Fares on Barcelona’s public transport network are based on zones, much as they are in London and Paris. Unlike London, the entire city of Barcelona and some adjoining towns are within Zone 1. Zones 2 to 6 cover surrounding towns and cities, which are also included in the integrated fare system.
Different maps, different zones
Many people don’t realize that the zones on the ATM map (Barcelona’s metropolitan transport system) aren’t exactly the same as those on the RENFE map (Spanish train network).
The differences are minor and only affect a few stations, so it’s hard to spot if you check the individual maps online.
However, if you compare the maps side-by-side, you’ll see that there are several discrepancies. One of which is especially interesting for budget-minded travellers visiting Barcelona.
Firstly, Sitges and Mataró are both in Zone 3 on the ATM map and Zone 4 on the RENFE map. More importantly, Barcelona airport is in zone one on the TMB map and zone 4 on the RENFE map!
This means that if you purchase a single RENFE ticket from the airport to Barcelona Sants train station, it will cost you €4.60, whereas if you purchase a T-casual travel pass (10 journeys by bus, metro, tram and train), the same journey on the same train will cost just €1.22.
Another advantage of the T-casual is that it allows you to transfer to the metro or bus as part of the same journey, whereas the single train ticket or Bonotren only covers the train.
Important information about the L9 sud Airport metro
Despite the fact that both airport metro stations are within ATM zone 1, neither the T-casual nor the standard single metro ticket is valid for the airport metro stations. Instead, you have to purchase a special airport ticket, which costs €5.50 for a single journey and is only valid for the metro*.
If you do decide to use the metro to get to and from the airport, you should think about purchasing a Hola Barcelona Travel Card, which allows unlimited transport within zone 1 by metro, bus, train and tram and costs €16.62 for 48 hours when purchased online.
Find out more about Barcelona sightseeing passes and discount cards
If you mistakenly use a standard single-journey ticket or a T-casual to travel to one of the airport metro stations, you will have to purchase an airport ticket in order to be able to exit through the ticket barriers.
*Note: The T-casual and standard single journey tickets are valid when travelling to or from any of the other stations on the L9 sud metro line. You only need the special airport metro ticket when boarding/alighting at the airport T1 or T2 stations.
Zone two towns which sometimes count as zone one
If you look carefully at the ATM zoning map, you’ll see that some areas of Zone 2 (2A, 2B and 2C) are coloured dark green, the same as Zone 1.
The 18 towns in these areas are covered by the Tarifa Metropolitana (Metropolitan Fare). This means that if you start your journey in zone one, the towns are effectively in the same zone, and you can use a one-zone ticket or travel pass. On the other hand, if you begin your journey in zones two or more, then they are in zone 2.
This might sound confusing, but it basically means that if you are travelling from the city centre, then these towns, which are effectively suburbs of Barcelona, are in zone one. On the other hand, if you are travelling from outside Barcelona, they are in zone 2, also saving you the price of an extra zone.
How many zones? Which ticket do I need?
As can be seen from the maps linked above, there are a total of six transport zones radiating out from Barcelona city centre.
When you purchase a single-journey ticket, you can simply select your destination; no need to worry about which transport zone it’s in.
If you will be travelling outside of Zone 1 and want to save money by purchasing a multi-trip travel pass (T-casual, T-Jove, etc…), you will have to decide the number of zones needed.
To do this, you simply need to work out how many successive zones you will be travelling in, to a maximum of six zones.
For example, if you will be travelling from Barcelona (zone 1) to Mataró (zone 3), you need a 3-zone ticket, travelling in zones 1-2-3.
From Calella (zone 4) to Blanes (zone 5), you need a 2-zone ticket, travelling in zones 4 & 5.
The only exception is if you will be travelling between two consecutive stations, which happen to be in different zones. For example, from the last station in Zone 3 to the first station in Zone 4. In this case, you only need a 1 zone travel pass.
As always, if you’ve any questions, comment below, and I’ll do my best to answer them.
All prices and fares mentioned in this post were checked and updated in February 2024.
Hi,
We are staying in Molins De Rei for 4 days. We only plan to travel into Barcelona centre, so is a 4 day Hola Barcelona card the best option? I understand we can travel Into Zone 2B from the City, but i’m confused as to whether we can travel into the City starting in Zone 2B. Thanks
Hi Dave,
Yes, Molins de Rei is covered by the metropolitan tarrif (Tarifa Metropolitana) so you can use a one zone travel card when travelling to and from Barcelona.
If you will only be using public transport to travel to and from Barcelona, eight journeys in total, and not taking any additional journeys within the city, then a one zone T-familiar will probably work out cheaper. There’s more information and a comparison of the different cards which are available in this post.
Hi, Thanks for the information. I have a question can I travel to sant andreu de la barca or palleja in 2B zone from Barcelona with Zone 1 T-usual ticket by FGC?
Thanks, have a good day :)
Hi Chaman,
Sant Andreu de la Barca and Pallejà (zone 2B) are both covered by the Metropolitan Tarrif, so you can use a one-zone ATM travel card like the T-Usual to travel there from Barcelona.
Hi, I want to go to vall de nuria this weekend for a day trip but can’t find any very easy way to get there. I keep seeing that I should take the train to ribes de freser on the R3 line and from there the rack railway. i have a t-jove card and haven’t been paying enough attention to know which specific modes of transport are available to me with this card. So could I take this r3 line for free or would i have to get a separate indv. ticket? And if i have to do that, do you know how? Thanks!
Hi Zach,
Unfortunately, the T-Jove doesn’t cover you as far as Ribes de Freser; if you’re studying in Barcelona, I imagine you’ve only got a 1-zone T-Jove, but even the six-zone version (which is the most that you can get) don’t cover the journey to Ribes de Freser.
As you say, you can catch the R3 train from Plaça de Catalunya to Ribes de Freser (it takes about two and a half hours) and then take the rack railway.
The train timetable is here and the rack railway here.
It looks like there’s a combined ticket which covers both the R3 train and the rack railway, so if I were you, I’d ask about that at the train station. (Info here)
Hi Richard,
we will be travelling
1/ first to Colonia Guell from L’Hospitalet Av. Carrilet, have a quick tour in Colonia Guell. And then 2/ we will be heading to Montserrat from Colonia Guell.
Which tickets do I need in case we are 2 adults, 2 kids aged 13 and 10.
I suggest to Colonia Guell T familiar for 2 zones (zone 1 and 2) – 4 journeys, and for Colonia Guell to Montserrat T familiar for 3 zones (zone 2, 3 and 4)) – 4 journeys. On the way back I will use firstly a 3 zone ticket (4 remaining journeys) and then a 2 zone ticket (4 remaining journeys).
Is this a good suggestion for our trip?
Can I mark a 2 zone ticket in the same train?
Would be greatful for your answers.
Hi Serena,
First, the good news! Although Colonia Güell is in zone 2A, it is also covered by the Metropolitan Tarrif mentioned in the post above, so you can use a one-zone ticket to travel there from Barcelona and/or L’Hospitalet. Depending on how much you plan to use public transport during your stay, a pass such as a one-zone T-familiar will probably be a good choice. It really depends on what you will be doing during the rest of your stay.
You could then use a three-zone T-familiar to travel onwards to Montserrat
Unfortunately, you can’t use two tickets for the same journey and validate the second one on the train as you described.
I think that your best option will be to purchase a one-zone T-familiar for the journey to Colonia Güell, assuming you will use the remaining four one-zone journeys at some time during the rest of your stay.
Then you could purchase a four-Zone T-familiar, which you would use for the journey to and from Montserrat.
It might not seem ideal but will still save you about six Euros when compared to purchasing four three-zone tickets and four four-zone tickets.
By the way, if you haven’t seen it already, I recommend you read my guide to visiting Montserrat from Barcelona.
Richard, thank you so much for your reply. We will be travelling a lot during 8 days in Barcelona so in case Colonia Guell is covered in Zone 1, the best option will be T-usual and then four-zone ticket T-familiar for our trip to Montserrat.
Hi Serena,
The best thing to do is work out a rough plan to get an idea of how many journeys you will be making and then compare the different cards; T-usual, T-casual, Hola Barcelona Travel Card and possibly the T-grup.
There’s more information in this post.
does T-familiar cover bus T3 from cruise ship terminal to Columbus monument, or do we need to buy a separate ticket for this bus
Hi Colleen,
No, unfortunately, the T-familiar and other passes don’t cover the bus to/from the cruise ship terminals; you have to purchase a separate ticket.
Hello, Richard,
I will be in Barcelona in March for 10 days. I’m staying in Santa Perpetua de Mogoda, I believe that is in Zone 2D. We will be going to Barcelona almost everyday and spend most of the day there. I was hoping to be able to get the tourist metro card but I don’t think that is going to be the most cost effective. Should we just get the T-casual 2 zones? How long does it last for? I guess is my question. I don’t want to pay $22.40 if it is only going to last a day, with that price I might as well get a rental car instead. Thanks so much!
Hi Sariah,
Firstly, you are right. Unfortunately, the Hola Barcelona Travel Card is only valid for zone-1, so it won’t cover you.
The T-casual doesn’t have a time limit*, it’s valid for ten journeys, and there’s not a fixed number of days.
*To be pedantic, it’s valid until the price goes up, which means that if you purchase one now, it will be valid for at least until January 2024.
Depending on how long you are here and how many are in your group, the most cost-effective way might be to purchase a 2-zone T-casual or T-familiar for the journeys to and from Santa Perpètua de Mogoda and then a one-zone T-casual or T-familiar for journeys within zone 1.
Hi there I’m totally confused by the rules of the t-casual and t-familiar… please can you help.
We want to travel by train from Airport T2 to Pla de Palau .
Am I right in thinking we could swap from train to metro at Passeig de Garcia train station?
Also I don’t understand how many zones the T-casual /T-Familiar ticket would need to cover?
Thank you in advance
Hi Jayne,
Yes, you can do that, and it would count as one journey on a T-Casual or T-familiar.
You need a one-zone ticket for that journey.
The main difference between the T-familiar and the T-casual is that the T-familiar can be shared by several people travelling together, whereas the T-casual is unipersonal, meaning that it cant be shared.
There’s more information about the different tickets and passes in this post.
Hope this helps, life anything’s still unclear don’t hesitate to ask.
Hi Richard. I’m normally pretty good with public transport systems, but am baffled right now! Three of us need to go from the ferry terminal to Platja del Castelldefels (same day out and back). What is the easiest/cheapest way? Singles on the train seem very expensive. Don’t mind bus/train. And we’re happy to walk to stops (eg 30 min walk to a stop if necessary). Many thanks. Clare.
Hi Clare,
The best combination I can think of would be to walk from the ferry terminal to the Drassanes metro stop (ten minutes or so) and then catch the L3 metro three stops to Passeig de Gracia. From here, you can catch the train (R2Sud) to Platja de Castelldefels.
Since there are three of you, the cheapest way to do this would be to purchase a 1-zone T-familiar, which costs €10 and could be shared between the three of you.
The T-familiar is valid for eight combined journeys (metro plus train), so one T-familiar will be more than enough for three returns.
There’s more info about the T-familiar in this post.
That’s a total cost of €3.33 per person, there and back which seems pretty good value to me ;-)
Hello Richard,
Thank you for the post and Q&A, that’s very helpful.
A quick question. I have a T-usual card and am going to airport on the 27th.
Is T-usual enough for using the L9 sud to get to Terminal 1 or would I need to buy an airport ticket?
I was planning to use A1, but if the L9 sud is covered with my T-usual – I would rather choose that option.
Thanks in advance
Hi Nina,
Yes, the T-usual is valid for the airport metro stations.
Hi Richard,
If you have a T-usual pass for zone1 for one month. If you want to take a singular trip to another zone, do you pay the full single trip price, or are you able to partially use your pass and pay the difference?
Thanks,
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
Unfortunately, you will have to buy a separate ticket for the entire journey.
There’s no way of “extending” the T-usual for individual journeys.
Hi Richard,
We will be travelling to Barcelona El Prat Airport next week and we will be staying near Premià de Mar station. I believe the Premià de Mar station is in zone 2. We (three adult) will be there for 5 days including the first day coming to Barcelona and fifth day leaving the city from Barcelona El Prat.
We are thinking of purchasing T-Casual tickets from travelling to Barcelona. I assume this is the more economical than buying daily tickets?
Would T-Casual work for the trains from Airport to Premià de Mar station? What is the cheapest travel option from the airport to the hotel? Can foreigner buy T-Usual as it may work for the trains from the airport?
Thank you.
Hi John,
That is correct, Premià de Mar is in ATM zone 2, so you can use a 2-zone T-Casual to travel from the airport.
Am I right in thinking that you will travel from the airport to Premià de Mar on the arrival day, will stay there for five days before returning to the airport on the last day and won’t travel into Barcelona on the other days?
If so, then, for three adults, that is a total of six journeys, in which case the cheapest option will be to purchase a 2-zone T-familiar at the airport train station and share it between the three of you. The 2-zone T-familiar currently costs €19. Don’t forget to validate the ticket once per person before boarding the train.
Hi Richard,
Thank you so much for the advice.
We will be travelling to Bracelona and back for three days (6 journey per person).
One travel for the first day and another one to the airport for the last day.
Total 2+6 = 8 journeys per person . Total 24 journeys for three of us.
In that case, would be more economical to buy three Zone2 T- Casual than T-Familia?
Thank you
Hi John,
Currently, three T-casuals will be cheaper because there’s a discount until the end of the year.
Hi Richard
Thanks for providing so much great information. We are arriving Barcelona on Saturday 8th October and travelling onwards to Tarragona. We will make the return journey 5 days later and may take a trip to Barcelona and Sitges during whilst based in Tarragona.
Ideally I would like to purchase a T-familiar for 6 zones at the airport station prior to travelling to El Prat de Llobregat and changing to the (Southbound) train for Vilanova i la Geltrú. From there we could catch a train into Tarragona )or St.Vicenç de Calders if I have to disembark to) validate the T-familiar.
Am I required to disembark and exit the station at St.Vicenç de Calders, or can I stay on the train to Tarragona? I wish to travel this way so as to enjoy the views and avoid the route through Barcelona Sants. Are my plans sound or am I missing something obvious?
Many thanks
Des
Hi Des,
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think that Sant Vincenç de Calders has a train station and therefore don’t understand your plan.
The disadvantage of changing trains at Barcelona El Prat de Llobregat instead of Barcelona Sants is that not all southbound trains stop there, so the journey may take longer. You can check the timetables here, here and here.
If you plan to make the journey from Barcelona to Tarragona several times you could purchase a BonoExpres which costs €57.50 for ten journeys and can be shared by two or more people travelling together.
Hi Richard,
From the 1st until the 4th of September a group of 9 people are taking a trip to Barcelona. We will stay in a villa in Alella (Street: Carrer Turó de les Monges). We want to buy bus tickets beforehand, and we are wondering what the best option is for us. We wanted to buy the T-dia card for 3 days and for as many zones as needed, but we cant figure out in which zone we are. Also, we wonder if you can take any form of transport with these tickets. Can you please help us out?
Greetings!
Hi Zohra,
Alella is in transport zone 2, so you would need a 2 zone T-dia, although I doubt that the T-día will be the best value for money. This post explains the most popular transport, and sightseeing passes. I recommend you plan a rough itinerary and then, once you’ve worked out how many times you will be using public transport, take a look at the T-familiar, which can be shared between up to eight people travelling together.
To get the best value, you could use a 2-zone pass for transport between Alella and Barcelona and then a one-zone card for transport within Barcelona.
The “T” travel cards (T dia, T-familiar, T-casual etc.) can all be used for travel on commuter trains, TMB buses (plus some other bus companies), the Barcelona metro and the tram.
The e19 bus, from Barcelona to Alella is run by Sagalés and is covered by the “T” travel cards.
Hi Richard,
My sister and I will be traveling to Barcelona September 9-13. We arrive mid day on the 9th and leave mid day on the 13th. My plan is to buy the Hola Barcelona card for 3 days for the 10th-12th, an Aerobus ticket to and from the airport for the 9th and the 13th and a T-casual card for the half days of the 9th and the 13th. We don’t plan on going too far on the half days so I figured buying the extra day of the Hola card wouldn’t be worth it. I might be wrong. I don’t know if that’s too much work as I saw on another website that there are long ques to buy tickets at the stations. Please let me know if that sounds like a good plan or if you have any advice. We are staying in the gothic quarter and will need one transfer on the metro from the Aerobus drop off (according to google maps). And I would be buying all those cards for each of us as I know we can’t share any tickets.
Thank you,
Jess
Hi Jess,
I’m going to address the points you raise in order.
Firstly, the Hola Barcelona Travel Cards are valid for periods of 24 hours from their first use, not calendar days. This means that if you were to purchase a 96-hour Hola Barcelona Travel Card and use it at 12:00 on the 9th of September, it would expire at 11:59 on September the 13th. So you don’t need to purchase a five-day pass or waste any part days.
Secondly, I don’t know where you read about long queues to buy tickets at metro and train stations. Although it is true that there are often long queues at the airport metro and train stations, this isn’t normally the case at other stations. At most stations, although there may be queues to purchase tickets, they’re not usually very long. Plus, when you purchase the Hola Barcelona travel card online, you receive a voucher which you have to redeem either at the station or at a Tourist Information Office anyway. Since you take the Aerobus to Plaça de Catalunya, you could wait and pick up your Hola Barcelona Travel Passes there.
Finally, if you do decide that you want to share a travel pass, then the T-familiar, which costs €10 for 8 journeys, can be shared between multiple people. You need to validate it once per person travelling. The ticket is stamped each time it is validated and one journey is deducted.
There’s more information about the Hola Barcelona, T-familiar and T-casual travel cards in this post.
Thank you Richard. I did end up ordering the 4 day hola Barcelona card. Thanks for all the information.
Jess
You’re welcome, Jess
Hi Richard, Thank you for your info. I have a hotel in Molins del Rei, and I have just realized that it is in zone 2b, which sometimes is considered as an area 1. Can I use Hola card to travel between my hotel and the city? Thank you. El
Hi El,
Yes, Molins del Rei is covered by the Metropolitan Tarif, so you can use the Hola Barcelona Card to Travel to and from Barcelona.
Hi, I bought the Hola BCN travel card.
Can I reach Viladecans the style outlet with this card or do I have to buy another ticket?
Hi Vale,
Yes, you can use the Hola Barcelona Travel Card. Viladecans is in ATM transport zone 1. Take the R2 train 3 stops from Barcelona Sants.
Hi Richard,
We will be travelling to Barcelona in next month and will stay in Holiday Inn Molins de Rei, may I know this location consider as a Zone 1 or Zone 2 ? I will travel with my wife and my daughter who is 17 years old, any suggestion which type of transportation ticket will be the best for us for 5 days use in Barcelona ?
Thank you very much.
Brgds
Ivan
Hi Ivan,
Molins de Rei is covered by the Tarifa Metropolitana, meaning that although it is in zone 2, you can use a 1-zone travel card to travel into Barcelona.
As for which card is best, the TMB is currently running an offer whereby there’s a 30% discount on T-casuals until the end of the year. That’s 10 journeys for just €7.95.
We are going to be staying in Pineda de mar and want to go to Barcelona for the day to have a look around. Two adults with two children ages 13 and 8. Which train and ticket do we need?
Hi Dee,
For the journey from Pineda de Mar to Barcelona, I recommend you purchase a four-zone T-familiar, which is valid for a total of eight journeys and can be shared between multiple people travelling together. That way, the journey to and from Barcelona for the four of you will cost just €35.
To get to the centre of the city, you can take the R1 train from Pineda de Mar to Barcelona Plaça de Catalunya, which is the most central station in Barcelona and close to many of the main tourist sights.
The T-familiar allows you to combine the train with the metro, bus or tram as part of one journey. So, for example, if you want to start your day by visiting the Sagrada Familia, you could take the R1 from Pineda de Mar to Barcelona el Clot Aragó, where you transfer to the L2 metro to Sagrada Familia.
There’s more info about travel passes in this post, and more info about visiting the Sagrada Familia here.
Hi Richard,
Thank you for the information. I am coming to Barcelona alone soon for 10 days and planning to use it as a hub to visit nearby cities and villages as day trips such as Sitges, Blanes, Lloret de mar and Tossa de Mar (I know need to take a train from Blanes for that)
What is the best option for what I’m planning?
I was thinking about getting a Hola Barcelona Card. Does it allow to reach Sitges and Blanes, for example?
Hi Loubna,
The Hola Barcelona Travel Card only covers travel zone one so you can’t use it to get to Sitges, Blanes etc.
Sitges is in ATM zone 3 and RENFE zone 4
Blanes is in ATM zone 5 and RENFE zone 6
Both Lloret and Tossa de Mar are beyond the Barcelona travel zones and can be reached by taking a train to Blanes followed by a bus run by the Pujol bus company. Alternatively, there are direct buses from Barcelona which are slightly quicker but less frequent.
A single train ticket to Blanes from Barcelona costs €6.90.
A single train ticket to Sitges from Barcelona costs €4.60.
Since you will be taking a total of six journeys, I think that a five-zone T-Familiar will work out cheapest at €40, which includes transport on the metro within Barcelona to get to the train station as part of the same journey if needed.
You will also need to purchase the ticket to Lloret and Tossa separately.
HI, thanks for such a great website. I’m feeling a little silly asking as you have done a great job at listing the options, but I am wondering if you can help please? Hi Richard, We arrive in Barcelona by plane, and are staying in Villasar de Mar – just south of Mataro. We will rest up a couple of days and just stay in Mataro area then head to Barcelona over the course of about 4-5 days, and one day to Montserrat. Is Renfe our best option for travel? and which card do you recommend for us to purchase please? Many thanks
Hi Helen,
How many people are in your group? Are you flying in to Barcelona El Prat airport?
Hi, we are a family of 6 spending 3 days at a Hotel near Sants Station and then 7 days in Canet de Mar, leaving and returning from El Prat Airport. Whilst we are in Barcelona I expect we will be using the metro to get around the City and once we are in Canet de Mar we probably won’t travel much save possibly to visit a couple of towns on the same line. Please could you let me know what RENFE zone Canet de Mar is in and what sort of tickets/travel passes will suit us best. Many thanks
Hi Caroline,
Canet de Mar is in RENFE zone 4 and also in ATM zone 4.
You don’t say how old your kids are, so I’m going to assume that they are four years or above and suggest you purchase a 4-zone Bonotren and use it to get from Barcelona Sants to Canet de Mar and then back to Barcelona by train on the last day. The bonotren covers ten journeys and can be shared between multiple people, meaning that you’ll also need to purchase two additional single journey train tickets on the last day.
For travel within Barcelona, you could either purchase multiple 1 zone T-familiars or, depending on how much you will be using public transport, you could consider buying a T-grup. However, the cost per journey isn’t much cheaper than the T-familiar, so you have to be sure you will use all the trips to get your money’s worth.
That’s really helpful, thanks very much
You’re welcome Caroline
Hello
My husband and me are visiting in October. We are staying in Sitges for a week but want to visit barcelona for a couple of days to see the sights. What’s the best and to use to get from airport to sitges and back again and also to have 3 days visiting Barcelona ? Thanks for your help.
Hello Emma,
There are two public transport options from Barcelona Airport to Sitges, which is most convenient depends on which terminal you will arrive at. Bus Garraf operate buses from terminal one to Sitges with departures every thirty minutes or so throughout the day, timetable here.
From terminal two, you can take the airport train to Barcelona El Prat de Llobregat where you change trains and catch the R2 southbound to Sitges, timetable here. There’s more information about these services in this post.
Both of the services are part of the ATM and are covered by travel passes such as the T-Familiar and T-casual. Since there are two of you and you will be taking a total of 6 trips between Barcelona and Sitges, for two people travelling together that’s a total of 12 journeys. Sitges is in Zone 3, so you need a three-zone T-casual (unipersonal) or T-familiar (multiperson). I think that the cheapest option will be to purchase a three-zone T-Familiar which costs €27.00 for eight journeys and can be shared between the two of you. You will then need to purchase single tickets for the remaining 4 journeys at €4.60 each.
For transport within Barcelona, depending on how much you plan to use public transport, you can choose between a one-zone T-familiar or a Hola Barcelona Travel Card. There’s more info about both these passes in this post.
The T-familiar can be purchased at the machines in the train station at terminal 2 or from the tobacconist near the exit from terminal one. You can’t purchase them from the bus driver.
Thanks for helping what a great website you have !
You’re welcome Emma
Hi,
Me and my friend are staying in Barcelona for 8 days. We are planning to use the public transport but not sure what ticket to buy.
Firstly, we will travel from the airport to the city centre and back, we are planning to go to Parc Güell, is that still part on zone 1? And we are planning to go to Sitges for 1 day. We are staying in the city centre overall and also might use buses to get to the beach.
I was planning to buy the return tickets for the aerobus and the train tickets for Sitges based on the above info and maybe buy the T-familiar?
What is the cheapest ticket to buy for these journeys in your opinion?
Hi Anna,
Both the airport and Park Güell are in ATM zone are in ATM zone 1.
The airport metro requires a “special” airport ticket, but you can use a 1-zone T-casual or T-familiar for the airport train. The Aerobus is also not covered by the T-casual or T-familiar, but if you’re staying near Plaça de Catalunya it’s almost as fast as getting a taxi, so I think that the convenience more than makes up for the extra expense, especially when you are arriving at terminal 1. There’s more information about airport transport in this post.
You can use the T-familiar or T-casual to get to Park Güell by metro or bus, or a combination of both.
Since you will be here for eight days, I recommend you consider purchasing a T-casual each, it’s slightly cheaper than the T-familiar, the only difference is that it can’t be shared. Once you’ve used up the T-casuals, you can decide whether to buy another T-casual each or share a T-familiar for the remainder of your stay.
The cheapest ticket for Sitges is to purchase a single train ticket at the machines at the train station, which will cost €4.60.
Hi, I school in eixample and where I got an apartment is in Sant quirze del valles.
What zone ticket do I need to purchase for my going and coming and the fee
Thank you.
Hi Rita,
Sant Quirze is in zone 2 and you’ll need a 2-zone ticket to get to Barcelona.
The single fare for this journey (from Sant Quirze to either Provença or Plaça de Catalunya by FGC line S2) is €3.40 but if you will be travelling frequently there are several multi-trip tickets which have the advantage that they are integrated with the Barcelona bus and metro system.
Which is most suitable will depend on how many times you will be making the journey and how old you are.
Hello, I would be very grateful if you could clarify few things for me. We are a family of 4 will be travelling from Terminal 2 to Calella. We are planning to buy T-familiar 4 zones card to use from Barcelona Sants to Calella. My question is: what ticket do we need to buy for 4 of us to travel by Renffe train R2 Nord from Terminal2 to Barcelona Sants? Can we use T-familiar for 4 zones from Termonal 2 up to Calella, or we need a differen ticket?
Hi Iryna,
You can purchase the T-familiar at the airport train station and use it for the entire journey from the airport through to Calella, including changing trains.
Although you could change trains at Barcelona Sants, and indeed that is what most websites recommend, I prefer to transfer at Barcelona El Clot Aragó which is a smaller station and less busy.
Take the R2 Nord from the airport to Barcelona El Clot Aragó (arrives at platform 2) and then take the R1 northbound from platform 4 to Calella.
As long as you don’t exit through the ticket barriers and leave the station, this counts as one journey, so one T-familiar (8 journeys) is enough to get the four of you from the airport to Calella and back.
Thank you so much for the answer. Is it possible to change the platform 2 at Barcelona El Clot Aragó to platform 4 to Calella without exiting through the ticket barriers?
Thank you.
Hi Iryna,
Yes, here’s what you need to do.
As you disembark the train at platform 2 you should turn left, towards the rear of the train. At the end of the platform, you’ll see a lift, some stairs and an escalator. Take the lift (or the escalator) up to the vestibule.
As you exit the lift, you will see that the ticket barriers are in front of you. Turn left before you come to the ticket barriers and you will see another set of stairs and an elevator which take you down to platforms 3 and 4, and beyond that another set of ticket barriers. The two elevators are about 10m apart at most.
You can’t go wrong, because Barcelona El Clot Aragó is a very small station and there are only two pairs of platforms, each with a train line on each side. Platforms 1 and 2, and platforms 3 and 4.
Thank you much Richard for your answers, very clear explanation.
You’re welcome Iryna
Thanks for the information. I have a few train questions.
Can I use T-Casual Zone 1 to get from Les Planes to Airport? If not, how and how much will it cost?
Can I use T-Casual Zone 1 to get from Les Planes to Sitges? If not, how and how much will it cost?
How to get from Sitges to BCN Airport?
Hi DS,
Yes, Les Planes is in zone one so you can use a one-zone T-Casual to get to and from the airport. Les Planes is on the FGC network so to get to the airport using the T-casual, you can take lines S1 or S2 to Plaça de Catalunya. From here you take the R1 train to Barcelona Sants followed by the R2 to the airport. This will take just under an hour and counts as one journey on the T-casual.
You can’t use the 1-zone T-casual to get to Sitges, because Sitges is in Zone 3. You could however use the T-casual for the first part of the trip, From Les Planes to Plaça de Catalunya and then purchase an additional ticket for the RENFE train from Plaça de Catalunya to Sitges which will cost €4.60.
From Sitges to the airport, you can either take the train to Barcelona El Prat de Llobregat, followed by another train (one stop) to the Airport or there are direct buses which are run by Bus Garraf.
I am travelling between the airport and Pineda De Mar too and wondering if purchasing these tickets are straightforward at the station and is the T ticket cheaper for a family of 3 please? If I am not landing at the right terminal to catch the train is it simple to reach the departing station? Many thanks!
Hi Vicky,
The four-zone T-familiar (which covers the journey from the airport to Pineda de Mar) costs €35 for eight journeys and can be shared between a group of people travelling simultaneously.
A single train ticket from Barcelona airport to Pineda de Mar costs €5.50. If you will make the journey once in each direction, for a group of three people, you’ll need six tickets at a total cost of €33.00. If your child is younger than four years old, they can travel free of charge and don’t need a ticket. If they are four years old or above they will have to purchase the adult fare.
So in your case, assuming you won’t be using the T familiar for any additional journeys, it would work out cheaper to purchase individual train tickets.
It’s easy to purchase both types of tickets from the machines at the airport train station which is located at terminal 2. You simply need to type in the name of the station to which you will be travelling and then select the ticket type you require. By default, the machines are in Catalan but you can change the language to English. If I remember right, there’s a small icon with flags at the bottom left corner of the screen. The machines accept cash and credit/debit cards. If you have any trouble, there’s also a ticket desk at the station, although there are usually queues so it’s quicker to use the machines.
The train station is at terminal 2, if your flight lands at Terminal 1, there’s a free shuttle bus that takes you to terminal two. There’s a covered footbridge near the bus stop which takes you to the train station. There’s a detailed description of how to get to the airport train station from both terminals in this post.
To get from Barcelona Airport to Pineda de Mar, take the R2 Nord train to Barcelona-El Clot Aragó train station (the airport train arrives at platform 2) then take the R1 northbound to Pineda de Mar, which departs from platform four. Timetables here. You’ll see that not all R1 trains go as far as Pineda de Mar. There are signs on the platforms which indicate where each train will stop plus it is announced over the tannoy system before the trains arrive. The trains also have illuminated signs on the front, and on the side of the carriages. Be on the lookout for trains with the final destination of Maçanet Massanes, Figueres or Portbou. If you do happen to get on a train which terminates before Pineda de Mar it’s no big deal, just stay on until it terminates and then wait there for the next train to Pineda.
What is the cheapest ticket to purchase from Malgrat de Mar to Barcelona. We normally buy the Bono which is over 38€ is there a cheaper way.
Hi Karan,
Assuming that you will be making the journey enough times to justify it, then the five-zone Bonotren is the cheapest option. As you have said, it currently costs €38.20 for ten journeys.
If you will be transferring to the metro in Barcelona as part of the same journey then you could look at the five-zone T-familiar which costs €40 (8 journeys and can be shared) or T-casual which costs €45.05 (10 journeys but unipersonal).
Hi,
Sorry for the double post but another question popped up as we were discussing our trip. If we buy a t-usual card which is valid for 30 days are the zones calculated over all 30 days or do they reset daily. So if we have a 4 zone card and we travel from La Garriga to Barcelona on day 1, could we travel from La Garriga (Zone 4) to Santa Suzanna (Zone 5 ) on day 2? Or would this mean we have travelled over 5 zones within the month so need a 5 zone card?
Thanks
Hi Stephen,
Assuming that you are always travelling from or to the station where you first validated the pass, the number of zones applies to the number of zones travelled through in each individual journey.
Hallo Richard,
I’m in Barcelona now and stay in Mollet area. If I’m going to visit the Beach and the City, it’s far like ca. 20km, do you know which Zone are they and it’s possible to use Hola Barcelona Card. Appreciate for some infos. Thank you!
Kind regards,
Anne
Hi Anne,
Unfortunately, Mollet del Vallès is in zone two so you won’t be able to use a Hola Barcelona Travel Card for this journey. I recommend you take a look at the two-zone T-casual.
Hello!
Thanks for the information. It was very helpful. I have a question about travelling with a tcasual zone 4 ticket. Can I use the tcasual zone 4 ticket for travelling just in zone 1, too?
I need the zone 4 ticket but having 10 journeys on the ticket, I want to use all the journeys possible. Which means I am thinking about using 2 journeys of the tcasual zone 4 just for travelling in zone 1, for the tourist attractions that are a bit far away in zone 1.
Summary: Can I use a tcasual zone 4 ticket for taking a journey just in zone 1?
Thanks!
Hi Kristin,
Yes, you can use a 4-zone T-casual for journeys within zone one.
Hi Richard
I am travelling to Barcelona with another adult and 4 teens (all over 16) in July. Our accommodation is in Casteldellfels but we fly into Barcelona airport. I was thinking of getting the hola card for a few days but does this card go as far as Casteldellfels. Can you advise the best routes from the airport to Castdellfels, please?
Thanks
Hi Phillipa,
Castelldefels is in transport zone one and you can use the Hola Barcelona Travel Card when travelling to and from Barcelona on the Rodalies commuter trains (R2 Sud), as well as the metro, buses, trams etc. within Barcelona.
However, buses within Castelldefels and the L99 bus from the airport (only stops at terminal one) to Castelldefels are run by the company Baixbus and you can’t use the Hola Barcelona card on their buses.
Since there are six of you travelling together, a taxi from the airport works out quite inexpensive. There are normally plenty of six-seater taxis available at the airport, just tell the taxi marshalls that you are travelling together. Depending on which terminal you land at and where you are staying in Castelldefels the journey will cost somewhere between €35 and €40.
If you want to use public transport, and the Hola Barcelona Travel Card, there are several routes to choose from which should take around 45 minutes, depending on connections.
If you land at terminal 2 then you can take the R2 Nord train one stop to Barcelona El Prat de Llobregat followed by the R2 Sud to Castelldefels. At this point, it’s worth mentioning that there are two train stations in Castelldefels: Castelldefels and Platja de Castelldefels which is near the beach. They’re both on the same line but not all trains stop at Platja de Castelldefels.
If you’re landing at terminal one then you could take the L9 metro from the airport to El Prat followed by the R2 Sud train to Castelldefels.
There is also a direct bus from terminal T1 to Castelldefels (L99) but, as mentioned above, it isn’t covered by the Hola Barcelona Travel Card.
Hello I’m travelling from Barcelona to either Santa Susana or Blanes in order to get to marine land. There’s 3 adults and 3 kids under 16 what’s the best ticket to get? Thanks
Hi Mo,
To be able to give you the best possible answer, I need you to tell me whereabouts will you be staying in Barcelona? Are you staying near a train station or will you also need to take the metro?
Are any of the kids under four years old?
Hi Richard,
Great website, very informative thank you for your effort in providing such useful information.
We (two adults) are flying Vueling into Barcelona later this month and going up to Santa Susanna to stay.
I’ve had a good read through your website and various comments, so in true Master and Apprentice style would I be correct in understanding that we would land at terminal 2 El Prat airport and catch the free shuttle bus to Terminal 2 (Not possible to walk) in order to catch the R2 Nord train to Barcelona Sants station (3rd stop), then change to R1 train to Santa Susanna. We think that probably a T-10 5 zone ticket would work for us, what do you think?
We may well during the week try to go to watch the F1 Grand Prix via the train and assume that we go back to Sants station and change train to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Would our T-10 5 zone ticket be suitable? (Needless to say that we would be buying a T-10 ticket each)
Many thanks
Paul
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the feedback, I’m glad to hear you’ve found the site helpful.
I think there’s a typo in your comment because Vueling normally uses Terminal One so, as you say, you’ll need to catch the free shuttle bus to Terminal 2 to catch the train to Santa Susanna. You’re right in assuming that you can’t walk between the terminals.
Instead of changing trains at Barcelona Sants, I recommend you stay on the R2 Nord until Barcelona El Clot Aragó and change trains there because it’s a smaller station than Sants. The airport train arrives at platform 2 at El Clot Aragó station and the R1 northbound departs from platform 4. Some R1 northbound trains terminate before Santa Susana, either in Mataró or Calella. If you mistakenly get on one of these trains you just need to stay on the train until it terminates and then wait for the next northbound train.
As for the T-10, I think that you’ve been reading some of the older comments because, since 2019, that ticket has been replaced by the T-casual and T-familiar. There’s more information about these two passes in this post.
If you will only be travelling from the airport to Santa Susanna and back once, then it will work out cheaper to just purchase single tickets which cost €5.50 each journey or €22 in total.
A five-zone T-familiar (8 journey) ticket costs €40.
Likewise, for the journey to Montmeló, since you say that you “may well try to go” the potential saving is so minimal that I don’t think it’s worth purchasing a multi-journey ticket if you’re not sure whether you’ll use it. If you do decide to go to Montmeló from Santa Susanna, then you should definitely change trains at Barcelona El Clot-Aragó station NOT Barcelona Sants.
Hi Richard,
I have a quick question regarding how zones are calculated. If we are travelling from La Garriga in Zone 4 to Sitges on the opposite side of Barcelona in Zone 3 would we buy a ticket that covers just 4 zones or would we calculate that we pass through 6 zones (the 4 to the city centre and then out another 2)?
Hi Stephen,
As you say, you have to count each zone that you travel through, to a maximum of six.
If you purchase a single train ticket from the machines at the train station in La Garriga, you don’t need to work out how many zones you are passing through. You simply select the name of the station which you are travelling to.
The easiest way to find out which pass you need, and best way to ensure that you purchase the right number of zones, is to select the destination you will travel to and then select the type of travel pass you want to purchase. The ticket machine then automatically selects the correct number of zones for the pass.
Hi Richard, myself and my wife and children will be visiting calella in September next. We will be heading into Barcelona maybe 4 days altogether so would it be or would I be right to say a T-Familiar card for 4 zones would be suitable for our stay. Thanks in advance. Michael.
Hi Michael,
You’re right, a four-zone T-familiar would be a good choice for this trip. Since there are four of you, you’d need one T-familiar each time you go to Barcelona.
Hi,
Very helpful website. Thank you.
Can you advise – my wife and I are driving over Northern Spain – staying a few days, then moving on to the next destination.
When we reach the Med. we have decided to stay outside Barcelona – in Sitges – for three nights.
Rather than driving into the city each day, we’re guessing it would be easier to leave the car there and purchase a three-day pass of some sort for each of us.
I can see from the maps Sitges is in zone 3 – so guessing 2 x zone 3.
Can’t work out though – can these be used over three days or do we need one each, for each day?
i.e. six passes?
Also wondered if there was a ‘master’ pass that would fulfil our transport needs and maybe offer some discounts?
Appreciate any advice you can offer.
Thanks
Hi Granville,
That sounds like a good plan, the train takes about forty-five minutes from Sitges to central Barcelona, which, depending on traffic, is about the same as driving and will save you the hassle and expense of finding somewhere to park.
As you say, Sitges is in ATM zone 3 and RENFE zone 4 so you could purchase either single train tickets (€4.60 each journey), a 10 4-zone Bonotren (€31.45 for 10 journeys by train which can be shared between the two of you), a 3 zone T-casual (€30.50 for 10 journeys by train, metro, bus and tram that can’t be shared) or a 3 zone T-familiar (€27 for 8 journeys by train, metro, bus and tram that can be shared between the two of you).
Doing the maths, since you are two people travelling between Barcelona and Sitges 3 consecutive days, that’s a total of 12 journeys which gives you the choice of:
On the face of it, the first option will be the cheapest but you need to bear in mind the fact that the Bonotren only covers the train whereas the T-casual and T-familiar both allow you to combine the train with the metro, tram and bus as part of the same journey.
So, for example, you could take the train from Sitges to Barcelona Sants and then catch the metro from there to the Sagrada Familia and it would count as one journey on a T-ticket whereas if you purchase the Bonotren you’d need a separate ticket for the journey from Barcelona Sants to the Sagrada Familia.
This leads us to how you are going to move around Barcelona when you’re here. Normally, it comes down to a toss-up between the 1 zone T-casual or the Hola Barcelona Travel Card, based on how much you will use public transport.
There’s more information about all the different Barcelona travel cards and sightseeing passes in this post.
You also asked whether there’s a travel pass which also gives discounts.
Depending on which attractions you are planning to visit, a 3 day Barcelona Card would give you unlimited journeys on public transport within zone 1 plus free or discount entry to museums and other attractions. I recommend you plan a rough itinerary and use the price comparison calculator on the page I linked to above to work out which of these options will be the best fit.