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Barcelona - Arriving &
Getting Around |
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Airports
In Catalunya there are three main airports that receive international flights: Girona, Reus and Barcelona. The city is mainly served by Barcelona airport (El Prat) situated 13 kilometres to the southwest of the city centre at El Prat de Llobregat. It receives direct flights from North America and many European cities.
The airport is surprisingly small and easy to navigate, though there is quite a lot of walking involved, depending on which gate you depart/arrive at. There are the usual duty free and cloth shops as well as some gift and toy shops. The Tourist Information Desk is situated in the main hall of the terminal, easily identifiable by the queue, which moves quickly. The staff is very helpful and this is your first stop to pick up some free local guides, maps or brochures.
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Train Stations
There are two main railway stations in Barcelona. All domestic arrivals use Estació Sants, 2.5kilometres (1.6 miles) west of La Rambla. Some, but not all, trains to and from France and beyond use Estació França, 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) east of La Rambla.
The main intercity bus station is 1.5 kilometres (0.9 miles) northeast of La Rambla, close to the Arc de Triomf metro station.
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Getting into Barcelona
Rodalies (Cercanías) train line 1 runs between the centre of town (zone 1) and El Prat airport (zone 4). Trains run daily every 30 minutes from 6:10am to 10:40pm.
The A1 Aerobús service runs from the airport to Plaça de Catalunya via Estació Sants. The trip is about 40 minutes. From Plaça de Catalunya you should easily be able to reach your hotel on foot within 15 minutes – most hotels are probably within a 10 minute walk. The hotels located towards the Port would take about 20 minutes to reach by foot and you may therefore want to take a taxi depending on the amount of luggage you have.
Suburban buses EA and EN leave the airport every 80 minutes for Plaça d'Espanya and take about 50 minutes.
Taxis are available 24 hours a day and can be found directly outside the terminals. The journey into the city centre takes 20 to 25 minutes and will cost somewhere between €17 and €20. All the taxis are metered and very reliable.
Getting Around
Barcelona has an excellent and cheap public transport system, The Metro is the fastest way to get around with discount tickets available costing just under €5 for 10 journeys.
The Bus Turistic operates on two routes with 27 stops that take in all the major attractions. You can get on and off as you please and there are staff from the tourist office on board to help with queries. A day pass costs €14, two days €18 and includes discount vouchers for places on the way.
The Barcelona Card costs €16.25 for one day and €22.25 for three. It provides unlimited use of public transport, reductions to some museums and other attractions as well as discounts for a selection of shops and eateries.
The city is a stroller's paradise and since you're likely to spend a lot of time walking, pack comfy shoes. If you don't want to wander aimlessly, get hold of the excellent brochures produced by the tourist office; they're full of suggested walking itineraries that take you through all the best bits.
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