barcelona

[nextqueen]

thinking of going on a long weekend to barcelona. how easy is it to get from the airport to the city centre. if you also were to book a city break including flight and hotel do you have a transfer to from the airport included in that?

[roslyn251254]

When I was last in Barcelona city centre main square (last Sep) I saw a coach/bus stop for the airport with lots of people using the service.
If you book a city break, transfers can usually be added on before you get to checkout.
(I think they're usually about £15 or less0

[Ankou]

el prat, the main one is only about 6miles out of barcelona so its not far. the one that ryanair fly to is a lot fiurther away so avoid that.

transfers will only be inlcuded if it says it is when you book, you might have to choose that as an additional option for a fee.

but generally, barcelona is one of my favourite cities and i cannot wait to go again.

[jno]

some city breaks include transfers, some don't; read the description in the brochure or online. As Ankou says, check the name of the airport involved too: Ryanair may send you to Girona, about 60 miles south, or Reus, about 50 miles north.

[Mosaic]

If you are flying ryanair to 'Barcelona', you land at Girona which is a lovely city in its own right - not as big as Barcelona but interesting and walkbale. There are buses from Girona airport to both Girona centre and Barcelona centre - both are called something like barcelona bus, which is confusing.

[sitges]

To answer your first question, the train into Barcelona is right at the airport and takes about 10 minutes to get into Barcelona proper. It drops you off at the main train station where you will be able to get the metro to anyplace you wish to go. You can also get into Barcelona from Girona by train which is about an hour long as I remember.

[spudqueen]

If you do fly to Reus you can get a bus (which is timed to meet the flights). It takes about 80 minutes on the bus to get into Barcelona.

[Buenchico]

As others have indicated, Barcelona is served by three airports. Gerona and Reus are both just over an hour away on the direct bus services which connect with Ryanair flights. Barcelona's wonderfully-named El Prat Airport is normally served by a high-speed rail line but that is currently being redeveloped, so travellers have to use local Line 2, with a 19 minute journey into Barcelona Sants station:
http://tinyurl.com/mpytus

There are also several bus services into the city centre:
http://tinyurl.com/2dcjoks

The only way to know whether a city break includes transfer is to read the small print. However travel around Barcelona is so cheap that it's not worth bothering too much about the cost of public transport from El Prat.

Taxi fares are here:
http://www.taxibarcel...bid/3479/Default.aspx

Barcelona is a fantastic city, with loads of history, stunning architecture, fascinating museums, vibrant nightlife, good beaches, great food and bars to suit all tastes. Here's the official website:
http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/

Chris

[nextqueen]

thanks for all your info. i have been reading up on barcelona a lot today especially reviews and i am really put off by the fact that there seems to be so many pickpockets. i just dont think that i could rest easy and enjoy myself if i went, always expecting something unfortunate to happen. Am i getting this out of all perspective?

[jno]

yes, you are rather. Put your purse/wallet in an inside pocket, don't wear your tiara, keep your camera zipped up when not in use, don't wander alone through empty alleyways at night, and you'll be fine, same as you would be in most big cities.

[lardhelmet]

Who would fly to an airport called El Prat?

[jno]

oh, and while Chris is of course right about the cost of transfers, it's also worth checking that they're convenient: websites like tripadvisor will tell you whether a hotel is handy to metro stops and city sights generally.

[bushbaby_de]

RE pickpocketing, I recently went on a uni trip. The people with the type of bags that cross over the front of the body were fine, those that use backpacks tended to find items had 'gone missing' so I would suggest choosing your baggage accordingly :)

[jrtv]

Sat at a cafe table with the wife, she put her bag between her feet and we had a coffee, a bit later we got up to go and the bag had gone, found out later that a telescopic stick had beed used by the people behind us.
Its a great city and lovely beach front with something for everyone, but my advice is to travel lite, take no bags, put money in a zipped pocket, most pickpockets work in a group so be alert and look out for each other.