SPAIN - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1498

the RENFE train and eventually the AVE to be extended to terminal 1, and for the Metro's
L9 (orange) line to be extended to both terminals 1 and 2. Stay tuned.
A taxi between the airport and downtown costs about €30—about €25 on the meter plus
a €3.10 airport supplement and fee of €1 per bag. For good service, add a 10 percent tip.
Girona-Costa Brava Airport
Somebudgetairlines,includingRyanair,usethisairport,located60milesnorthofBarcelona
near Girona (airport code: GRO, tel. [phone], www.aena-aeropuertos.es ) . Ryanair runs
a bus, operated by Sagalés, to the Barcelona Nord bus station (€15, departs airport about
20-25 minutes after each arriving flight, 1.25 hours, tel. [phone], www.sagales.com ) .
You can also take a Sagalés bus (hourly, 25 minutes, €2.50) or a taxi (€25) to the town of
Girona, then catch a train to Barcelona (at least hourly, 1.25 hours, €15-20). A taxi between
the Girona airport and Barcelona costs at least €120.
By Cruise Ship
Cruise ships arrive in Barcelona at three different ports (all just southwest of the Old City,
beneath Montjuïc). Ifyourtrip includes cruising beyond Barcelona, consider my guidebook,
Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports.
Most American cruise lines put in at Moll Adossat/Muelle Adosado, a long two miles
from the bottom of the Ramblas. This port has four modern, airport-like terminals (lettered
A through D); most have a café, shops, and TI kiosk; some have Internet access and other
services. Two other terminals are far less commonly used: the World Trade Center, just off
the southern end of the Ramblas, and Moll de la Costa, tucked just beneath Montjuïc (ride
the free, private shuttle bus to World Trade Center; from there, it's a short walk or taxi ride
to the Columbus Monument).
Getting Downtown: From any of the cruise terminals, it's easy to reach the Ramblas.
Taxis meet each arriving ship and are waiting as you exit any of the terminal buildings. The
shorttripintotown(i.e.,tothebottomoftheRamblas) runsabout€10(the€2.10cruise-port
surcharge is legit). During high season, a ride into town can take longer and cost €10 more.
For a one-way journey to other parts of town, expect to pay these fares: to the Picasso Mu-
seumorPlaçadeCatalunya—€15;totheSagradaFamília—€20;andtotheairport—€35-40.
You can also take a shuttle bus from Moll Adossat/Muelle Adosado to the Columbus
Monument (at the bottom of the Ramblas), then walk or hop on public transportation to
various sights. The shuttle bus departs from the parking lot in front of the terminal—follow
Public Bus signs ( lanzadera, #T3, a.k.a. Portbús, €3 round-trip, €2 one-way, buses leave
every 20-30 minutes, timed to cruise ship arrival, tel. [phone]). Pay careful attention to
where they drop you off if you want to catch the return bus later.