Barcelona El Prat Airport (BCN) BCN: Departure times and transfers

Flying from/to Barcelona El Prat Airport

If you are planning to fly to/from Barcelona El Prat Airport, check out our tips on what’s the best way to travel between the airport and the city center. It’s always good to know, what’s the most convenient way to get to your destination. You can also find some data on the Barcelona El Prat Airport facilities and some local tips on the airport itself.

Travel from Barcelona to Barcelona El Prat Airport

Barcelona is a city known as the home of architect Antoni Gaudí and the inimitable Barcelona F.C., with their tiki-taka soccer style. It is also a city well served by a modern transport system. It has a comprehensive metro service with 160 stops and 12 lines. The city also has 100 bus lines that cover the whole of the city, and two independent tram networks. Reaching into the surrounding areas of the city, there is a good suburban rail network, the Rodalies. All this makes getting from the city center out to Barcelona El Prat Airport ​easy and straightforward.

What's the best way to get to the airport from the city center 

There are three main public transport options for getting out to Barcelona El Prat Airport from Barcelona city center. Since 2016, it’s been possible to take the metro out to the airport by catching the L9 Sud to El Prat Estació. This line is currently under construction with the two ends not yet connected, so to catch this train from the city center it is necessary to take one of the other metro lines, like the L1, out to Torrassa, where the L9S can be boarded. The other rail service from the city center to the airport is the R2 suburban railway service, which runs north south through the city out to the airport. It is also possible to get the bus out to the airport, which is served by the A1 express bus line, otherwise known as the Aerobus. This can be boarded at various points around the city center. If desired, a taxi service is also available.

How far is it from the city center to the airport? 

It’s around 16-kilometers from the city center to the airport. By taxi, the journey takes anywhere between 25 and 45 minutes, although in very bad traffic it may take longer. Catching the R2 suburban railway is the fastest way to make the journey. The train can be boarded from various stations in the city, but going from the central Passeig de Gràcia to the airport with the R2 takes just 18 minutes. Because it’s necessary to change metro lines, it takes a little longer to get the metro out to the airport, with an overall journey time from, for example, Universitat metro, to the airport, of half an hour. The A1 bus from Plaça de Catalunya takes the longest time, but it is still relatively brisk, taking just under 40 minutes to get to terminal 1 at Barcelona El Prat Airport.

What facilities are there at the airport?

Barcelona El Prat Airport has a good selection of boutique shops, including Burberry, Mango and Adolfo Dominquez. It is not so easy to buy food to prepare yourself at the airport, although there are several Sibarium delicatessens and the Airport Market, where passengers can buy snacks. There are, however, plenty of restaurants and cafés at the airport. Available cafés include Eat., Caffe di Fiore, Coofe and Starbucks, while there are restaurants like Tapa Tapa, Piscolabis and MásQMenos for travelers looking for a sit-down meal. There is a free assistance service for passengers that have reduced mobility which can be booked up until 2.5 hours before arrival on the airport’s website.

How accessible is the route for those with limited mobility

Most routes mentioned here are fully accessible for those with limited mobility. All of Barcelona’s buses are adapted for wheelchairs with low-floors and retractable boarding ramps. The tram network has been given Universal Accessibility Certification, and tram doors are both at platform level and wide enough to comfortably accommodate wheelchairs or scooters. In every carriage, there is also a designated wheelchair area. Apart from 14 stations, all 159 metro stations on the Barcelona network are fully accessible including the one at the airport, with elevators between platforms and street level. All city center Rodalies stations, including the R2 line, have elevators and are accessible. The third coach of each Rodalies train is usually step-free.

Local tips: how to travel to the airport like a local

Locals usually take the R2 line from the city center, as it is fast and easy to use. Because all stations on that line have elevators, it is also easy to take on heavy luggage. The best ticket to get is the Hola BCN day ticket, which is about €7 a day (as of October 2019). This gives passengers unlimited use of tram, bus, suburban trains and the metro. The best bit about this ticket is that the metro ride to the airport is included, which would otherwise cost around €10 for a round-trip (as of October 2019).