Transportation in Barcelona: all about buses, streetcars, metro, funiculars and bicycles

The key to relatively free traffic in the city is wide streets and multi-lane roads. Buildings with beveled corners give drivers a good view, and many passengers prefer public transportation with a convenient single ticket to a car. I will tell you how to use it properly.

Barcelona’s transportation is of all kinds: metro, trains, buses, funiculars, streetcars, cabs and bicycles. This coherent system is managed by several companies, the main one being ATM (Autoritat del Transport Metropolità). In addition to regular public transportation, there is also a tourist transportation system with clear routes to Barcelona’s attractions.

Barcelona’s transportation zones and ticket types

At first glance, transportation zoning in Barcelona may seem chaotic and confusing. However, this puzzle is easy to solve if you understand the principle of dividing the city into zones.

There is an integrated transportation system here. This means that you can transfer from one mode of transportation to another with a single ticket.

Barcelona is divided into 6 zones, where the 1st is the tourist center of the city. Zones 2 — 6 are so big that they were also divided into parts and labeled with letters (2B or 4A). The single and indivisible zone is the first one.

Tariffs

All public transportation has an integrated fare system. This means that you can use a single ticket to use different transport: metro, bus, streetcar, FGC and Rodalies de Catalunya rail networks. Such a ticket indicates the transportation and service companies for which the pass is valid. There are also non-integrated tickets — single tickets with restrictions: they cannot be used for transfers.

Below are all types of travel tickets with prices for the first zone. More detailed information on the carrier’s website.

Where to buy travel tickets

1. Online. When you buy any travel ticket on the website or through the TMB App, you get a 10% discount. The voucher received after payment must be exchanged for a pass at a machine.
2. Ticket vending machines are located in the lobbies of the Sagrada Família, Diagonal, Sants Estació and Universitat metro stations.
3. At tourist information centers located around the city.
4. At Punt TMB offices located in subways and train stations.

The T-Mobilitat smartphone app replaces the paper ticket and simplifies the process of buying and checking tickets on public transport. But while the program is still being developed, not all types of tickets are available.

Barcelona Metro

Although the carriages are stuffy and crowded in the heat of summer, the metro is very popular — it connects the city center with the outskirts and nearby towns. The first underground train in the Catalan capital was launched in 1924 — one of the first subways on the continent.

The Barcelona Metro is divided into 12 lines with numbers from L1 to L12. You can get to almost any point in the city with transfers.

The metro is served by two companies: the L1-L5, L9-L11 lines are operated by TMB (Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona) and the L6-L8 and L12 lines are operated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya). The latter branches operate in conjunction with suburban trains.

The subway is integrated with a cable car line and two streetcar systems.

• The scoreboard at the entrance to the subway shows the station name, routes, a traffic map with alternatives, and train schedules.
• The metro has about 200 stations. The most popular are the central branches L1-L4, where the main attractions of Barcelona are concentrated.
• You can get a free city map at the information desk at the airport, metro, at the tour desk or at the metro ticket office.
• Opening hours: Monday through Thursday — from 5:00 to 0:00, on Fridays and on the eve of public holidays — from 5:00 to 2:00. On Saturdays — around the clock until 24:00 Sunday. On New Year’s Eve — around the clock. On Christmas Eve, December 24 — until 23:00.
• Trains run at intervals of 2—5 minutes.
• Often stations have multiple platforms, and the entrance to the train may be on both sides to reduce crowds.
• Since Barcelona Metro is operated by two companies, it is not allowed to change from TMB to FGC (and vice versa) with a non-integrated Single ticket.
• 16 metro stations are free Wi-Fi zones: L1: La Sagrera, Arc de Triomf, Catalunya, Universitat and Espanya; L2: Sagrada Família; L3: Sants Estació, Parallel, Liceu, Catalunya, Passeig de Gràcia, Diagonal and Lesseps; L5: Sants Estació, Diagonal and Sagrada Família.
  

A single ticket for the FGC subway can be purchased from yellow machines in the subway lobbies with the company’s name on them. Ticket types, directions and prices are available on the website.

Buses

The most convenient and widespread transportation in Barcelona is buses, which are operated by TMB, as well as some metro lines. With their help you can get to almost any point of the city, even the most remote. In total, there are more than 100 routes with a thousand stops. On the website you can plan the desired route on the map.

Finding a bus stop in Barcelona is easy — signs are even painted on the pavement. Most stops have detailed information with a map and routes.

• Entrance to the bus is through the front door only.
  
• The reusable ticket must be composted at the entrance.
• You can buy a single-use ticket from the driver.
• The information board inside the bus helps you to orientate yourself with the stops. «Proxima parada» translates as next stop.
• To stop the bus, you have to wave your hand outside and press the «Request stop» button inside.
  
• Each bus stop has its own code, which you can use through the app to find out the location of your bus and plan your route.
• All transportation is equipped with a platform for people with low mobility.
  
• Daytime buses start at 5:30 and end at 22:30. They are replaced by night buses from 22:15 to 5:20 with an interval of 20—40 minutes. Detailed information about the operating hours of each bus is available on the official website.

Streetcars

This mode of transportation was introduced in 2004. It is represented by two unconnected networks, Trambaix (routes T1, T2 and T3) and Trambesos (T4, T5 and T6), which are controlled by one company, TRAM. The streetcar lines connect the center of Barcelona with its outlying areas. Another line is planned in the near future to connect the two networks.

• Trambaix connects the Baix Llobregat area to the city center, where the Francesc Macià square is the terminus of the T1, T2 and T3 routes.
• Trambesos connects the districts of Badalona and Sant Adrià de Besòs with the area around the center: T4 — Ciutadella-Vila Olímpica — Estació de Sant Adrià; T5 — Glòries — Gorg, Badalona; T6 — Estació de Sant Adrià — Gorg.

The same transportation zones apply to the streetcar. The cost of a single ticket valid only for FGV-TRAM transportation is 1.35 € (1 zone), 2.50 € (2 zones), 3.75 € (3 zones), 4.85 € (4 zones), 6.05 € (5 zones), 7.15 € (6 zones). As a rule, it is not advantageous for a tourist to buy a single streetcar ticket, and it is better to ride an integrated one. Which streetcar you need, how long it is on the way and its cost — all this can be found out on the website.

You can buy a streetcar ticket at the terminal at the station, which accepts cash and bank cards MasterCard, Visa.

Streetcars operate from 05:00 to 00:00, and on Fridays and Saturdays, as well as on the eve of public holidays — until 02:00.

Electric trains

In addition to metro trains, Barcelona also has a suburban railroad, which is served by two companies: Renfe (6 lines) and FGC (7 lines). Trains are convenient to get to remote places and beaches, suburbs and nearby cities. It is also one of the options to get from the airport to the city: at the terminal T2 there is a line R2 Noth, which takes you to Sants station or Passeig de Gràcia station in 20 minutes.

The main train station in Barcelona, from which all trains depart, is Estació de Sants. At Plaça de Catalunya you can also catch a local train or a regional train.

From the train it is easy to change to other public transportation (subway, bus) at almost any station.

You can buy train tickets at the ticket office at the train station or online. The integrated ticket is also available for trains. The Renfe and FGC apps make it easy to navigate the route, find out the number and timetable of trains.

Bikeshare, scootershare

Barcelona is a great place to ride a bicycle. You can get from one place to another even through the narrowest streets. Ecotransport is honored here and supported by the authorities in every possible way: about 200 km of bicycle paths (carril bici), free or cheap bicycle rentals, and parking lots everywhere.

For residents with a registered residence permit and a bank card, there is a service called Bicing, which provides an annual subscription for the use of their bike for 50 €. With this subscription, users are entitled to ride for 30 minutes for free, and pay 0.74 €/hour for anything over that.

Since this type of bicycle service is not available to visitors, they can take advantage of the advantageous Scoot bikeshare. It allows you to use an electric bike or moped for free for the first few hours (4 hours in low season, 2 hours in high season), after that the tariff starts from 0,15 €/minute. The details of this service are described here. It takes 4—5 hours to get around the city center by bike.

Scooter Sharing is represented by the Cooltra service, which offers different rates from 0,19 €/minute.

Rules for traveling on the subway with a bicycle:

• They may only be transported in folded form on buses.
• Metro trains are allowed to carry them on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, as well as daily throughout July and August.
• All other weekdays have time restrictions for transportation: 5:00 to 7:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. until Metro closes.
• If the bike is folded completely, it can be transported at any time.

Barcelona seems very welcoming: thanks to the variety of tourist transportation and single tickets, it is easy to reach all the memorable places of the city. It is pleasant to visit and comfortable to move around. The seemingly complicated transportation and ticketing system becomes clear and profitable on the second day.