UPDATED in April 2026

If you want to go from Barcelona Airport to the city, let me show you all the possibilities. No matter how a few airlines try to market some airports (namely Girona and Reus, located around 80 miles away), Barcelona El Prat is the only airport really serving the Catalan capital.

It is Spain’s second-largest airport, behind Madrid Barajas. Barcelona El Prat has undergone renovation in the past few years, including the creation of T1 and T2 and the modernisation of the retail area.

If you are planning a trip to this amazing city, I’ll explain in this post how to get from Barcelona airport to the city centre using public transport and other alternatives.

To help you make the most of your time in the city, check out this Barcelona itinerary for 3 days or a long weekend in the city.

How To Get From Barcelona Airport To The City

You will find that the airport offers 15 minutes of free wifi. Not much, but enough to let your family know you arrived well.

If you wish to use it for a bit longer, you have the option to pay, but I found the prices quite steep (something around €4.50 for 30 minutes).

How to Get from Barcelona Airport to the City Centre

If you arrive late in the evening, you will find all stores and the tourist information office closed. So continue reading this post and know exactly what to do to get from Barcelona Airport to Downtown.

There are different means of transportation connecting Barcelona Airport to city centre, so just follow the signs to whichever transport you want to use.

Airport taxis are usually the worst type of transport you can get, and Barcelona Airport taxis are not different. So I will be skipping them and will go straight to the other options.

Transfer From Barcelona Airport

Another option, which is always better than taking a taxi, is booking a transfer from Barcelona Airport to your destination in advance.

Your hotel will be happy to book it, but be aware that some hotels may charge you a premium price for the service. Another option is using one of many websites that offer private airport transfers. I used this one a number of times.

The main benefit of booking a transfer from Barcelona Airport to the city is that you will arrive and have a driver waiting for you.

You pay in advance, cancel up to 2 hours if necessary, and there won’t be any money transaction with the driver. Sample fares are:

Transfer From BCN Airport to a Central Hotel: 42 euros with a 24-hour cancellation

Barcelona Airport to Sants Train Station: from 52 euros for up to four people and three bags

Aerobus Barcelona Airport

When thinking about how to get from Barcelona airport to the city, you may consider taking the Aerobus airport shuttle.

The bus stop is just outside the airport and each terminal has its own stop.

The final stop is at Plaza Cataluña (or Plaça Catalunya, in Catalan), which is surrounded by some of the many attractions, several hotels and some of the best party hostels in Barcelona.

The journey from the airport to Barcelona city centre takes only 35 minutes. You may buy the ticket directly from the driver, the highest denomination they accept is €20.

If you don’t have change, you can use the machine just by the Aerobus shuttle stop, which accepts all major credit cards.

The Aerobus Barcelona Airport has modern, comfortable buses. There are some spots between the airport and Plaza Cataluña. One of them is at Plaza España, for the Fira de Barcelona.

Price: €7,90, available here (one way) or €13,20 (round trip, valid for 15 days).

Duration: 35 minutes

Frequency: Every 20 minutes between 6 and 7am and from 10pm to 1am. From 7am to 10pm, it departs every 10 minutes.

From Plaza Cataluña you can connect to the metro or train to your final destination. If you need to take the bus from there to the airport, you will have to know from which terminal your flight departs, since there are different buses going to each terminal.

How to Get from Barcelona Airport to the City Centre

Barcelona Airport Train

The Barcelona Airport Train leave El Prat to Barcelona-Sants and Passeig de Gràcia stations, in the heart of Downtown Barcelona. Then they continue their journey to Granollers, Sant Celoni and Massanet, in other parts of Catalonia.

See Also: From Zurich Airport to the Train Station

At the airport, the station is located at T2, and you can buy your tickets right there. The Barcelona Airport Train is slightly faster than the bus; the only disadvantage is that it is less frequent.

Also, if you need to transfer to another train or metro to reach your destination, you must pay again.

Price: €4,60 (one way).

Duration: The journey from Barcelona Airport to the city takes 20 minutes (Barcelona-Sants) and 26 minutes (Passeig de Gràcia)

Frequency: The Barcelona Airport Train departs every 30 minutes (every 08 and 38 minutes after the hour)

Working Hours: The first train departs at 5:42am and the last at 11:38pm.

To continue your journey, Barcelona-Sants station connects with metro L3 and L5, and Passeig de Gràcia connects with L3 and L4.

If you want to go from Barcelona to Lloret de Mar, see all the details here.

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Pedro has travelled to almost 120 countries and has made his nest in London. He has also lived in Spain, Australia, the US, Georgia and Turkey. A former hotel management professional, he loves exploring local cultures, is now learning his 8th language and has a soft spot for the Middle East and the CIS countries.