Understanding the metro in Barcelona is fundamental to having a good holiday.
The 11 lines (eight classic lines and three overland trains) are as prompt as any metro system in Europe and perhaps more importantly – they’re air conditioned.
The only complaints you hear aside from spoiled locals who have never commuted a day in New York or London are tourists getting ripped off buying €2.20 single tickets.
After reading my Barcelona metro guide you won’t be one of them.
Barcelona Metro Map
Click the button below to enlarge or download your very own Barcelona metro map.
You can also grab these at the Barcelona Tourism Office at the airport or any metro stop.
Barcelona Metro Hours
The Barcelona metro opens daily at 5:00 am with the last train departing at 12:00 midnight. On Fridays and holidays trains run until 2:00 am.
There is all night service on Saturday evenings and holiday days of the 23rd of June, 15th of August, 23rd of September and New Year’s Eve.
Service is limited on Christmas Eve till 11:00 am.
Frequency
- During the day trains run every 2-4 minutes
- At night trains run every 6-10 minutes
Barcelona Metro Tickets
To buy tickets for the Barcelona metro you’ll need to use the machines found at station lobbies. Tickets are valid for the entire Barcelona transport network including metro, bus, tram, and Montjuic funicular lines.
There is a supplemental charge for the Barcelona airport metro to the city centre: €4.50.
Tickets can be purchased using cash or credit/debit card.
All tickets have a 75 minute validity.
Prices
Locals typically buy single zone 1 tickets for €2.20 or a T-10 ticket (10 rides in zone 1) for €10.20.
Tourists tend to buy the all-inclusive transport card the Hola Bcn: with unlimited travel on the metro, bus, tram, funicular, and airport transport. Prices start as low as €6.40 a day.
You can save 5% on your Barcelona travel card buying directly from Barcelona Turisme:
Zones
The Barcelona transport network encompasses 6 zones.
Zone 1 includes the city centre and virtually all of the city’s main attractions and best areas to stay. The odds of you leaving this area are extremely low.
Single ticket prices increase exponentially at €3.00 (Zone 2), €4.00 (Zone 3), €5.10 (Zone 4), €6.50 (Zone 5), €7.60 (Zone 6) respectively.
Here is the Barcelona metro zone map.
Barcelona Metro Passes
You can buy single tickets for €2.20 but the price and ticket machine lines are hardly ideal. I always suggest tourists pick up a discount transport card that gives you unlimited metro access like the Hola Bcn or Barcelona Card. They save you time and money.
You can always go with the T10 but unlike the passes above it’s not valid for the airport.
Find out which discount card is right for you by clicking the banner below:
Barcelona Metro Lines + Attractions
L9S Metro (Orange Line)
The newest Barcelona metro line connects the city to both terminals of El Prat Airport.
It isn’t the fastest line and won’t take you to many of the main hotel and hostel neighbourhoods in the city – it is primarily used for residents getting home to the outskirts.
If you want to get super central you’ll need to change lines.
Connections: the orange line meets the red line (L1) at Torrassa station, the blue line (L5) at Collblanc, and the green line (L3) at Zona Universitaria
IMPORTANT: line L9S is suspended for construction works some weekends from October to December 2017 on the following dates:
- October 6th, 7th, 21st, and 22nd.
- November 11th and 12th.
- December 2nd, 3rd, 16th, and 17th.
L1 Metro (Red Line)
My favourite line crosses the city from east to west and stops in some of the city’s great meeting points like Arc de Triomf (Ciutadella Park), Plaça Catalunya, and Plaça d’Espanya.
Finding a holiday apartment along this line is about as convenient as it gets, as you’ll be able to get around with ease.
Connections: the red line meets the yellow line (L4) at Urquinaona, the green line (L3) at Plaça d’Espanya, the purple line (L2) at Plaça Universitat, and the blue line (L5) at Sagrera and Plaça de Sants.
L2 Metro (Purple Line)
This line connects neighbouring city Badalona with Parallel.
The main points of interest along this line are the Sagrada Familia, Passeig de Gracia and its famous Gaudi buildings La Pedrera and Casa Batllo, and the glitzy neighbourhood of Eixample and the rough and ready Raval.
Connections: the purple line meets the yellow line (L4) and green line (L3) at Passeig de Gracia, the blue line (L5) at Sagrada Familia, and the red line (L1) at Plaça Universitat and Clot.
L3 Metro (Green Line)
This line sort of twists its way around the city in a U-shape and serves quite a few main attractions.
Along the green line you’ll find three stops on the famous La Rambla: Plaça Catalunya, Liceu, and Drassanes. You’ll also get to the main shopping district at Passeig de Gracia and Diagonal. A few stops along you’ll reach Plaça d’Espanya and the Magic Fountain.
You’ll also get to Park Guell (Vallcara), Barcelona FC’s stadium Camp Nou, and Labirinto di Horta Park (Mundet).
Connections: the green line meets the blue line (L5) at Diagonal, the red line (L1) at Catalunya and Espanya, the yellow line (L4) at Passeig de Gracia, and the purple line (L2) at Parallel and Passeig de Gracia.
L4 Metro (Yellow Line)
Arguably the most popular of Barcelona metro lines is most useful serving the city’s best beaches. Be careful! Especially in the summer the line can get quite busy.
Along the yellow line you’ll find the bohemian Gracia neighbourhood, the Gothic Quarter‘s central square and its Barcelona Cathedral, the upper parts of the city and the Bunkers lookout, and the nightclubs and casino of the Port Olimpic.
If you’re looking for a great beach holiday grab your accommodation along the yellow.
Connections: the yellow line meets the red line (L1) at Urquinaona, with the purple line (L2) at Passeig de Gracia, with the green line (L3) at Passeig de Gracia, and with the blue line (L5) at Verdaguer.
L5 Metro (Blue Line)
I would call this one the business line as it takes people from residential areas into the centre.
The main stop here is Barcelona’s biggest train station: Sants. From here you’ll be able to get a train to the airport, Madrid, or even France. You’ll also get to Camp Nou at Badal station and Sagrada Familia is home to Barcelona’s famous church.
Connections: the blue line has connections with the green line (L3) at Diagonal, the yellow (L4) at Verdaguer, and the purple line (L2) at Sagrada Familia.
Barcelona Metro Tips
- Avoid taking it during rush hour (8:00-9:00 am and 6:00-7:00 pm).
- Changing lines could leave you a long walk at Plaça Catalunya, Passeig de Gracia and Sants.
- Always walk further up the platform for more carriage space.
- Miss the last train? There’s probably a night bus to get you back.
- A good rule of thumb is to calculate 2 minutes per metro stop to get your travel time
Safety
In general the trains are well kept and quiet.
The only thing you’ll need to worry about, as mentioned before, are the petty thieves operating in tourist areas – mainly in and around the stations at Liceu, Drassanes, Placa Catalunya, Passeig de Gracia, and Sants.
Use common sense and you’ll be fine.
Get On Board in the Comments Below
Bum steer on your Barcelona metro pass?
Not sure which Canadian-Ethiopian fusion restaurant within 3 minutes walking from the northern beaches would suit your vegetarian celiac boyfriend on crutches? I’m here 😉
Drop me a line any time.
Caroline says
Hi!
I’m going to be spending a semester in Barcelona and will be using the metro a lot I’m sure. Which pass would you suggest I use? Is there a pass that would last me that amount of time?
Ash says
Hi Caroline,
If you’re looking for a transport with no tourist stuff know that all locals use the T-10 card (9.95 for 10 rides)… it ends up being the cheapest straight up metro pass.
You could also go for the 50-30 (50 trips in 30 days for 42.50) if you’re certain you use it a lot.
I suggest you start with the T-10, calculate how many trips you’ve used, and see if you need to ‘upgrade’ to the 50-30.
Best of luck 🙂
Ash
Karolina says
Hi there,
Myself and my boyfriend are visiting Barcelona in August. We’ll be staying there for 7 nights, and most likely to use the metro as our main public transport option as we’re staying near the Europa/Fira station.
What is the best travel card that you’d recommend us to purchase? As well as that, I’d like to visit Monseratt too. Do the travel cards include trains too?
Thanks!
Ash says
Hi Karolina,
For a straight up and no-nonsense transport pass I would recommend getting a 120 hour Hola BCN Card. For the last two days you could consider getting an additional 48 hour card.
It’ll take care of your airport transport + all your metro, bus, and overland train needs. Such low hassle and it’ll save you money if you’re getting around a bit.
If it’s your first time visiting though and you’ve got a lot of the main attractions in mind then I’d recommend taking a look at the Barcelona City Pass.
First off it includes entrance to things you’re going to see anyway. Second, it lets you book everything from the comfort of home and skip lines (long in summer) at the best attractions. Third, it’ll give you a 20% discount voucher for pretty much anything you’ll do in Barcelona including Montserrat.
While it isn’t a transport card it does give you 20% off the aforementioned Hola BCN Card.
If you’re seeing Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, and want a cool bus tour + plan on seeing Casa Batllo, Casa Mila’ and others this is the best way to save money and time.
Again, feel free to write me with a list of what you want to see and I can tell you better. But with seven days I imagine you’re seeing a ton of stuff so you might as well save 20% on all of it 😉
As for Montserrat the standard travel cards aren’t valid since it’s outside zone one – but travel instructions/tickets will be available in the tour packages offered with the City Pass, or any other for that matter.
Cheers,
Ash
Julianne McKell says
In June we will be arriving on a cruise ship that will be docked from 12-8pm. Is the Hola BCN card a good deal for that length of time? Would it cover the cost of the shuttle from the port to the metro station?
I have looked at the Hop On Hop Off option but my concern for that is figuring out when we will be near the Sagrada Familia. We will be buying the tickets online sometime before we leave. I have read that it is better to tour the Sagrada Familia first thing in the morning (which isn’t an option for us) or later in the afternoon. So, I would guess that going straight to the Sagrada Famiia would not be the best choice.
What would you suggest?
Thanks!
Ash says
Hi Julianne,
Thanks for writing
Even with the cheapest Hola BCN (48h) I just don’t think you’ll get the kind of value to make it worth it in only 8 hours. Especially if you’re gonna take the Bus Turístic.
In fact, aside from transfer from the port you could use the Bus Turístic as your sole means of transport and keep that money for a nice lunch, or god forbid an emergency taxi back should things not go as planned
First I’ll ask you to find out (if possible) which ferry dock you’ll be arriving at.
If it’s either the WTC (World Trade Centre) dock or the Sant Bernard dock you’ll easily be able to walk to the nearest Bus Turístic stop.
If not, I’ll recommend taking the PORTBUS (€4 return) to the Bus Turístic stop at the Christopher Colombus statue. It’s usually less wait and cheaper than a taxi.
For the Sagrada Familia you’re a bit handcuffed on the time but it’s a necessity.
My main problem with the crowds is that it creates giant hour long lines – if you buy your tickets in advance online like you say you’ll avoid this problem. So visit away even in the afternoon
I would grab the Bus Touristic from the port and go immediately to Sagrada Familia and get that out of the way (your guided tour can be easily timed for about 2 pm or even a bit later).
After 90 minutes you’ll have 3-4 hours to get back on the bus and admire some sights and even get off to admire a couple up close (Park Guell and Casa Batllo would be my recommendations) or have a snack.
The time restrictions certainly aren’t ideal but it’s doable!
Ok, let me know if you have any other questions about your Barcelona stop over because I’d be happy to help.
Cheers,
Ash
Julianne McKell says
Thanks, Ash! I appreciate your advice. Do you recommend using the Tourista buses? If we choose not to use the Tourista buses but instead use the metro would it be a more efficient use of our time? And if we go that route, would it be better to buy the BCN pass or the 10 ride card?
Thanks!
Julianne
Ash says
Hi again Julianne,
I don’t think the metro would be a more efficient use of your time unless you had one more very specific attraction in mind that you just had to visit (as in, visit properly). In this case you could get a T-10 (better value than Hola Bcn) and very systematically visit what you want.
The question becomes… what exactly are you hoping to see?
If you have one or two more specific attractions you can’t miss I can let you know the best way… but if you’re unsure and just want to see a bit of everything then the Bus Turistic is a good option and one I always recommend to cruise ship passengers on little time.
Also, once the PORTBUS drops you off you’ll have to walk up to Drassanes metro station, take the green line up to Passeig de Gracia, and then change to the purple line to get to Sagrada… you’ll essentially be skipping over the entire city centre by staying underground, which would be a shame because the city is really alive these days! It will also likely be a bit slower. Not too mention stuffy.
Anyway, let me know a bit more about what you wanna see and maybe I can get the perfect itinerary arranged… if not in the meantime I’m recommending the Bus Turistic.
Cheers,
Ash
Sharon says
This may be the dummiest question you have ever had BUT how do you know that the train you are catching on whateve line you choose IS going TO rather than going AWAY from your destination BEFORE you get on it?
Ash says
Hi Sharon,
Not to worry, there are no dumb questions only dumb answers, so I’ll try and do my best here 😉
In order to know the direction your train is headed you simply have to look at the signs posted in the metro – the stops which have already been completed (that is, the ones behind the train and in the opposite direction) will be displayed in white, while the stops the train still has to make will be displayed in colour.
Here’s an example of the sign:
Also, when you get on the train… over every second door there’s an additional line map. The stops which have already been completed will be illuminated by a red light, while the ones to come will not be lit up in any way.
OK! That’s that… if you have any more questions I am here! 🙂
Happy New Year,
Ashley