Flights to Barcelona

An ancient past meets a modern present in Barcelona

Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, is the second largest city in Spain, following Madrid. The National Geographic decided that Barcelona was the "best beach city in the world" and it was the first city to receive the RIBA Royal Medal for its modern architecture.  

Festivals, events and when to visit

Barcelona is great to visit all year round, although the spring and summer peak seasons are particularly busy. Dia de los Reyes falls on the 6th January, which is followed by the Barcelona Carnival in February. You'll love the Fiesta Major de Gracia, also held in February and on the 11th September, Catalonia celebrates La Diada de Catalunya, Independence Day.

Considerations before travelling

Prices in Barcelona are cheaper than London. Pan Tomaca con Jamon Serrano and Crema Catalana are examples of delicious and authentic Catalan cuisine. Barcelona is 1 hour ahead of London.  

Travelling to the city and where to stay

El Prat Airport is located around 12 km from central Barcelona and the A1 and A2 Aerobuses provide regular services to Placa de Catalunya, for around 6 euros. An overground train runs from the airport to the city and taxis cost around 20 euros. Hotels in Barcelona start from around 100 euros a night, while hostels cost about 15 euros a night. The metro, trams, buses and overground trains are readily available, and single tickets cost around 3 euros. You can make 10 journeys with a Barcelona Card, which costs around 12 euros and can be used on all public transportation modes. Reductions on admissions to selected museums and attractions are available with the Barcelona Card, although prices will depend upon the duration of your visit.

Airport Barcelona El Prat BCN

Barcelona Airport, officially called Barcelona–El Prat Josep Tarradellas Airport, is also known as El Prat Airport. It is Spain’s second largest airport, momentarily taking up place 9 in Europe. It is about 12 km (7 miles) south of Barcelona’s city centre near El Prat de Llobregat on the Mediterranean coast. The airport was renamed Barcelona–El Prat Josep Tarradellas Airport in February 2019. 

The distance from the airport to the centre of El Prat de Llobregat is 15 km, which is about 9 miles. Cheap flights to Barcelona are operated by many low-cost airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair from major European cities such as Berlin, London and Leeds Bradford.

There are two terminals at Barcelona airport: terminal 1 is the newest terminal and was opened in 2009, terminal 2 has been increasingly used by low-cost airlines in recent years. The top two airlines using Barcelona airport in 2010 were Vueling Airlines and Easyjet with Ryanair also expanding its network in 2012. Besides charter, scheduled, seasonal and low-cost flights, the airport is also used by a number of cargo airlines.

• URL: Official website
• Parking: Yes, paid short stay and long stay car parks.
• Nearby cities: L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (7 km), Barcelona (13 km), Nou Barris (18 km), Santa Coloma de Gramenet (20 km), Badalona (22 km), Sabadell (28 km), Mataró (41 km), Tarragona (72 km)
• Directions by car: C31; C246
• Stations: Line 1, 10 (RENFE)

Location

Car: Barcelona-El Prat Airport is best reached via the motorway (Autovia C-246 via Castelldefels). From the city centre it may also be reached via the bypass in Barcelona.

Bus: The Aerobús (A1) links the Plaça de Catalunya and the Plaça Espanya with the bus stops at Terminals A, B and C. Route 105 runs to El Prat station and route 106 goes to Plaza de Espana.

Train: The airport railway station is called El Prat (Terminal 2) and is on the R2 line (from Terminal 1take a bus). The new RENFE route 10 runs via the stations Sants, Passeig de Gracia from the station França to the airport (the trains run every 30 minutes between the airport and Barcelona city centre). All trains stop at the stations Sants-Estaçio, Plaça Catalunya, Arc de Triomf and Clot-Aragó, which are all linked to the underground network.

Taxis: taxi ranks can be found at terminal 1 in the arrivals zone and at terminal 2.

Car hire: Major international, national and local car hire companies are represented at Barcelona airport, most desks are to be found in Terminal 1, floor 1.