Public transport in Barcelona has an integrated ticketing system. So you can use the same ticket for the metro, bus, streetcar and train (both the regional train Rodalies and city train FGC). There are different types of tickets for sale and which one is most advantageous for you depends on how much you expect to use public transport in Barcelona. You can also choose from three discount cards and city passes with free ov.
Contents
- Discount card: Hola BCN! Transportcard
- Discount card: Barcelona Card
- All (other) tickets in a row
- Airport tickets
Discount card: Hola BCN! Travel card (Public transport only)
With the Hola BCN! Travel Card you can use unlimited public transportation in the city and to and from the airport during your stay. The card is available from 2 days to a maximum of 5 days and can be used by one person. The card is valid on the metro, bus, streetcar and train in Barcelona.
The Hola BCN! Travel card is especially beneficial if you are staying in Barcelona for several days and expect to use public transportation a lot. The 5-day card costs only 7 euros per day. A lot cheaper than buying separate tickets each time and of course you save time.
An Hola BCN! Travel card for two days costs €15.58 for three days you will pay €22.61, for four days €29.45 and for five days €36.29 You can purchase the card online prior to your city trip, then you are buying the card with the above prices that include 5% discount. You will receive a voucher by mail, which you can redeem in Barcelona. Read my extensive article about the Hola BCN! Travel Card with all the info about this card.
You can also buy the card at ticket machines in Barcelona’s metro and train stations. The disadvantage is that you won’t get the 5% discount that is offered online.
Discount card: Barcelona Card (Public transport and musea)
An alternative to the Hola BCN! Travel Card is the Barcelona Card. This discount card is interesting if you are not only going to use public transportation a lot, but also want to visit museums in Barcelona. The Hola BCN! Travel Card does not give discounts on sightseeing. Read all about the Barcelona Card and what you can use it for.
The Barcelona Card entitles you to unlimited access to public transportation in Barcelona and to and from the airport (bus, streetcar, subway, train) and is valid as an entrance card to almost all museums in the city.
For 72 hours, the card costs €47.70 for adults and €27 for children under 12. For 96 hours, the card costs €56.70 and €36 respectively, and when used for the duration of 120 hours, the card costs €67.50 for adults and €40.50 for children.
Discount card: BCN Essentials Pass (public transport+ Sagrada Família + Park Güell)
The BCN Essentials Pass gives you access to Sagrada Família, Park Güell and unlimited use of public transport in Barcelona in Zone 1 and to and from the airport. You can choose a validity period of 48, 72, 96 or 120 hours for the public transport ticket.
Good to know: you could use the different tickets for the Sagrada Família, Park Güell and public transport on different dates.
The pass costs €72 for adults & €65 for youth between the ages of 13 and 29 with the 48-hour public transport ticket. If you choose the 72-hour public transport ticket validity period, the pass costs €81 for adults & €73 for young people between the ages of 13 and 29. Would you like to use 96 hours of public transport? Then the pass costs €89 for adults & €82 for young people. For 120 hours of public transport validity, the pass costs €98 for adults & €90 for young people.
All (other) tickets in a row
If you don’t know yet how much you will use public transport in Barcelona, you can simply buy a ticket on the spot at the train or subway station. Below is an overview of the tickets you can choose from:
- Bitllet senzill (one way ticket) – Relatively expensive (€2.40 per ticket) and it only allows you to transfer within the same form of public transport (i.e. from metro line to metro line or from bus to bus, but not from bus to metro). Recommended only if you will only use public transport once or twice.
- T- Casual – (€11.35). This individual travel card is valid for 10 trips. If you stay in 1 zone, you have 75 minutes to take over your trip and can therefore transfer for free. This ticket cannot be used by multiple people on the same trip, please check the T-grup or T-familiar for that.
- T-Día (day pass) – This card (€10.50) allows you to use public transport in Barcelona for an entire day – until the last ride is taken.
- T-usual (monthly ticket) – This season ticket (€20) offers unlimited travel in 30 (consecutive) days. When purchasing this ticket, you must bring a valid ID. If you do not live in Barcelona and therefore only have a Dutch or Belgian passport, you can only buy the T-usual at the ticket office and not at the vending machine. For those who live in Barcelona: with an NIE number, the T-usual can be purchased at the machine and the T-usual can also be loaded onto the plastic T-mobilitat card. This Catalan ov-chip card can be ordered through this website and will be at your Spanish address within a week.
- T-jove (unlimited) – The T-jove is a personalized travel card for people under 25. It allows young people unlimited travel for 90 consecutive days for €40 euros. Please note that from 2023 the T-jove will no longer be for sale as a paper ticket, but can only be loaded onto the plastic T-mobilitat card.
- T-grup – Ideal for groups. This travel card can be used by several people on the same trip and has 70 rides. For 1 zone, the card costs €79.45 and allows you to travel for up to 75 minutes.
- T-familiar – This card (€10) is available for one zone and can be used for multiple people on the same trip. The card is valid for 8 trips within 30 days.
- T-16 – This travel card is for one zone and can be used by children aged 4 to 16. This card allows unlimited free travel. This card is available for locals only.
- Airport ticket – A ticket for the subway trip to the airport. The price of the ticket is €5.15.
All the above prices are for zone 1. Below is a price list of the tickets you can also use in the other zones (2 to 6).
Please note that children up to and including 4 years old can travel for free on public transport in Barcelona.
For your information, until December 31, 2023, the prices of the T-usual and T-jove have been reduced by 50% as corrective measures for high inflation. So there is a good chance that these tickets will become much more expensive again from January 1, 2024.
| T-Dia | T-Casual | T-Usual | T-Grup | T-Familiar | T-Jove | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 zone | €10,50 | €11,35 | €20 | €79,45 | €10 | €40 |
| 2 zones | €16,00 | €22,40 | €26,95 | €156,80 | €19 | €52,60 |
| 3 zones | €20,10 | €30,50 | €37,80 | €213,50 | €27 | €73,80 |
| 4 zones | €22,45 | €39,20 | €46,30 | €274,40 | €35 | €90,40 |
| 5 zones | €25,15 | €45,05 | €53,10 | €315,35 | €40 | €103,70 |
| 6 zones | €28,15 | €47,90 | €56,90 | €335,30 | €42 | €111,15 |
The above tickets can be purchased from the vending machines at stations, kiosks and ticket offices of transport companies. When purchasing tickets with which you want to travel for longer periods of time, you need to bring proof of identity.
Please note that the prices listed are for tickets within zone 1. If you stay within Barcelona city you will not go outside that zone, but should you plan to travel to a destination outside the city, you should check which zone the place is within. Logically, the ticket price increases the further you have to travel.
Airport tickets
To get to and from the airport by public transport, you can use train, bus and metro. For bus 46 between the airport and the city and the train between terminal 2 and the city center, you can use the above regular public transport tickets (a one-way ticket at €2.40). Please note that this does not apply to the Aerobus or on the metro, as different fares apply.
For the subway, you also need to buy a separate airport ticket. That ticket costs €5.15 and can be bought at any ticket machine at the station or when entering or leaving the metro at the airport. So you can also pay for this ticket after your trip. With the Hola BCN! Transport Card, the Barcelona Card and the BCN Essentials Pass you can use the subway for free between the airport and the city of Barcelona.
To and from terminal 2 you can also use the train (Rodalies), which shuttles between the airport and Sants train station and Passeig de Gràcia stop, among others. You do not have to pay an extra surcharge for this train on top of your standard public transport card.
