

 

[jamieb0202]

Ah, my mistake. I used to live in Viladecans, just north of the airport and located in Renfe Zone 2. Perhaps that's where the confusion arose!

 

[bluenoxid]

Hello. Thank you all for your advice. So I should just pick up a T10 and get going with that at the Airport, unless otherwise advised.

 

[DavidBrown]

I was in Barcelona three weeks ago, and certaintly then a standard T-10 ticket was perfectly valid from the airport to Sants (let's be honest, if it wasn't, then why would they sell them there?). The Metro is a doddle to navigate, and given that the various lines are called L1, L2 etc, you don't need to speak a word of Spanish to work out where you need to go. The buses do require a fairly good knowledge of where exactly you want to go and what the route is - it's fairly easy to decide you want the number 14 and end up going in entirely the opposite direction!

Another thing to bear in mind, should you opt for them, is taxis - you need to stick with the official yellow and black ones, as they will obide by the general rule of no journey within the city centre (presumably the same area as Zone 1 covers) will cost more than €10. Obviously a lot more expensive than the Metro or the bus, but still useful should you end up wandering the streets at 4am a little worse for wear!

We were there for four days, and made plenty of use of the Metro but also ended up walking quite some distance, so you'll almost certaintly end up doing a lot of both!

 

[johnnychips]

Another thing to bear in mind, should you opt for them, is taxis - you need to stick with the official yellow and black ones, as they will obide by the general rule of no journey within the city centre (presumably the same area as Zone 1 covers) will cost more than €10. Obviously a lot more expensive than the Metro or the bus, but still useful should you end up wandering the streets at 4am a little worse for wear!

Barcelona taxis try and rip you off maybe 1 in 12. A lot better than many other countries/cities. But they don't do the equivalent of the 'knowledge'. Get a card from your hotel with the street address printed on, then they will either know it or their SATNAV will work. If your hotel is a bit obscure they may not genuinely know where it is if you say the name only.

There is an extra charge from the airport, and for suitcases. These are legal, and justifiable.

 

[northwichcat]

Don't forget to validate your T-10 - as the fare enforcement staff, complete with rottweilers, make group 4 look like Martin off the Simpsons.

Also be careful with your ticket. The ink can easily smudge on them if that happens a ticket barrier may reject it.

 

[johnnychips]

Also be careful with your ticket. The ink can easily smudge on them if that happens a ticket barrier may reject it.

If for some reason your T-10 doesn't work, just take it to a Metro station and say 'no funciona' and you will get a new one with the appropriate number of remaining journeys on it.