Barcelona enjoys excellent transport links, and can be reached by land, sea or air. The airport, El Prat, lies 12km south of the city and most European and world airlines operate from its international terminal.

There are also frequent rail services to the French border and the city is well connected by bus stations operating services countrywide and abroad, as well as a road and motorway network that makes it possible to reach any part of the city.

Barcelona has also become the Mediterranean's leading cruise harbour. It has eight passenger terminals, five for cruise liners and three for ferries.

How to Get Around Barcelona

Public transport is the best way of getting around the city. Barcelona has six metro lines and a fleet of 865 buses operating on 80 lines, serving any area of the city, and more than 11,000 taxis with their identifiable yellow and black livery.

"Besides public transport, there is no better way of getting to know the city than walking through its streets, or using alternative means of transport such as bicycles and the city has an excellent network of bicycle lanes."

The Barcelona Bus Turístic operates three sightseeing routes that take visitors to the city's major landmarks and allow passengers to hop on and off as many times as they like and there are also a variety of walking tours.
Visitors are encouraged to get hold of a Barcelona Card; a city card that offers free travel on city transport and discounts and free offers at museums, leisure attractions, nightclubs, shops, restaurants, entertainment and other services.