Transport in Barcelona

Public transport in Barcelona is excellent. The council invests heavily in the system and it’s an efficient, clean, generally perfectly safe (though you should read this section on pickpockets and taking care of your property) and sustainable alternative to travelling by car or motorcycle, as too many locals insist on doing.

Barcelona Bus Turistic. 3 routes to discover Barcelona from the top of a Double Decker bus. Audioguides in 10 languages. Get on and off all day.

Integrated Transport Network
Transport in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona has been organised as an Integrated Network, allowing you to use all local transport services
– Bus,
– Metro
– Barcelona Cable Car,
– Nitbus (Nightbus),
– Cercaníes de Catalunya (local Renfe trains run by the Generalitat,)
– Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat (the Generalitat’s own train service) and
– Trams
for travelling in the Barcelona area on the same ticket. This means a train ticket bringing you into Barcelona from within the Network area, for example the Airport, is also valid for use on the Bus, Metro, FGC, etc

Options for moving comfortably around Barcelona are T-10 card –giving you 10 trips for more than one person at a discount price– or one of the other suitable tickets such as the personal 2 day Travel Card.



You don’t usually need the ticket to get through the barriers and out of a station in Barcelona, although there are exceptions, Provença being one of them.

There are 50 euro fines for travelling without a ticket, and although it is unlikely that a tourist will be fined for having lost a ticket, it’s obviously better to have one, especially as without one you are not insured in the event of an accident of any kind.

All tickets allow you to use the whole range of city transport and to change from one to another –within a period of 1 1/4 hours in the central zone, more in others– without using up another trip.

The Integrated System comprises 6 zones defined according to the distance travelled from the city centre. The central zone is Zone 1. A ticket valid for Zone 6 entitles transport throughout the entire system; a ticket with Zone 2 tariff lets you travel in and between Zones 2 and 1, etc.

Unless you're travelling out of town, say to Sitges, a Zone 1 Card is usually enough.

See full details of Barcelona Travel Cards here

Disabled access
More and more stations are being adapted for use by the disabled and many have escalators and lifts. Over 80% of stations are now fully accessible and the Council has pledged to complete the work as soon as possible.

Metro: boarding trains
There is no height level or gap between the platform and the trains. On board is a designated wheelchair area equipped with safety belt.

Bus: boarding buses
All buses are equipped with ramps for easy wheel chair access, usually at the centre doors. There is a designated wheelchair area equipped with safety belt.

Here is the TMB’s list of stations and their accessibility services showing lifts, escalators, for the the various lines and entrances.

Possibly worst place for the disabled is the Passeig de Gràcia Renfe station at Carrer Aragó. It is much better to avoid this nightmare complex of stairs and corridors and go to the central Sants Station. Passeig de Gràcia is also a popular venue for bag-snatchers, tricksters and thieves; See the common techniques they employ on the escalators here.