Basics - The Rough Guide to Barcelona - page 28

There's a second gateway to the city at Girona , 90km north of Barcelona, which is used al-
most exclusively by Ryanair, which flies there from around sixty British, Irish and European
airports, including smaller UKairports like Bournemouth andBristol. The other regional air-
port is at Reus , 110km south of Barcelona, near Tarragona, served by Ryanair from more
than half a dozen UK airports and from Dublin. You've over an hour's journey from either
airport to the centre of Barcelona, but there are reliable connecting bus services.
Flights from the USA and Canada
Most directscheduledservices to Spain from North America are to Madrid, but the Spanish
national airline Iberia ( iberia.com ) as well as American Airlines ( aa.com ) have year-
roundnonstopBarcelonaservicesdailyfromNewYork;meanwhileDelta( delta.com ) flies
direct from both New York and Atlanta. European-based airlines (like Air France, British
Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, Swiss and TAP) can also get you to Barcelona, though you'll be
routedviatheir respective European hubs.Flyingtime fromNewYorkisaroundsevenhours
to Madrid, eight to Barcelona direct, though with an onward connection it can take up to el-
even hours to reach Barcelona.
Return fares are as much as US$1200 in summer, though outside peak periods you should
be able to fly for under US$700. Special promotional deals sometimes undercut these prices,
or it might even pay you to buy a cheap flight to the UK and travel on to Barcelona from
there with a budget airline (see “ Flights from the UK and Ireland ”).
Flights from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
There are no direct flights to Spain from Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. However,
a number of airlines do fly to Barcelona with a stopover elsewhere in Europe or Asia (flights
via Asia are generally the cheaper option). Another possibility is to fly to Madrid, from
where you can pick up a connecting flight or train. It's best to discuss your route and pref-
erences with a flight and travel agent like Flight Centre ( flightcentre.com.au or flight-
centre.co.nz ) orSTATravel( statravel.com.au or statravel.co.nz ),especiallyifyourvisit
to Barcelona is part of a wider Spanish trip - in which case, you might be better off buying a
Round-The-World (RTW) ticket.
City breaks and tours
Three-night city breaks to Barcelona start from as little as £200 (€240) per person flying
from London, Manchester or Dublin. For this price, accommodation is most likely in a two-
star hotel, and sometimes on a room-only basis. For three nights' bed-and-breakfast in a
three- or four-star hotel you can usually expect to pay more like £300-400 (€360-480). The
biggerUSoperators,suchasAmericanExpressandDeltaVacations,canalsoeasilyorganize
short city breaks to Spain on a flight-and-hotel basis. From Australia, Iberian specialist Iber-
tours can arrange two- or three-night packages in most Spanish cities, including Barcelona.