It is no exaggeration to call the Barcelona Metro one of the most developed types of municipal transport. With its help, you can get to any point not only in the city itself, but also in its surroundings. Despite this, many tourists coming here for the first time, beware of the local subway and call it too confusing and complex. Is this really the case and can the average traveler understand the scheme of the Barcelona metro?
General information
The first line on the Barcelona Metro map was opened by the regional company Gran Metropolitano in the winter of 1924. At that time, it connected Plaza de Cataluña with Lesseps station, and now belongs to the 3rd line. The second metro line (the current L1) appeared almost immediately-literally 2 years later. Its construction, carried out by a rival company Metropolitano Transversal, was timed to coincide with the World’s Fair, held in the capital of Catalonia in 1929. Then there was a small lull in the history of the Barcelona metro, which lasted until the end of the military conflict between the Popular Front and the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. In 1951, both operators were taken over by the city, as a result of which Barcelona’s transport system began to develop at a doubled pace.
Currently, Metro de Barcelona includes 187 stations located on 11 lines. Their total length is 150 km. You can use them to move not only around the city, but also outside it (to Ospitalet de Llobregat, Badalona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Sant Adria de Besos, Ospitalet de Llobregat and other suburban villages). And in order not to get completely confused in all this diversity, always carry a metro map with you.
The local subway has several characteristic features, but the most important among them is the lack of children’s fares. Instead, Barcelona has a special discount system that works when buying several tickets at the same time. And one more thing! This metro became known thanks to the so – called Spanish solution, the essence of which is to have as many as three platforms at the stations-one island and two coastal. Thanks to this design, passengers can enter and exit the car from both sides, which prevents the appearance of crowding and significantly reduces the usual stopping time.
Metro map
Studying the Barcelona metro map, you will probably notice that it consists of 11 branches that do not have names and differ only in color and number:
- L6: Pl. Catalunya-Sarria;
- L11: Trinitate Nova Can Cuias;
- L3: Universitaria Zone-Trinitate Nova;
- L10: La Sagrera-Gorg;
- L2: Parallel-Badalona-Pumpeu Fabra;
- L4: Trinitate Nova La Pau;
- L1: Bellvitge Hospital-Fondo;
- L7: Pl. Catalunya-Avinguda-Tibidabo;
- L5: Cornella Center-Val d’Hebron;
- L9: T1 Airport-Zona Universitaria, La Sagrera-Can Zam;
- L8: Spain Pl. – Moli Nou-Ciutat Cooperative.
While some of them (L1–L5 and L9–L11) are operated by TMB, the others (L6-L8 and S1-S4) belong to Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC). In addition, the Metro de Barcelona diagrams are marked with funicular lines, 2 tram tracks (Trambesòs and Trambaix) and the Spanish railway, which in the general scheme is designated by the letter R (from the company name – Renfe). These stations have their own platforms and most often serve for trips to the recreation centers of Salou, Pineda de Mar, Calella and Blanes.
You can change to R trains at one of 4 key stations: Sants Main Railway Station, Plaza Catalunya, El Airport’Prat or El’cot Arago. Also of note are the 6 metro areas of Barcelona. The first one belongs to the city itself, the second and third belong to the suburbs, and the fourth and fifth belong to the resort towns.
Working hours and driving intervals
Barcelona metro service starts at 5 am, regardless of the day of the week. The only exceptions are those dates when stations are open around the clock:
- June 23-24 (St. John’s Day Eve);
- August 16-17 (Grazia Festival);
- from 20 to 21 and 23 to 24 September (La Merce Festival);
- from December 31 to January 1 (New Year’s Eve).
If you want to know how long the metro is open in Barcelona, please use this hint, because the closing time may vary depending on whether it is a weekday or a weekend:
- Monday-Thursday: until 00: 00;
- Friday and public holiday eve: until 02: 00;
- Saturday: around the clock;
- Sunday: until 00: 00;
- 24.12: until 23: 00.
At the same time, Mas Blau, Mercabarna and L9 Sud Parc Logístic stations are always open from 05: 00 to 00: 00. Trains depart every 5 minutes. The stop takes no more than 2 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to move between the lines.
On a note! Despite the fact that the subway closes a little later on weekends, it becomes more difficult to move around the city. This is due to the fact that the frequency of trains running is noticeably increasing.
How much does the trip cost?
The cost of the Barcelona metro depends on which card you choose to use. Let’s consider only the main ones.
Single Ticket Card
A regular ticket intended for making the 1st trip, with one passenger and one type of transport. Valid for 1 hour and 15 minutes from the moment of composting. The price of the map changes depending on the number of intersected zones:
- 1 – 2,20€;
- 2 – 3,10€;
- 3 – 4,10€;
- 5 – 6,7€;
- 6 – 7,8€.
On a note! When buying a Single Ticket in the metro, you can use both underground and surface transport. If you buy a pass from a bus driver, but you can only ride on it, although the price will be the same! In addition, it is not possible to get from the airport to the city and back.
T-10 map
The T-10 map includes 10 intermodal trips and covers all 6 transport zones. At the same time, it can be used by several passengers at once. The main thing is to drop the ticket in the validator the appropriate number of times. When traveling within the same zone, the cardholder has 75 minutes to transfer from one type of municipal transport to another. When crossing each subsequent zone, this period increases by a quarter of an hour. The date and time of planting are indicated on the back of the ticket at the time of composting.
The main advantage of the T-10 travel card is that it has no validity period. The only drawback is that you can only take the subway once during this time. This means that if you get back on the train before the end of the specified period, you will be charged 1 more trip.
This option is perfect for those who plan to stay in Barcelona for 2-3 days. As for the cost of the T-10 map, it depends on the number of zones crossed:
- 1-10,20€ (it is quite enough to get acquainted with the main city attractions);
- 2 – 20,10€;
- 3 – 27,40€;
- 4 – 35,25€;
- 5 – 40,50€;
- 6 – 43,05€.
On a note! The T-10 pass is not valid on the L9 Sud line, as well as at Aeroport T1 and Aeroport T2 stations.
T-70/30 card
It is a complete analog of the T-10. It differs from it only in the number of trips (in this case, there are 70 of them) and a limited validity period (30 calendar days). In addition, with this map, you can safely ride between the airport and the city. This ticket costs€ 60.90 per zone.
Airport Ticket Card
It is necessary to get from the city to Aeroport de Barcelona-el Prat and back, as well as to move between its two terminals. This map only applies to the subway system. Then it all depends on the scheme of your route – if it is planned to transfer to a bus, you should buy a T-10. This will allow you to avoid overpaying for a one-time ticket. A one-way trip with an Airport Ticket costs€4.60.
On a note! When purchasing this card, don’t forget to check if your arrival time in the city coincides with the time when the metro closes, because if you arrive late at night, you simply won’t be able to use it.
Card for 48, 72, 96, and 120 hours
Designed for a certain number of days – 2, 3, 4 and 5 days. They allow you to use any type of municipal transport, except, perhaps, a tourist bus. The validity period of such travel cards starts from the first trip. Cards that have not been activated are cancelled on the last day of February each year.
Their cost is:
- 48 hours – 15€;
- 72 hours – 22€;
- 96 hours – 28.50€;
- 120 hours – 35€.
On a note! These types of travel cards apply to all lines of the Barcelona metro – including the L9sud, which connects the city with the airport.
T-50/30 card
Individual travel pass designed for 50 trips and providing any number of free transfers from one type of transport to another within 75 minutes from the moment of activation (as in other cases, when crossing different zones, this time increases by a quarter of an hour). Allows you to move between the city and Aeroport de Barcelona-el Prat. It has a limited validity period of 30 calendar days. If the card is used within 1 zone, you will have to pay€45.50 for it.
T-Mes Card
A monthly ticket that entitles you to an unlimited number of trips for one month. It is used on a strictly individual basis. Valid for the L9 Sud line (Aeroport T1 and Aeroport T2 stations). The price of such a ticket is 54€ for 1 zone.
On a note! When using T-Mes, you must have an identity card (national or issued by the operators of the integrated fare payment system). At the same time, the number of this document must be printed on the travel card itself.
You can view all types of maps and the cost of travel on the page
Where and how to buy a ticket?
There are very few typical ticket offices in Barcelona, so to buy a card, you need to look for a vending machine (there are different colors, but most often there are red or yellow ones). Using “Tiquets” is easy:
- Choose your preferred language – French, Spanish, English, or Catalan. But even if you don’t know any of them, don’t worry – these machines have a very user-friendly and intuitive interface;
- Choose the ticket type. As a rule, the most common option is set on the default screen. If it doesn’t suit you, click the “Other”button;
- Enter the payment method – card or cash;
- Select the appropriate zones;
- Specify the required number of travel cards;
- Wait until the final amount (in euros)appears on the screen;
- Pay for your ticket-vending machines accept both bills and coins. Change is also issued.
On a note! You can also buy a ticket or travel card at information centers or customer service points.
Barcelona Metro – how to use it?
If you don’t fully understand how to use the Barcelona metro and read its map, take note of some useful tips:
- After going down, go to the turnstile with the green arrow;
- Insert the ticket into the yellow receiver – it will not only check for paid trips, but also print out their date and time. As for trams and buses, their composters are located directly in the salons;
- Wait for the lockdown to be lifted and proceed to the platform;
- Detailed maps and diagrams are available at each stop. Follow the signs to get to the desired station. There are transitions in the opposite direction almost everywhere;
- You need to keep your travel card or travel card until the end of the trip;
- Ticket controllers check tickets either on the platform or in the car itself;
- The penalty for stowaway travel is 100€. With instant payment, you can save up to 50% of this amount. Penalties also apply to those who forgot or did not consider it necessary to pass the ticket through the composter.;
- Find the entrance to the subway can be a red letter “M”, enclosed in a white rhombus;
- You don’t need to crease or fold the card several times – otherwise the monitoring device won’t let you pass it.;
- If the travel card is demagnetized for any other reason, please replace it with the metro employees. All remaining trips are protected.
On a note! When studying the metro layout, do not confuse metro lines with regional train lines.
Useful tips
When planning to use the Barcelona metro, pay attention to several important nuances::
- In order to get into the car, you need to press the green button located on the entrance door. Only then will they open and you can go inside. The exit from the car is carried out in exactly the same way. By the way, in the old trains, the role of the button is played by a special lever.
- If you don’t have a metro map with you, take a look around – on the Metro de Barcelona platform you can see not only a map of the line you are currently on, but also signs of attractions located in the immediate vicinity of the station. In addition, there is information about which way you should go to get out near the place you need.
- After composting your travel ticket, don’t be too lazy to check the number of debited trips. The fact is that the turnstiles in this metro periodically “hang” and can fix incorrect information.
- After the metro closes, you can only get around the city by taxi or night bus.
- When trying to figure out the layout of the subway, do not forget to carefully monitor your belongings. To avoid becoming a victim of pickpockets, wear a backpack on your chest, not behind your back, do not keep your wallet and mobile phone in your pocket, and place the bag so that it cannot be cut.
