Public Transportation: How to get around in Barcelona

Getting around a foreign country can prove to be challenging at times, specifically if you don’t have a good notion of how the city is mapped out. With so much to see and so little to time to cross everything off the list, it is important to know the ins and outs of the cities. When traveling, there are many options that enable people to move around. Renting a car is an option, renting a bike is a more green approach and last but definitely not least, is using public transportation.

Related article: Best transport apps in Barcelona

Cheap and Convenient

Barcelona has one of the most accommodating public transportation systems in Europe. Over 140 public metro stations are readily located all around the city, making every district extremely accessible. The development of public transportation in Barcelona has proven an absolute success, with over 65% of the population having adopted it as their main means of moving around the city. The overall length of the network is 102.6 km which indirectly shows how much area is connected by the tracks.

The metro, however, is not the only option available for those who don’t have their own vehicle. The bus system here is equally impressive. It covers more than 870 km on the daily. With over 100 lines and more than 1,000 buses, this means of public transportation covers every nook and corner of the city. If you don’t believe it you are more than welcome to check out the 2,544 available stops. It has been estimated that the bus system achieves over 175 million trips every year.

The most convenient aspect of any method of public transportation in the city is that one ticket grants you access to all of them.

Types of tickets

There are several types of tickets you can buy to move around Barcelona using the public transportation system.

Single ticket – 2.15€

T-10 ticket – €9.95.  With the T-10 you can take 10 trips at a discounted price.

T-50/30 -42,50€. It gives you 50 trips for a period of 30 days.

T-Mes – 52,75€. Valid for a month, with unlimited trips.

T-Trimestre – 142€. Unlimited trips for 3 months.

T-70/30 – 59,50€. Same rules than the 50 trip ticket.

T-Dia – 8,40€. Unlimited trips for one day.

There are also special prices for large families, children, seniors and unemployed people. You can check the full ticket price list and information.

If you are not living in Barcelona but are planning to visit it, as a tourist, check out the options offered by HolaBCN! to see if they match your needs.

2-day ticket – 14,50€

3-day ticket – 21,20€

4-day ticket – 27.50€

5-day ticket – 33,70€

The HolaBCN! tickets can be used on metro, bus, tramway and some trains. The days start counting from the first time you travel with the card so we advise that you only start using it when you know you will be moving around the following days as well.

Related article: Discover arts in the streets of Barcelona 

From Black to Green

If these statistical facts do not impress you, perhaps the improvement on environmental efficiency that these systems achieve will. The metro system registers almost no carbon-based product emissions, running completely on electricity. The only thing that is being spent here is the paper being used for the tickets.

More than a quarter of the buses used in the public system run on clean natural gas. The projections for the improvement of public development have estimated that a complete natural gas system may be up and running in the next few years.

With affordable prices and almost no emissions, the public transportation system in Barcelona unanimously takes the gold.

Looking for an apartment in the city? ShBarcelona can help you find the perfect one.

* Main photo by Carlos L’H via Wikimedia Commons