Going to Barcelona on October 17th for 4 nights. Would like to know the best lowest cost way to get into the city center. Are there buses trains etc , never been before. Any tips much appreciated. Also motorcycle/scooter hire places. Cheers, John.
Worth mentioning that we had a hire car for silly cheap prices; like £12 a day from Goldcar! We did end up spending more than double that on full insurance which was needed after bouncing off a signpost in Barcelona mind
Use the bus from the airport to the city.Mrs Mervyn has done this and reckons it's just great. Cheap and easy.
Bus. Cheap and reliable and frequent. We did it with suit cases and ruck sacks and a 13yr old no problem
As Mervyn has said, the Aerobus goes between both terminals and the Placa de Catalunya in the tourist centre of Barcelona every 15 minutes from about 6am to midnight. When we were there in July it was 5.90€ one way although it is cheaper for a return which is valid for 7 days. When you leave for the airport at the end of your break, make sure you get on the right return bus, either T1 (BA/Iberia) or T2 (EasyJet) but the bus stops are labelled. I am an experienced traveller and IMO if you consider driving in Barcelona you are stark staring raving mad, they are lunatics and the road system is one way crazy. Locals do it every day so are used to it. Within the city zones, the Metro is first rate with one way journeys costing less than 2€. You can also buy a 10 ride ticket for 9€. The Bus Touristica is a great way to see all of Barcelona and they are get on get off tickets either for 1 or 2 days. My only advice is don't try to plan too much, Barcelona is a big city and you can get very tired. If you want to visit Gaudi's Segrada (and you should) it is best to book a timed slot on the Internet before you leave the UK. Barcelona is my favourite weekend European city, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Oh yes, finally, beware the pickpockets at the airport and on the Metro. No worse than any other tourist hot spot but a nuisance. Andy
Train is easy. You can even get a multi-day travel card at the train pay machines. Was simple, takes you right into the city centre.
Autobús del aeropuerto de TMB (Número 46) According to this, the TMB fare is 2.15 Euros, there is a different bus service that is over 5 Euros Taxis are between 30 and 35 Euros NitBus N17 (funciona durante la noche) Night bus Trenes desde el aeropuerto de Barcelona hasta el centro de la ciudad trains to city centre
Avoid the Ramblas unless you are going to see the covered market. It most definitely ain't what it was 10 years ago with the street entertainers banished to the red light district end by the Columbus Column. Most of the cafes are catering for the tourists and are overpriced and the "shops" are full of fake tatt. Andy
If you know which stop you want, the TMB could be a cheaper option but we've never used it. The Aerobus runs more frequently so you are paying for convenience. Taxis have 3 rates depending on the time of day and there will be a 1, 2 or 3 lit somewhere on the taxi to tell you which one. 1 tends to be during the day, 2 early evening and 3 night time. Andy
Excellent information, thank you very much everyone for taking the time to let me know. The bus looks like the transport I shall probably use. I am well versed in the hazards of pickpockets, having spent a total of over 10 yrs in total travelling in India, and been in some very, very dodgy places- Afghanistan, Pakistan etc, attempted muggings at knifepoint , locked up in Morocco, attempted buggery in Iran lol. They won't be getting much off me, that's for sure!
I'm not normally one to get excited by tourist attractions but the gaudi buildings and the sagrada familiar in particular is probably the most impressive place I've ever visited. It was always sold out on the gates so as said make sure you go online to book. We got it at around 1800hrs and the light show of the sun through the stain glass was incredible .
I was planning on seeing that despite not being a fan of churches in general,but the architecture is so spectacular I will make an exception. Great tip about booking online. Need to find out what time sunset is around October 18th.
I can assure you I'm still 'Virgo intacta' With hindsight, the 1/2 dozen Mandrax wasn't the best idea.