transport.md

# Transport Guide — Barcelona

## System Overview

Barcelona has excellent public transport managed by multiple operators under ATM (Autoritat del Transport Metropolità).

| Mode | Operator | Coverage | Best For |
|------|----------|----------|----------|
| **Metro** | TMB | 12 lines, 187 stations | Central Barcelona |
| **Bus** | TMB + others | 100+ routes | Local trips, airport |
| **FGC** | Ferrocarrils | Sarrià, Tibidabo, suburbs | Upper Barcelona |
| **Rodalies** | Renfe | Airport, suburbs, coast | Day trips, airport |
| **Tram** | TRAM | Diagonal, coastal | Specific areas |
| **Bicing** | Ajuntament | E-bikes, 500+ stations | Residents only |
| **Telefèric** | TMB | Montjuïc, port | Tourist |

**Key Insight:** T-Casual (10 trips) or Hola BCN! for tourists. T-usual for residents.

---

## Tickets & Passes

### T-Mobilitat System (Current 2026)

All tickets now use T-Mobilitat cards (contactless, rechargeable).

| Card Type | Cost | Notes |
|-----------|------|-------|
| **Cardboard T-Mobilitat** | €1 | For T-Casual, T-Familiar, T-Grup |
| **Plastic T-Mobilitat** | €4.50 | Personalized, for T-usual, 5-year validity |
| **Mobile T-Mobilitat** | €1 | On TMB app, smartphone needed |

### Ticket Types (Zone 1 Prices, 2026)

| Ticket | Price | Trips | Validity | Best For |
|--------|-------|-------|----------|----------|
| **Senzill (Single)** | €2.90 | 1 | One journey | Emergency only |
| **T-Casual** | €13.00 | 10 | 75 min transfers | Tourists, occasional |
| **T-usual** | €22.80 | Unlimited | 30 days | Residents |
| **T-Jove** | €45.50 | Unlimited | 90 days (all zones!) | Age 12-30 |
| **T-Familiar** | €11.50 | 8 | 30 days | Families, multi-person |
| **T-Grup** | €91.00 | 70 | 30 days | Groups |
| **T-Dia** | €12.00 | Unlimited | 1 day | Heavy tourist use |
| **Hola BCN!** | €12-43.60 | Unlimited | 1-5 days | Tourists |

### Tourist Passes (Hola BCN!)

| Duration | Price | Per Day |
|----------|-------|---------|
| 1 day | €12.00 | €12.00 |
| 2 days | €18.70 | €9.35 |
| 3 days | €27.30 | €9.10 |
| 4 days | €35.60 | €8.90 |
| 5 days | €43.60 | €8.72 |

**Includes:** Metro, bus, FGC (Zone 1), Tram, Rodalies (Zone 1), AND airport metro (L9 Sud).

**Worth it?** If taking 4+ trips/day. Otherwise T-Casual may be cheaper.

### T-Jove — Best Deal for Youth

If you're 12-30 years old: **€45.50 for 90 days, ALL zones, unlimited travel.**

**Requirements:**
- Age 12-30
- Get personalized T-Mobilitat card
- Passport/ID for age verification

---

## Zone System

Barcelona uses concentric zones.

| Zone | Coverage |
|------|----------|
| **Zone 1** | Barcelona city (most people need only this) |
| **Zone 2** | Near suburbs (Hospitalet, Badalona) |
| **Zone 3-6** | Further suburbs, airport |

**Airport:** Zone 4 on metro (L9 Sud), Zone 1+ on Aerobus, varies on Rodalies.

---

## Getting from Airport (El Prat)

### Terminal 1 (T1) — Main terminal

| Option | Time | Cost | Notes |
|--------|------|------|-------|
| **Aerobús A1** | 35 min | €7.75 single, €13.65 return | Every 5-10 min, to Pl. Catalunya |
| **Metro L9 Sud** | 45 min | €5.90 (special ticket) | Every 7 min, to Zona Universitària |
| **Taxi** | 25-35 min | €40-50 | Fixed rate to center |
| **Uber/Cabify** | 25-35 min | €35-50 | Variable |

### Terminal 2 (T2)

| Option | Time | Cost | Notes |
|--------|------|------|-------|
| **Aerobús A2** | 35 min | €7.75 single | Every 10 min |
| **Rodalies R2 Nord** | 25 min | €4.60 (Zone 4) | T2 only, to Passeig de Gràcia/Sants |
| **Metro L9 Sud** | 45 min | €5.90 | Same as T1 |
| **Taxi** | 25-35 min | €40-50 | Same |

### Recommendations

| Situation | Best Option |
|-----------|-------------|
| **Fast + reliable** | Aerobús |
| **Budget (Zone 1 Rodalies)** | Rodalies R2 Nord (T2 only) |
| **Group** | Taxi (splits well) |
| **Night (no Aerobus)** | Night bus N16/N17 |
| **Hola BCN! holder** | Metro L9 (included!) |

---

## Metro Lines

| Line | Color | Key Stations |
|------|-------|--------------|
| **L1** | Red | Hospital de Bellvitge ↔ Fondo. Arc de Triomf, Clot |
| **L2** | Purple | Paral·lel ↔ Badalona. Sagrada Família, Passeig de Gràcia |
| **L3** | Green | Zona Universitària ↔ Trinitat Nova. Diagonal, Liceu, Sants |
| **L4** | Yellow | Trinitat Nova ↔ La Pau. Barceloneta, Passeig de Gràcia |
| **L5** | Blue | Cornellà ↔ Vall d'Hebron. Diagonal, Sagrada Família, Horta |
| **L9 Nord** | Orange | La Sagrera ↔ Can Zam |
| **L9 Sud** | Orange | Aeroport ↔ Zona Universitària. Airport! |
| **L10 Nord** | Light blue | La Sagrera ↔ Gorg |
| **L10 Sud** | Light blue | Aeroport ↔ Collblanc |
| **L11** | Light green | Trinitat Nova ↔ Can Cuiàs |

### Tourist Lines
- **L3** covers most tourist areas (Diagonal, Liceu/Ramblas, Sants)
- **L4** for Barceloneta and Passeig de Gràcia
- **L9/L10** for airport

---

## FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat)

| Line | Useful For |
|------|------------|
| **L6 (Plaça Catalunya)** | Sarrià, Sant Gervasi |
| **L7 (Plaça Catalunya)** | Tibidabo, Vallvidrera |
| **S1/S2** | Terrassa, Sabadell |
| **R5/R6/R50** | Montserrat (day trip) |

**Montserrat:** FGC from Plaça Espanya + Rack Railway = best way.

---

## Rodalies (Renfe Commuter Rail)

| Line | Key Route |
|------|-----------|
| **R1** | Coastal: Maçanet ↔ Molins de Rei via Mataró |
| **R2** | Airport T2 ↔ Sant Celoni |
| **R2 Nord** | Barcelona ↔ Granollers ↔ Airport T2 |
| **R2 Sud** | Barcelona ↔ Sant Vicenç de Calders |
| **R3** | Barcelona ↔ Vic ↔ Puigcerdà |
| **R4** | Barcelona ↔ Manresa ↔ Terrassa |

### Useful Routes

| Destination | Line | From | Time |
|-------------|------|------|------|
| **Airport T2** | R2 Nord | Passeig de Gràcia | 25 min |
| **Sitges** | R2 Sud | Passeig de Gràcia | 35 min |
| **Girona** | Regional MD | Passeig de Gràcia | 1.5 hr |
| **Tarragona** | R4, R14 | Sants | 1 hr |

---

## Bicing (Residents Only)

Public e-bike share for Barcelona residents.

### Pricing (2026)

| Plan | Cost | Includes |
|------|------|----------|
| **Annual** | €50/year | 30 min free per trip |
| **Per trip** | €0.35/30 min | After free period |

### Requirements
- Barcelona residence (empadronament)
- Bank account
- Register at bicing.barcelona

### Tips
- Electric + mechanical bikes
- Stations throughout center
- App shows availability
- Popular = stations empty/full at rush hour

**Tourists cannot use Bicing.** Use Donkey Republic or electric scooters instead.

---

## Tram

| Line | Route |
|------|-------|
| **T1-T3** | Glòries ↔ Sant Adrià (coastal) |
| **T4-T6** | Diagonal ↔ Sant Just Desvern |

Less essential than metro. Useful for specific trips.

---

## Driving — Why NOT to Drive

### ZBE (Low Emission Zone)

Barcelona has strict ZBE (Zona de Baixes Emissions):

| Vehicle Label | Access |
|---------------|--------|
| **Zero emissions** | Always allowed |
| **ECO** | Always allowed |
| **C** | Allowed (for now) |
| **B** | Restricted during pollution episodes |
| **No label** | Banned in ZBE |

**Check:** zfrurbanes.barcelona

### Parking

| Zone | Color | Cost |
|------|-------|------|
| **Blue Zone (Àrea Blava)** | Blue | €2-3/hr, max 2-4 hrs |
| **Green Zone (Residents)** | Green | Residents cheap, visitors expensive |
| **Underground** | Various | €2-4/hr |

### When Driving Makes Sense
- Day trips outside Barcelona
- IKEA/big box shopping
- Moving furniture
- Costa Brava exploration

---

## Late Night Transport

### Metro Hours
- **Weekdays:** 5am-midnight
- **Fridays:** 5am-2am
- **Saturdays:** 24 hours
- **Sundays/holidays:** 5am-midnight

### Night Buses (NitBus)

When metro closes, NitBus operates:

| Hub | Routes |
|-----|--------|
| **Plaça Catalunya** | All night bus routes radiate |
| **Frequency** | Every 20-30 min |
| **Fare** | Same as day (T-Casual works) |

### Taxi/Rideshare at Night

| Service | Notes |
|---------|-------|
| **Taxi** | Black/yellow, green light = available |
| **Cabify** | Popular in Barcelona |
| **Uber** | Works here |
| **Bolt** | Also available |

**Night supplement:** Taxis charge extra 9pm-7am.

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## Apps

| App | Best For |
|-----|----------|
| **TMB App** | Metro/bus, real-time, tickets |
| **Citymapper** | Journey planning (best) |
| **Moovit** | Alternative planner |
| **T-Mobilitat** | Official ticket app |
| **FGC** | FGC trains |
| **Renfe** | Rodalies, long-distance |
| **Cabify** | Rideshare |

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## Quick Decision Rules

| Situation | Do This |
|-----------|---------|
| Airport → Center | Aerobús (easiest), Rodalies R2 (cheapest from T2) |
| Moving around center | Metro + walking |
| Short trip (<2km) | Walk |
| Beach areas | L4 or walk |
| Sarrià/Tibidabo | FGC |
| Late night | Metro (Sat 24h), NitBus, Cabify |
| Under 30? | Get T-Jove (€45.50/3 months!) |
| Day trip | Rodalies or AVE from Sants |

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*Prices as of February 2026. Check tmb.cat for updates.*