Barcelona Airport (BCN) Transfer Guide with Prices + Insider Tips

Hi there traveler, headed to Barcelona? Join me in this quick read as we explore the most popular transfer options from Barcelona International Airport El Prat (BCN) to the city. 

I’m a Barcelona local and I’m always happy to help with your Barcelona airport transfer doubts and concerns! 

Below, I listed the top transfer options, where and how to catch them, along with useful info like prices and travel times. After you’re done reading, you’ll have a pretty good idea of which transportation method will work best for your budget and travel situation!

In short, Barcelona airport has a pretty good and cheap bus connection, but private transfer is king!

Oh, and before we start, please book everything for your Barca trip in advance! The sooner, the better! Last-minute deals could easily be deal breakers.

Quick Picks for Your Stay

Here’s a quick summary of the best Barcelona airport transfer options:

• Fastest airport transfer: private transfer, taxi
• Cheapest airport transfer: train
• Best value for money: private transfer, bus

Overview of Barcelona Airport (BCN)

Barcelona has one main international airport, El Prat de Llobregat Aeropuerto, and it’s the one I’ll be talking about in this post!

This airport has 2 Terminals: T1, which is where most international flights arrive, and T2, which is mostly for domestic flights (but not only).

Terminal 2 is divided into T2A, T2B, and T2C (but this one is closed), each corresponding to a different building in the terminal. T2A is for non-Schengen flights, while T2B is for domestic and Schengen arrivals.

Double-check which terminal you’re arriving at (for T2, make sure to get the exact building), as this will help you plan your transfer more efficiently!

There’s a free 24-hour shuttle bus between Terminal 1 and 2 (map) located outside the terminal buildings. It runs every 7 to 10 minutes, and the ride lasts up to 10 minutes. The shuttle also runs between all T2 buildings, but T2A and T2B are also walkable (exits of these terminal buildings are a couple hundred meters from each other).

Types of transport from Barcelona Airport (BCN)

To start off, check out this table featuring the price and travel times for 4 main transport options from Barcelona airport:

	Private transfer	Taxi	AeroBus	Train
Price	€39+	€35-40	€7.25	€4.90
Journey time	25-30 min	25-30 min	30+- min	30+- min

Private transfer

• Journey time: 25-30 min
• Frequency: 24/7
• Cost: €39+
• Location: arrivals hall area, after baggage claim
• Service recommendation: Welcome Pickups

Want peace of mind, a comfortable ride to your hotel with AC and drinks, extra space for suitcases, or the right baby seat? Private transfer is just what you need!

Private transfer from Barcelona airport is the ultimate best decision you can make for yourself! It’s not even that much more expensive than a taxi (I checked at Welcome Pickups, they charge just €5 more to get you to city center!), but you get so much more with them:

• You get dropped off at your hotel directly, no need to think about additional train/bus transfers.
• You get a customized vehicle with all the luggage storage or baby seat(s) you need, scheduled in advance.
• The vehicle and the driver are already waiting for you, so you don’t have to wait in line to get a ride (like for the taxi).
• You get AC, comfy seats, and refreshments from the moment you get in the car.
• All drivers speak English as opposed to taxi drivers where communication is often an issue (I always learn how to say my destination in advance to make sure I got to the right spot)

Now I used Welcome Pickups for some of my previous travels, and I can totally recommend those guys. I could book a ride on their website (they also have an app) in a few clicks, and then I got all the details about the ride including the driver’s name, license plates of the car, exact pickup location, and more.

A really useful feature they have is they let you schedule a return trip, so you can just skip all the brain work and have yourself a secure private transfer on your way back as well!

I didn’t even have to look for the car as I had the exact GPS location of the driver when I exited the airport! But just in case, your private transfer driver will wait for you as you exit the baggage claim in the arrivals area of both terminals. It’s really easy to spot them – there’ll be tons of drivers holding papers with people’s names! Plus, you can get in touch with the driver at any time via Messenger!

When you consider all the pros, I’d say that giving €5 or so extra for the service is more than worth it! Barcelona is probably the spot to book private transfers over taxis. The price difference between those is much higher in Asian countries (where taxis are usually cheaper).

Taxi

• Journey time: 25-30 min
• Frequency: 24/7
• Cost: €35-40
• Location: outside every terminal’s arrival area

Take a taxi if you prioritize speed and are a couple traveling with no more than a couple of suitcases!

Taxi is among the most popular transfer options from Barcelona airport to the city center because it’s super convenient and fast. If I want to save myself from stress, I take a taxi, especially after a long flight or if staying outside the city center.

Getting a ride is really easy, as the vehicles are located outside every terminal building. You’ll see huge taxi signs as you exit the baggage claim on both Terminal 1 & 2! Just follow them, and they’ll take you to the taxi line outside the terminal building.

NOTE: In Terminal 1, exit through the doors that say ‘Solo Taxi’. This will lead you directly to the right spot.

Do note that it’s not permitted to hail a taxi on the street! Just join the line and wait. The process is usually really smooth and the line moves fast, so that’s some good news!

Also, the taxi drivers in Barcelona are very trustworthy. I’ve never had a bad experience, and neither have my friends and family or anyone that I know of!

The taxis here are metered, so the price depends on the distance traveled. I’m currently staying in Barceloneta, which is a bit further from the city center, and the ride from the airport to my place cost me €40. You can expect to pay from €30 for central locations to around €40 for places a bit outside the city center.

Not that you’ll need this if you’re going to the city center, but just know that the minimum taxi fare from the airport is €20. There’s also a €3.10 service fee for airport departures and a €1 fee per suitcase (included in the €30-€40 calculation above).

The main downside of taxis is that drivers often don’t speak English here! I mean, this isn’t that big of an issue as you can always point your hotel on the map, but still, it can be a nuisance.

Also, if you need a special car (with a baby seat, larger vehicles), you may have to wait extra for the staff to hook you up with a ride. In this case, private transfers are much better.

NOTE: Ride-hailing apps like Uber, Bolt, and Cabify are also available, but they can be more expensive than taxi and the wait times could be higher. If you’re thinking between taxi vs. ride-hailing apps, just go with the taxi.

AeroBus

• Journey time: 30 min
• Frequency: every 5 minutes from 7:30 AM to 10:20 PM, every 10 minutes from 5:25 AM to 7:20 AM and 10:25 PM to 1:05 AM for bus A1; every 5 minutes from 6:50 AM to 9:45 PM, every 10 minutes from 5 AM to 6:40 AM and from 9:50 PM to 12:30 AM for bus A2
• Cost: €7.25 (one way) or €12.50 (return)
• Location: Terminal 1, bus A1 (map), Terminal 2A&B, bus A2 (map), Terminal 2C (map, EasyJet flights)

You’re traveling light, on a budget, and staying near Plaza Catalunya or Plaza Espana? Take the AeroBus!

AeroBus is a blue airport bus (A1 or A2) that runs every 5-10 minutes (5-minute intervals throughout the day, 10-minute intervals in the evening and early morning) from both terminals and goes directly to the Barcelona city center.

This bus takes you to 4 central locations in Barcelona: Plaza de Espana (map), Gran Via – Urgell (map), Placa Universitat (map), and Plaza Catalunya (map). 

A one-way ticket for the bus is €7.25, but you can also get a return ticket (valid for 90 days) for €12.25. So how do you find this bus, you ask me? Super easy!

As you exit the baggage claim into the arrivals hall (from either of the terminals), just look at the signs above your head and follow the arrow next to the bus icon. Just before it’s time to exit the airport for the AeroBus station, a small, blue “AeroBus” icon will appear at the sign tables, so you’ll know you have to exit there!

NOTE: In Terminal 1, the exit for the buses and trains is the second exit. The first is for taxis (the one I mentioned above) and the second is for buses, trains and terminal transfers.

You can buy the ticket on the blue vending machines as you reach the AeroBus stop area, or with the staff in front of every bus. They have a small stand there, you can’t miss them! Finally, you can also get your ticket on board with the driver. You can pay with a card or cash.

You can also buy your ticket online to save yourself time, avoid queues and not risk losing the ticket if you choose a return option (I’ve done this! Such an unnecessary waste of money). I bought my ticket online for the first time during my recent trip to Paris and it was super easy and the bus driver just scanned the QR code on my phone.

I’ve taken the AeroBus a couple of times to get from Barcelona to the city center, and overall it was great. Basically, if your hotel is within walking distance from the 4 stops and you’re traveling light, definitely take AeroBus. It’ll be cheap and fast.

But if your hotel is on the outskirts of the city or just not within easy reach, or you’re traveling with babies and suitcases, AeroBus can be a hustle. You’ll have to change to another transport option. That can either be a taxi, a bus, or a metro, which all add extra time and money to the trip (up to €18 and up to an hour of travel time). In this case, just take a taxi or private transfer straight from the airport!

Local tip: If you are planning on taking the bus and the L1/L3 metro, I’d recommend rather getting off at Plaza de Espana. The Espana metro station is A LOT easier to navigate than Cataluna (trust me on this, I STILL get lost in Cataluna)!

Train

• Journey time: 30+- min
• Frequency: every 7 minutes for L9 Sud (from 5 AM to midnight), every 30 minutes for R2 Nord (from 5:42 AM to 11:38 PM)
• Cost: €4.90 – 5.50
• L9 Sud location: Terminal 1 (map), Terminal 2 (map)
• R2 Nord location: Terminal 2 only (map)

If you’re short on budget and your accommodation is within the Barcelona Metropolitan area (but not near the main squares), take the train!

Basically, you have 2 trains that run from Barcelona Airport to the city: The orange L9 Sud that’s part of the city’s metro system, and R2 Nord, which is an actual fast train.

NOTE: Getting to both of these trains requires some walking (around 10 minutes for Terminal 2) from the airport, so beware when planning.

You can get tickets from the stations pretty easily, just make sure you select the airport option to avoid your ticket not working!

TIP: The Hola Barcelona Travel Card offering unlimited travel for public transport in Barcelona includes train tickets from the airport and is valid for 2, 3, 4, or 5 days!

L9 Sud

The L9 Sud is your regular metro train that runs through both terminals every 7 minutes from 5 AM to midnight. This is the location if you’re catching it from Terminal 1 (map), and this is the station at Terminal 2 (map).

On Fridays and public holidays, the metro is available until 2 AM, and on Saturdays, it runs all night. The ride lasts around 30-35 minutes, and the ticket price is €5.50.

INSIDER TIP: When you get off the metro in the city, take the elevator, NOT the escalator! I made a mistake once and took endless flights of escalators with all my suitcases and zero atoms of energy after the flight, it was a nightmare!

R2 Nord Line

The second train option is the R2 Nord Line, but this one departs only from Terminal 2 (map). Remember, you can use the free shuttle that runs from T1 to T2 to get to the station! The departures are every half an hour from 5:42 AM to 11:38 PM, and travel time is around 25 minutes. The cost of a single ticket is €4.90.

These trains are naturally much nicer, have special storage space so you don’t have to sit with your suitcases, and the seats are a bit comfier.

NOTE: Even though the schedule says the R2 Nord departs every 30 minutes, delays can happen on a daily basis. Some people report waiting for 2 hours without a single train passing, so if your train doesn’t arrive on time, just choose an alternative option. You can check the status of trains using the T-Mobilitat app.

Do note that neither the train nor the metro stops directly in the city center. You’d have to transfer to another metro line to get to your exact destination. I recommend City Mapper or a similar app to plan your journey just for peace of mind. Airalo is a good eSIM provider with flexible data plans for this so you don’t have to worry about unstable Wi-Fi at the airport! That being said, sometimes the cell signal is pretty bad in some locations at the airport as well.

Overall, I find the trains more convenient than the bus when it comes to in-city transfers, so if you’re traveling light and on a budget, prioritize trains. Except if you’re staying at Plaza Catalunya or Plaza Espana; in this case, the bus is better because it literally stops there.

On the downside, I’d think twice before taking the train with suitcases and kids, especially since it’s quite a long walk to reach the train station at the airport (and the metro stations can be confusing if it’s your first time) You also never know how busy the trains are going to be in BCN. In this case, stick with good old private transfers or taxis.

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Tips for organizing transport from Barcelona Airport

Before I let you go, let me reiterate some of the main tips I shared in the article to help you organize your transport from Barcelona airport:

• Double-check which terminal and building you’re arriving at so you can plan your transfer accordingly (important when taking the R2 Nord train).
• Use the free shuttle bus to commute between the terminals if needed.
• Use private transfer for the greatest comfort.
• Book your private transfer in advance to make sure you get the best vehicle for your needs.
• For budget travelers, hop on an AeroBus if you’re staying near the main squares in Barcelona.
• Use the train if you’re staying in other areas; it’s easier to transfer.
• Plan your commute on public transport with City Mapper or Google Maps, and get a Hola Barcelona Travel card for unlimited rides.

FAQs about Barcelona airport transfer

Final thoughts on Barcelona airport transfer

Felicidades! You’ve made it to the end of my guide on Barcelona airport transfer! By now, you should have a pretty good idea of which transport method suits your budget and travel needs!

I’ve taken both the taxis and AeroBus multiple times, and I can say that when it really makes a difference is whether you have tons of suitcases or not. I say it’s always better to spend a bit extra on a transfer as it’ll save you precious energy! Better save that energy for when you go out and explore the vibrant Barca, right?!

By the way, I have tons of other cool Barcelona-related guides for you, like the 11 unusual things to do and 6 top neighborhoods to stay! Feel free to check them out for even more travel inspo!

Also, drop me a comment below if you have any questions! I’ll be happy to help!

Adios,

Kathryn

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