Barcelona Airport to City Centre: Train, Bus, Taxi & Transfers 2026

The easiest way to get from Barcelona Airport to the city centre is the Aerobús: €7.75 one way, around 35 minutes to Plaça de Catalunya, every 5–10 minutes for most of the day and 24 hours a day. The cheapest option is city bus 46 (€2.90), and a taxi costs roughly €30–40 to central Barcelona, with a €21 minimum fare from the airport. If you would rather have a driver waiting at arrivals at a fixed price, see our Barcelona Airport transfers page.

Barcelona Airport to city centre: quick comparison

Option	Price	Journey time	Runs	Best for
Aerobús A1 (T1) / A2 (T2)	€7.75 single	Around 35 min to Plaça de Catalunya	24 hours, every 5–20 min	Most visitors, luggage, night arrivals
Metro L9 Sud	€5.90 Airport ticket	About 32 min to Zona Universitària, 45–55 min to the centre with a change	Metro hours, every 7 min	Hotels near L9/L3/L1/L5, Hola Barcelona card holders
Rodalies R2 Nord train (T2 only)	T-casual journey (€13 for 10) or single ticket	About 20 min to Sants, 26 min to Passeig de Gràcia	About every 30 min, early morning to late evening	Sants station, Eixample, budget travellers
City bus 46	€2.90	40–50 min to Plaça d’Espanya	Daytime; night buses N17/N18 overnight	Lowest cost, light luggage
Taxi	Around €30–40 (minimum €21)	20–35 min	24 hours	Door-to-door, small groups
Pre-booked private transfer	Fixed price agreed in advance	20–35 min	24 hours	Families, groups, late flights, Costa Brava

Barcelona–El Prat (BCN) has two terminals about 4 km apart: T1 for most full-service and many low-cost airlines, and T2 (T2A, T2B, T2C) for others. A free 24-hour shuttle bus links them. Check which terminal you land at, because the train only serves T2 and the Aerobús runs separate lines for each terminal.

Aerobús: the airport express bus

The Aerobús is the dedicated express bus between the airport and the centre and is the simplest way for most travellers to get from Barcelona Airport to the city centre. Line A1 serves Terminal 1 and line A2 serves Terminal 2; both finish at Plaça de Catalunya, with stops at Plaça d’Espanya, Gran Via/Urgell area (Carrer Sepúlveda) and Plaça Universitat on the way in.

• Price: €7.75 one way. A return ticket is also sold and is valid for 90 days after your outbound trip. Children under 4 travel free.
• Frequency: the A1 runs every 5 minutes for most of the day and every 10–20 minutes late at night; the A2 runs every 10 minutes by day and every 20 minutes at night.
• Hours: the service runs 24 hours a day, every day, which makes it the main public option for very late and very early flights.
• Tickets: buy online, at the machines at the stop or from staff at the stop; contactless cards are accepted. Tickets are scanned by QR code.
• Luggage: buses have luggage racks, and the fare includes your bags.

In the city, stops sometimes move for marches, events and demonstrations, so check service notices on the official Aerobús website on the day you travel.

Barcelona Airport metro: L9 Sud

Metro line L9 Sud has stations at both Aeroport T1 and Aeroport T2. It does not go into the old town directly: the line runs through L’Hospitalet to Zona Universitària, so most people change trains.

• Ticket: the standard single ticket and the T-casual are not valid at the airport stations. You need the Airport ticket (€5.90), which also covers your onward metro connections until you exit, or the Hola Barcelona travel card, which includes airport trips.
• Journey time: about 32 minutes to Zona Universitària. Useful interchanges are Torrassa (L1), Collblanc (L5) and Zona Universitària (L3 for Plaça de Catalunya, Las Ramblas and Passeig de Gràcia). Allow 45–55 minutes to the centre.
• Frequency and hours: trains run about every 7 minutes. The Barcelona metro normally runs from 05:00 to midnight Sunday to Thursday, to 02:00 on Fridays, and all night on Saturdays.
• Accessibility: L9 stations have lifts, but some interchanges involve long walks, so the Aerobús is usually easier with heavy bags.

Ticket details are on the TMB Airport ticket page.

Barcelona Airport train to the city (R2 Nord)

The Rodalies (Renfe commuter) line R2 Nord leaves from the Aeroport station next to Terminal 2. If you land at T1, take the free terminal shuttle bus to T2 first, which adds 10–15 minutes.

• Stops: El Prat de Llobregat, Bellvitge, Barcelona Sants (about 20 minutes), Passeig de Gràcia (about 26 minutes) and Estació de França, then on towards Clot and Granollers.
• Frequency: about two trains an hour, from early morning until late evening.
• Tickets: the T-casual (€13 for 10 journeys, from 15 January 2026) is valid on this train, unlike on the airport metro, and a journey can include a metro or bus connection within 75 minutes. Single Renfe tickets are sold at the station machines.
• Things to know: long-running works on the new rail access to the airport mean the R2 is occasionally replaced by buses at weekends, and the Rodalies network has had disruption during 2026. Check the Rodalies app before travelling.

Bus 46 and night buses

TMB city bus 46 runs from both terminals to Plaça d’Espanya via El Prat and L’Hospitalet. It costs the standard €2.90 single fare (T-casual journeys are valid) but takes 40–50 minutes and has little room for large suitcases.

At night, buses N17 (Terminal 1) and N18 (also calling at Terminal 2 on the way into town) run to Plaça de Catalunya (Ronda Universitat). The Aerobús runs all night too and is usually the quicker choice.

Barcelona Airport taxi fare

Official black-and-yellow taxis wait at signed ranks outside the arrivals halls of T1 and T2. Fares are metered under the rates set by the Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB). The 2026 rates are:

• Flag fall €2.80; €1.35 per km on weekdays 08:00–20:00 (tariff 1) and €1.66 per km at night, weekends and public holidays (tariff 2).
• Airport supplement €4.60 (also charged at the Moll Adossat cruise terminal).
• Minimum fare for journeys starting at the airport: €21, all supplements included.
• €4.60 extra for 5–8 passengers in a larger vehicle.
• Fixed price of €46 between the airport and the Moll Adossat cruise terminal, in either direction.

In practice, a taxi from Barcelona Airport to Plaça de Catalunya or Las Ramblas costs around €30–40 depending on time of day and traffic, and takes 20–35 minutes. Taxis must accept card payment. The full tariff table is on the AMB taxi fares page.

Uber, Cabify and other ride-hailing apps

Ride-hailing apps such as Uber, Cabify, FreeNow and Bolt work in Barcelona, mostly by sending licensed taxis or private hire (VTC) cars. Taxi bookings through an app can use the fixed-price tariff 3, which has an €8 minimum. App prices from the airport are often similar to a metered taxi and rise at busy times. Follow the signs in the terminal to the designated pick-up area rather than meeting a driver at the kerb.

Pre-booked private transfers from Barcelona Airport

A pre-booked transfer means a driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a name sign and drives you directly to your address for a price agreed in advance. It is worth considering when:

• you are a group of four or more, or need a minivan for luggage, golf bags or skis;
• you are travelling with children and need child or booster seats fitted;
• your flight lands late at night and you do not want to queue for a taxi or work out night buses;
• you are heading beyond Barcelona, for example to the Costa Brava, Sitges or the cruise port, where a fixed price removes surprises;
• someone in your party needs extra assistance from arrivals to the car.

Most operators track your flight and adjust for delays. Compare local companies on our Barcelona Airport transfers hub and book directly with the one that suits you. Companies listed for this area include GO BCN Taxi, Chauffeur Barcelona, Taxi Van Barcelona, Costa Brava Taxi and Radio Taxi Girona. For hotel, port and station transfers within the city, see transfers in Barcelona.

Getting to popular places beyond the city

Barcelona cruise port

Cruise ships use the Moll Adossat terminals at the end of the port. A taxi costs a fixed €46 from the airport, and the drive is usually around 20–25 minutes. The Aerobús does not go to the cruise terminals.

Costa Brava

Resorts such as Lloret de Mar, Tossa de Mar and Platja d’Aro are roughly 1 to 1.5 hours away by road. Sagalés buses run from the airport towards the Maresme coast and Blanes, and Sarfa buses serve main Costa Brava towns, though not always frequently. For door-to-door options see Costa Brava transfers.

Girona and Girona Airport

Girona is about 100 km north, around 1 hour 15 minutes by car. Sagalés runs an airport line to Girona and Figueres, and high-speed trains from Barcelona Sants reach Girona in under 40 minutes. If your return flight leaves from Girona, see Girona Airport transfers.

Sitges

Sitges is about 25–30 minutes south of the airport by car. Bus Garraf (Monbus) runs services from the airport via Sitges towards El Vendrell.

Tips for arriving at Barcelona Airport

• Night arrivals: the Aerobús runs all night, and the taxi ranks are staffed around the clock. The metro and R2 train stop around midnight on most nights.
• Use only official taxis: take black-and-yellow taxis from the official rank. Ignore anyone in the arrivals hall offering a ride; unlicensed drivers operate at the airport and their prices are not regulated.
• Check the receipt: the meter should show the airport supplement once. Ask for a printed receipt, which includes the licence number.
• Tipping: tips are not expected. Rounding up the fare is common if you were happy with the service.
• Card payment: taxis, the Aerobús and metro machines take cards, including contactless.
• Peak traffic: the C-31 and Gran Via into the city are busiest on weekday mornings 07:30–09:30 and evenings 17:30–19:30. At those times the train and metro are more predictable than the road.
• Pickpockets: watch bags on the metro and on the Aerobús, especially around Plaça de Catalunya.