How to Get Around Barcelona

When talking about the city of Barcelona, we are talking about one of the favorite destinations for travelers touring Europe and, more specifically, for those exploring Spain, as there is so much to see, do and enjoy in Barcelona.

In big cities like Barcelona, a good organization is the key element to have an ideal vacation, which is why I recommend to all my friends to get informed about even the smallest aspect before embarking on the adventure. As you will see below, transportation options in the Catalan capital are not only plentiful, but also comfortable and inexpensive for the most part.

In large cities like Barcelona, the route between the different points of interest can become really complex if you do not know how to move properly through the streets of the city.

Because of this my recommendation to all my traveler friends is that, at least on your first day in the city or even if you are only going to be in Barcelona for a day, you should hire some sort of guided tour to get to know the city.

An organized tour, either in a group or privately, has many advantages that, in my personal experience, I usually summarize in three main aspects: the possibility of having an expert local guide to ask questions for your subsequent days of exploration, the opportunity to integrate easily and comfortably in the atmosphere of the city and, finally, to be able to take a quick look at the most popular attractions and then decide whether or not you want to explore further.

In Barcelona you will find dozens of companies that offer this type of experience in different formats and with all kinds of attractive qualities. Depending on the mobility resource used, they can be grouped into two main groups.

Walking tours

A guided walking tour of Barcelona is a fantastic way to get to know the city and soak up its beauty. This type of experience is very common in this city and is offered in all kinds of formats and themes; for example you can take a walking tour of Barcelona to get to know Gaudi's modernist city(visiting La Casa Batllo, visiting La Pedrera and much more); a tour to get to know the old core of Barcelona's gothic quarter or a bar and tapas tour in the evening. The options are many!

This type of experience usually lasts an average of two hours, sometimes a little more, and although they cover less distance they are very educational making them one of the best alternatives to really get to know the city.

Segway or bicycle tours

You will find in Barcelona numerous bike tours or segway tours. The main advantage of this type of excursion, as opposed to the walking tour, is the possibility of integrating a greater number of attractions, since the bicycle tour allows you to cover large distances in a short period of time.

They usually have an average duration of 3 or 4 hours and include in the tour a good number of attractions of interest, which is why it can be an excellent alternative if you visit Barcelona for a few days and want to take a quick look at the main points of interest.

If you are traveling to Barcelona with children you can ask the company for special equipment suitable for their age; the younger ones really enjoy these tours.

If you are visiting Barcelona for the first time or you are going to be in the city for a few days, hiring some of the services ofa tourist bus may be the smartest investment of money you make in your trip.

While it is true that you can choose to stay on the bus and superficially see each destination, I highly recommend that you stop at as many as you can and explore the area a bit. The experience is totally worth it!

As you will soon see in your research, you have many options. However, I will proceed to describe in general terms one of the most popular and used by travelers the Hop On Hop Off.

This bus system has been designed so that you can tour the main tourist attractions of the city, so you will find stops close to the most popular attractions. It has two main routes that operate all year round (the red and the blue) and a seasonal route (the green) that runs from April to June. Together they cover no less than 40 attractions.

Blue Hop On Hop Off Route

It has a total of 12 stops, and takes two hours to complete the tour. If you decide to stop for longer at the different destinations it could take a little longer. Some of the Barcelona's treasures that you can visit on this route are: Plaza Catalunya, Casa Batlló, Casa Milá, Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, Camp Nou Stadium and more.

Hop On Hop Off Red Route

It has a total of 21 stops and is quite interactive; which means that you will enjoy better if you get off the bus and walk around the most interesting points. Some of the areas of Barcelona that you will visit on this route are: the Gothic Quarter, the Port area and Poble Espanyol.

The city of Barcelona has an extremely efficient transportation system. To visit tourist destinations far from each other, such as going from Park Güell to the Aquarium facilities, the city's public transport offers economical alternatives and it is very easy to find your way around.

If you are traveling to the city on a budget, seriously consider either of these two means of transport.

Barcelona Metro

The Barcelona metro system is composed of 180 stations and 12 transport lines distributed in an area covering approximately 146 kilometers in extension.

• Timetable: The city's metro service operates from Sunday to Thursday from 05h to 24h; on Fridays until 02h and on Saturdays and holidays on a continuous schedule.
• Tip: If you use this means of transport have at hand the Barcelona Metro map to consult.
• Price: Approximately 2,40 € each way. Included in the tourist card Hola BCN!

Barcelona Bus

The public transport system of the city of Barcelona is composed of approximately 1000 buses, distributed in 80 routes that allow them to reach all tourist destinations in Barcelona and also to the outlying areas of the city.

• Schedule: The regular bus operates from 05:00 am to 11:00 pm.
• Tip: if you use this means of transport, keep the Barcelona Bus map handy for consultation.
• Price: Approximately 2,20€ each way. Hola BCN! tourist card is included.

Barcelona is a city very suitable for bicycle transport, as it has a large network of bike lanes that are constantly being expanded to reach new places.

You can be sure that the tourist attractions and the most visited areas are already enabled for this transport system, making it a safe, economical and above all very fun option!

If you decide to use this transportation system, the ideal is to combine it with one of the many bike tours that the city's tour operators make available to travelers, as an expert guide can guide you through the most important tourist attractions of the city.

If you decide to do the tour independently, some companies in Barcelona dedicated to the rental of this means of transport are:

• Happy Rental Bike: Located at Carrer de Roger de Flor, 5, they operate from 10 am to 7 pm.
• Bike Rental Barcelona: Located at Carrer de Montserrat, 8, they operate from 10 am to 8 pm.
• Barcelona E-Bike Rent: Located at Carrer de Cervantes, 5, they operate from 9:45 am to 8 pm.

When it comes to getting to know and exploring new destinations, one of my favorite options is to simply walk around the city. As expected, Barcelona is no exception to this rule; and as a wonderful destination full of culture, history and architectural jewels of high symbolic value, walking through its streets and avenues is a wonderful experience.

Although the truth be told, due to its size it is difficult to know everything important about Barcelona just walking, but it is a good alternative to explore neighborhoods and specific areas.

I recommend exploring areas such as the Gothic Quarter, La Barceloneta, Las Ramblas or the Raval on foot but use means of transport such as the tourist bus or the city's metro to move from one destination to another.

Finally, if you have a special taste for Gaudí's architecture I highly recommend you to take a thematic tour around the life and work of this artist. This type of experience includes visiting the most outstanding works of the talented architect with an expert guide.

Similar to other major cities in Spain, in Barcelona the commuter train service is highly efficient and versatile so you can use it as a means of transport to get to know the surroundings of Barcelona, but also to move between destinations within the same city.

In the latter scenario, its operation is very similar to the city's metro service and can be an interesting transportation option for studying.

Although using the train to move around the city is an interesting decision, the truth is that the main use that most tourists make of this service is to move to other interesting destinations within the area of Catalonia; for example to visit the beautiful coastal city of Girona from Barcelona, to visit the famous monastery and mountains of Montserrat or to schedule an excursion to the museum of Salvador Dalí.

Companies operating this service

The Barcelona commuter train system operates under the tutelage of two major companies that have operated this service for years and whose portals you can purchase tickets directly: Renfe and Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat (FGC).

Please note that the service schedule in the city is from Sunday to Thursday from 5am to midnight; on Fridays it is extended until 2am and on Saturdays it is non-stop until dawn. The schedule for local trains outside Barcelona varies depending on the destination you want to visit.

The Nit Bus is the name of the night bus service available to citizens after the daytime bus schedule ends. It is a safe alternative and transportation distributed in an area that covers approximately 146 kilometers in extension. The nightlife in Barcelona is very diverse with many activities to see and do. You can enjoy all of them and know that you will have safe transportation to get to your destination.

• Schedule: From 22h to 06h.
• Tip: If you use this means of transport use the schedules and routes on the official website.
• Price: About 2,20€ each way, included in the Hola BCN! tourist card.