Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tickets and travel passes
A transit plan divides the province into six zones, but as the entire metropolitan area of Bar-
celona (including the airport) falls within
Zone 1
, that's the only one you'll need to worry
about on a day-to-day basis.
Onallthecity'spublictransport(includingnightbusesandfuniculars)youcanbuyasingle
ticket every time you ride (€2), but if you're staying for a few days it's much cheaper to buy
a
targeta
- a
discount ticket
strip which you pass through the box on top of the metro or
train barrier,orslotinthemachine onthebus,tram orfunicular.The
targetes
areavailable at
metro, train and tram stations, but not on the buses.
The best general deal is the
T-10
(“tay day-oo” in Catalan)
targeta
(€9.80), valid for ten
separate journeys, with changes between methods of transport allowed within 75 minutes.
The ticket can also be used by more than one person at a time - just make sure you punch it
the same number of times as there are people travelling. It's also available at newsstands and
tobacconists.
Other useful (single-person)
targetes
for Zone 1 include the
T-Dia
(“tay dee-ah”; one day's
unlimited travel; €7.25); the
Hola BCN!
(two to five day's travel; €13.40-€29); the
T-50/30
(fifty trips within a thirty-day period; €39.20); or the
T-Mes
(one month; €52.75) - for the
latter, the station ticket office will need to see some form of ID (driving licence or passport).
The
Barcelona Card
also offers free city transport between two and five days.
Heading for Sitges, Montserrat or further
out of town
, you'll need to buy a specific ticket
or relevant-zoned
targeta
as the Zone 1
targetes
outlined above don't run that far. Anyone
caught without a valid ticket anywhere on the system is liable to an immediate fine of €100
(amount is reduced by 50 percent if paid in cash on the spot).
The metro
The quickest way of getting around Barcelona is by
metro
, which runs on eight lines (with
major extensions across the city centre and out to the airport currently under construction).
Metro entrances are marked with a red diamond sign with an “M”. Its
hours of operation
areMondaytoThursday,plusSundayandpublicholidays,5amtomidnight; Fridayandeves
of public holidays, 5am to 2am; Saturday 24-hour service. There's a metro map at the back
of this topic, or you can pick up a little foldout one at metro stations (ask for
una guia del
metro
).
The system is perfectly safe, though buskers and beggars are common, moving from one
carriage to the next at stations.
