Moving to Barcelona. Part 5

Moving to Barcelona. Public Transport.

In today’s post I will talk mainly about how to move around in Barcelona. Previously I prepared this article, but it is more tourist oriented. And there were made few changes this 2020, so some of the information is updated here.

The best thing I love about public transport in Barcelona is its integrated metropolitan fares system. This means that by paying once at the start of the journey, passengers can combine up to four modes of transport in the network in a single journey, an initiative that improves comfort and favours its use.

Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) offers a wide range of travel cards to suit different needs. There are single tickets, 10 journeys tickets (previously these were collective, now from 2020 they are per person use only), and personal travel cards valid for one, 30 and 90 days. There are also tourist travel cards and special travel cards for students, families and seniors.

Transport fares also vary by zone. The further out from the city centre you go, the more expensive the fare. Tickets and travel cards can be purchased at metro ticket booths and vending machines.

Barcelona is implementing a new system for organising its bus services. Upon completion of the final phase, the Barcelona bus network will comprise 97 lines: 43 urban and inter-city lines, 26 neighbourhood buses (Bus de Barri) and 28 high performance lines. Those high performance lines will be: 17 vertical or sea mountain (V lines), 8 horizontal or Llobregat-Besòs (H lines) and 3 diagonal (D lines). 

Daily buses are working from 6:30 am till 11:00 pm. But the best is yet to come, as Barcelona has night buses as well. Those are called Nitbus, and have their own routes, different from daily buses. Night buses are integrated into Barcelona’s single-fare system.

The Barcelona metro system is the easiest and fastest way to get around. The city’s underground trains are clean, efficient and comfortable.

Then we also have local and long-distance rail RENFE. Local trains, known as Rodalies RENFE, run all across Catalonia. Some destinations are integrated into Barcelona’s single-fare system and thus accept normal travel cards.

RENFE also operates train links to other parts of Spain, notably the AVE high-speed trains to Madrid and other Spanish cities.

Taxis in Barcelona are yellow and black and show a green light when free. Fares are charged per kilometre. Extra fees are applied for every piece of luggage stored in the boot and for trips to and from the airport, cruise-ship terminal and Fira Barcelona (The Barcelona Trade Fair location). 

Bicycle, my most prefered way of moving around Barcelona when I am not with kids. It is the fastest and most comfortable way to move. But because Barcelona is a bicycle-friendly city with numerous bicycle paths. Bicing is urban transport based on shared use of bicycles and is part of its public transport system.

For example I have a yearly membership and I use my card at a service station to unlock and use a bicycle. Bicing has continuously grown in number of stations and users since being launched in 2007. 

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14 Comments

  1. Monica
    March 3, 2020 / 4:02 am

    This is good information even for people who are traveling to Barcelona. Hopefully that will be me someday.

    • Travel Family Blog
      Author
      March 3, 2020 / 8:43 am

      of course! i am sure you will enjoy the city!

  2. Lynn
    March 3, 2020 / 3:15 pm

    I love that bicycling is your preferred method! I do enjoy that as well!

    • Travel Family Blog
      Author
      March 3, 2020 / 4:30 pm

      yay, I almost use it to and back from work, or when I am going anywhere alone, without kids 🙂

  3. March 3, 2020 / 5:15 pm

    It is so interesting to learn about how other countries and places handle things like transportation.

    • Travel Family Blog
      Author
      March 4, 2020 / 1:41 pm

      agree, each country is so different is some very basic things

  4. March 3, 2020 / 8:28 pm

    Sounds like they have great transportation. I would love to visit.

    • Travel Family Blog
      Author
      March 4, 2020 / 1:42 pm

      agree! the city has a great public transportation, but still i love using bicycle

  5. March 4, 2020 / 3:07 am

    This post is so useful for learning all of the different transport options around Barcelona! Love the bicycling system!

    -Jennifer

    • Travel Family Blog
      Author
      March 4, 2020 / 1:42 pm

      bicycle system is the best, i enjoy it a lot

  6. March 4, 2020 / 3:57 am

    I have never been to Europe, and this sounds like an awesome destination! Looks like you guys had a lot of fun there.

    • Travel Family Blog
      Author
      March 4, 2020 / 1:42 pm

      yes, we really love Barcelona, and it is a great city to live in

  7. Sarah
    March 6, 2020 / 9:23 pm

    Understanding the busing system is great when even visiting

    • Travel Family Blog
      Author
      March 20, 2020 / 3:05 pm

      agree

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