Barcelona Airport to the City Centre: 4 Ways Compared

Barcelona airport to the city centre: four options

Barcelona airport has four public ways into town: metro line L9 Sud, the R2 Nord train, the Aerobús and a taxi. Each one fits a different traveller. This guide sits inside our bigger page on getting around Barcelona, which covers the rest of the city's transport.

Here is what each option is, in one line each.

• Metro L9 Sud. It connects Terminals 1 and 2 with the city, every 7 minutes, and the ride into the centre takes 32 minutes, says TMB, the city's metro operator.
• R2 Nord train. It runs on weekdays, one train every 30 minutes, and calls at Barcelona-Sants and Passeig de Gràcia.
• Aerobús. The airport bus runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, on lines A1 and A2.
• Taxi. There is no timetable. The city sets the fares and adds a supplement for trips that start at the airport.

The best way in from an airport is the one that matches your hotel, your bags and the hour you land.

Price: metro and train vs Aerobús and taxi

The metro is the clearest fare of the four. In October 2026, the TMB airport metro ticket cost €5.90 per person one way, as read for the 2026 Barcelona Travel Cost Study. TMB sells it only for the metro, so it does not work on buses.

A taxi costs more, and the city publishes the rules. For 2026, the AMB taxi authority sets a supplement of €4.60 for trips that start at the airport. The minimum fare from the airport is €21.00, with all supplements included. The meter starts at €2.80. Then it adds €1.35 per kilometre on weekdays from 08:00 to 20:00, and €1.66 per kilometre in the evening, on Saturdays and on holidays.

The Aerobús sets its own fares. The operator's pages do not show them, so check the Aerobús fares page on the day. It does say that tickets stay valid for 90 days from the date of purchase. A return ticket stays valid for another 90 days from the outbound trip. Children under 4 travel free.

For comparison, the tours on this page are priced per person: the Barcelona Card from €59 for museums and city transport (not the Aerobús), and the hop-on hop-off bus from €33. Neither is an airport ticket. Prices are as shown on GetYourGuide on 25 October 2026.

We did not compare the R2 Nord train fare, so we leave it out. Look at the price on the Rodalies machine at Terminal 2.

If you stay several days, a travel card can cost less than single tickets. TMB's Hola Barcelona Travel Card includes one outbound and one return metro journey between the airport and the city centre. It is valid for 24 to 120 hours from the first use.

Pro Tip If you land at Terminal 1 and want the R2 Nord train, take the free transfer between terminals to Terminal 2 first, because the train station is only at Terminal 2.

Terminals and stations: metro L9 Sud vs R2 Nord train

The metro serves both terminals, and the train serves only one. Metro line L9 Sud stops at Aeroport T1 and Aeroport T2. The R2 Nord line ends on a short branch that goes to Terminal 2 only, according to Rodalies. Aena lists a free transfer between the two terminals, so a T1 passenger can still reach the train. Going on your own like this costs nothing extra, and no tour is needed for the airport ride. No tour covers this ride, so GetYourGuide has no rating for it.

Where you end up decides which one you want. The R2 Nord train calls at Barcelona-Sants, Passeig de Gràcia and Estació de França. If your hotel is near one of them, the train saves you a change. Our guide to Barcelona Sants train station explains that station.

The metro line has three stations where you can change to another line: Torrassa, Collblanc and Zona Universitària. TMB says L9 Sud also stops at Fira de Barcelona. From there, you follow a normal metro route. Our page on how the Barcelona metro works covers tickets and lines.

Key Takeaway From Barcelona airport, metro L9 Sud takes 32 minutes and leaves every 7 minutes, while the R2 Nord train leaves every 30 minutes on weekdays and serves only Terminal 2.

Many visitors want museums once they arrive. If that is you, think about Barcelona museums before you buy transport. The Barcelona Card, from €59 per person, bundles entry to more than 25 museums with public transport. Its GetYourGuide listing excludes the Aerobús and night buses. It also does not say that the card covers the airport metro ticket. So the card is a museum choice, not an airport choice. Buy it for the museums, and pay for the airport ride separately unless TMB or the seller says otherwise. The card is run by Turisme de Barcelona and has 4.4 stars from 2,416 reviews on GetYourGuide, with free cancellation. The listing gives no meeting point or group size.

Late arrivals: Aerobús vs metro vs taxi

The Aerobús runs all day and all night, so it is the one with no gap. The operator says it serves the airport 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The metro stops at night. TMB lists the metro hours for the whole network. From Monday to Thursday it runs from 05:00 to midnight. On Fridays and the night before a public holiday, it runs from 05:00 to 02:00. On Saturdays it starts at 05:00 and runs through the night. TMB does not give separate first and last train times for the airport line on that page, so check TMB's app for your day.

A taxi has no timetable, but the evening and Saturday rate is higher. The per-kilometre price in the evening is €1.66, against €1.35 on weekdays from 08:00 to 20:00. The Aerobús fares and the R2 Nord train times for late arrivals are not published on the operator's pages, so check them before you fly.

Girona airport: the bus vs El Prat

Barcelona has one main airport, Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat. Aena also lists Girona-Costa Brava as its own airport, and some flights land there instead. If yours does, the Girona airport bus transfer, from €22 per person, takes 70 to 75 minutes to central Barcelona. The listing shows free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The bus has 4.6 stars from 1,681 reviews on GetYourGuide. The seller is Distribusion Technologies GmbH. It does not give one fixed meeting point, because that varies by the option you choose.

The Girona bus is a longer ride than the metro from El Prat, and it costs more than the airport metro ticket. Check which airport your flight uses before you plan anything.

Of the 528 Barcelona listings this site counted on GetYourGuide on 26 October 2026, 2 have "airport" in the title. One is the Girona airport bus. The other is a transfer to PortAventura World. None runs from El Prat to the city centre, so use the public options on this page for that trip.

How to choose: metro, train, Aerobús or taxi

Choose by your hotel, your luggage and the hour you land. This table sums up the dimensions above.

If you plan to stay in the centre for two days or more, the metro is usually enough. It runs often, and you can change lines. The limit is hours and luggage. If your flight lands after the metro closes, or you carry several large bags, the Aerobús or a taxi is easier.

Once you have dropped your bags, a bus is a quick way to learn the city. The hop-on hop-off bus with two routes, from €33 per person, lets you get on and off at the main stops and offers free cancellation. The live listing names Plaça de Catalunya as its meeting point. The bus has 4.4 stars from 24,973 reviews and is run by Julia Travel Gray Line Spain. The listing gives no group size. Walking the centre on day one works too, and costs nothing.

For luggage, Aena lists a left-luggage office in both terminals. Terminal 1 is open 24 hours and Terminal 2 from 6:00 to 22:00. If you land early, you can also leave your bags at the hotel before check-in.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 25 October 2026.

If you still need a bed, our guide on where to stay in Barcelona shows which areas suit a short stay.