How to Get Around Barcelona

When we talk about the city of Barcelona, we are talking about one of the favourite destinations for travellers touring Europe and, more specifically, for those exploring Spain, as there is so much to see, do and enjoy in Barcelona.

In big cities like Barcelona, good organisation is the key to an ideal holiday, which is why I recommend all my friends to find out about every last aspect before setting off on their adventure. As you will see below, transport options in the Catalan capital are not only plentiful, but also convenient and affordable for the most part.

In large cities like Barcelona, the route between the different points of interest can become really complex if you don't know how to move properly through the streets of the city.

Because of this, my recommendation to all my travelling friends is that, at least on your first day in the city or even if you're only in Barcelona for a day, you should hire some sort of guided tour to get to know the city.

An organised tour, either in a group or privately, has many advantages which, in my personal experience, can be summed up in three main aspects: the possibility of having an expert local guide to ask questions for your subsequent days of exploration, the opportunity to integrate easily and comfortably into the atmosphere of the city and, finally, to get a quick glimpse of the most popular attractions and then decide whether or not you want to explore further.

In Barcelona you'll find dozens of companies offering this type of experience in different formats and with all kinds of attractive qualities. Depending on the mobility resource used, they can be grouped into two main groups.

Walking tours

A guided walking tour of Barcelona is a fantastic way to get to know the city and soak up its beauty. This type of experience is very common in the city and is offered in all sorts of formats and themes; for example, you can take a walking tour of Barcelona to see Gaudi's modernist city(visiting La Casa Batllo, visiting La Pedrera and much more); a tour to see the old heart of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter or a tapas and bar tour in the evening. The options are many!

This type of experience usually lasts an average of two hours, sometimes a little longer, and although they cover less distance they are very educational, making them one of the best alternatives to really get to know the city.

Segway or bicycle tours

You'll find numerous bicycle and Segway tours in Barcelona. The main advantage of this type of excursion, as opposed to walking tours, is the possibility of taking in a greater number of attractions, as the bicycle tour allows you to cover large distances in a short period of time.

They usually have an average duration of 3 or 4 hours and include in the tour a good number of attractions of interest, which is why it can be an excellent alternative if you visit Barcelona for a few days and want to take a quick look at the main points of interest.

If you are travelling to Barcelona with children you can ask the company for special equipment suitable for their age; the younger ones really enjoy these tours.

If you are visiting Barcelona for the first time or you are only in the city for a few days, hiring some of the services ofa tourist bus may be the smartest investment you make on your trip.

While it's true that you can opt to stay on the bus and superficially see each destination, I highly recommend that you stop at as many as you can and explore a bit of the area - the experience is totally worth it!

As you will soon see in your research, you have many options. However, I will proceed to describe in general terms one of the most popular and used by travellers, the Hop On Hop Off.

This bus system has been designed to take you around the main tourist attractions in the city, so you'll find stops close to the most popular attractions. There are two main year-round routes (red and blue) and a seasonal route (green) that runs from April to June. Together they cover no less than 40 attractions.

Blue Hop On Hop Off Route

It has a total of 12 stops, and takes two hours to complete. If you decide to stop for longer at the different destinations it could take a little longer. Some of the Barcelona treasures you can visit on this route are: Plaza Catalunya, Casa Batlló, Casa Milá, Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, Camp Nou Stadium and more.

Hop On Hop Off Red Route

It has a total of 21 stops and is quite interactive, which means you will enjoy it better if you get off the bus and walk around the main points of interest. Some of the areas of Barcelona you will visit on this route are: the Gothic Quarter, the Port area and Poble Espanyol.

The city of Barcelona has an extremely efficient transport system. To visit far-flung tourist destinations, such as Park Güell or the Aquarium, the city's public transport system offers cheap and easy-to-find alternatives.

If you're travelling to the city on a budget, seriously consider either of these two means of transport.

Barcelona Metro

Barcelona's metro system is made up of 180 stations and 12 transport lines distributed over an area covering approximately 146 kilometres in length.

• Timetable: The city's metro service operates from Sunday to Thursday from 5am to midnight; on Fridays until 2am and on Saturdays and public holidays it runs non-stop.
• Tip: If you use this means of transport, keep the Barcelona Metro map handy for consultation.
• Price: Approximately €2.40 each way. Included in the Hola BCN! tourist card.

Barcelona Bus

The public transport system of the city of Barcelona is made up of approximately 1000 buses, distributed in 80 routes that allow you to reach all the tourist destinations of Barcelona and also the outlying areas of the city.

• Timetable: The regular bus operates from 05:00 to 23:00.
• Tip: if you use this means of transport, keep the Barcelona Bus map handy for consultation.
• Price: Approximately €2.20 each way. Hola BCN! tourist card is included.

Barcelona is a city very suitable for bicycle transport, as it has a large network of bicycle lanes that are constantly being extended to reach new places.

You can be sure that the tourist attractions and the most visited areas are already enabled for this transport system, making it a safe, economical and above all very fun option!

If you decide to use this transport system, it is ideal to combine it with one of the many bike tours that the city's tour operators make available to travellers, as an expert guide can guide you through the most important tourist attractions in the city.

If you decide to do the tour independently, some companies in Barcelona dedicated to renting this means of transport are:

• Happy Rental Bike: Located at Carrer de Roger de Flor, 5, they operate from 10am to 7pm.
• Bike Rental Barcelona: Located at Carrer de Montserrat, 8, they operate from 10am to 8pm.
• Barcelona E-Bike Rent: Located at Carrer de Cervantes, 5, they operate from 9:45 am to 8 pm.

When it comes to getting to know and exploring new destinations, one of my favourite options is to simply walk around the city. As you would expect, Barcelona is no exception to this rule; and as a wonderful destination full of culture, history and architectural gems of high symbolic value, walking through its streets and avenues is a wonderful experience.

Although, truth be told, due to its size, it is difficult to see everything important in Barcelona on foot alone, but it is a good alternative for exploring neighbourhoods and specific areas.

I recommend exploring areas such as the Gothic Quarter, La Barceloneta, Las Ramblas or the Raval on foot, but use means of transport such as the tourist bus or the city's metro to get from one destination to another.

Finally, if you have a special taste for Gaudí's architecture, I highly recommend taking a themed tour around the life and work of this artist. This type of experience involves visiting the most outstanding works of the talented architect with an expert guide.

Similar to other major cities in Spain, Barcelona's local train service is highly efficient and versatile, so you can use it as a means of transport to get to know Barcelona's surroundings, but also to move between destinations within the city itself.

In the latter scenario, its operation is very similar to the city's metro service and it can be an interesting option for studying.

Although using the train to move around the city is an interesting decision, the truth is that the main use that most tourists make of this service is to move to other interesting destinations within the Catalonia area; for example to visit the beautiful coastal city of Girona from Barcelona, to visit the famous monastery and mountains of Montserrat or to plan an excursion to the Salvador Dalí museum.

Companies operating this service

Barcelona's local train system operates under the aegis of two major companies that have been operating this service for years and whose websites you can buy tickets directly: Renfe and Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat (FGC).

Please note that the service timetable in the city is from Sunday to Thursday from 5am to midnight; on Fridays it is extended until 2am and on Saturdays it runs throughout the morning. The timetable for local trains outside Barcelona varies depending on the destination you want to visit.

The Nit Bus is the name of the night bus service available to the public at the end of the daytime bus timetable. It is a safe alternative and transport is spread over an area covering approximately 146 kilometres in length. The nightlife in Barcelona is very diverse with many activities to see and do. You can enjoy them all and know that you will have safe transport to get to your destination.

• Opening hours: From 22h to 06h.
• Tip: If you use this means of transport use the timetables and routes on the official website.
• Price: Around €2.20 each way, included in the Hola BCN! tourist card.