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Getting Around
| Public Transport
With the exception of one metro line, transport in the city is operated by TMB (tel: (93) 298 7000; website: www.tmb.net). There are TMB information offices in the foyer of the Universitat metro station, open Monday to Friday 0800–2000. There are also offices at Diagonal, Sants Estacio and Sagrada Familia metro stations.
Regional rail services and the purple metro line are operated by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya – FGC (tel: (93) 205 1515; website: www.fgc.es). The information office, located in the Catalunya metro station, is open Monday to Friday 0700–2100.
Apart from during the rush hour (0730–0930 and 1800–2030), when it becomes very crowded, the metro (M) is the most efficient means of transport in the city. Metro lines are all identified by a number and a colour – the direction is shown by the name of the line terminus. A single ticket (billet senzill) costs €1 and must be validated in a machine on the platform before boarding and carried at all times to avoid the €30.05 penalty. Tickets are available for purchase at TMB customer service centres, ticket offices and the automatic vending machines at the metro stations. The metro runs from Monday to Thursday 0500–2400, Friday and Saturday until 0200 and Sunday 0600–2400. The FGC line is fully integrated with the rest of the TMB-operated metro system and runs daily until 0130.
Buses in the city run daily from approximately 0630 until approximately 2200. The network is extensive and almost all services run through Plaça de Catalunya, Plaça Urquinaona or Plaça de la Universitat. Single tickets are available for purchase from the driver and cost €1. Travel cards must be validated in machines upon boarding. There are 16 night-bus routes, running every 30 minutes weekdays and every 20 minutes at weekends from 2300–0400 to some destinations, which require separate tickets. The TombBús is a shopping service that runs during summer between Plaça de Catalunya and Plaça Pius XII, Monday to Friday 0800–2130 and Saturday 0900–2130. A single ticket costs €1.
There are a number of multi-ride tickets available – including the T-10 for ten journeys and T-50/30 for 50 journeys within 30 days – costing between €5.80 and €93.40, depending on number of zones, validity period, modes of transport and changes permitted. There is also a variety of passes available, including one-day (€4.40) and monthly (€37.65) passes. In addition, for tourists, there are three-day (€11.30), four-day (€14.50) and five-day (€17.30) Aerobus+Metro+Bus passes, which cover all transport in the city, including the journey to and from the airport. These are available for purchase at TMB customer service centres, metro ticket offices, automatic vending machines and at FGC railway stations.
For the suburbs and surrounding areas there are regional rail lines run by the FGC and RENFE (see Getting There By Rail). The RENFE local network is known as Rodalies or Cercanías and the central station in the city is Plaça de Catalunya.
A funicular railway trundles up Montjuïc from the corner of Carrer Nou de la Rambla and Avenida Parallel to Avenida Miramar daily 1100–2200 in summer and daily 1045–2000 in winter, costing €1.65 for a single or €2.40 for a return journey. From the amusement park, there is a cable car (telefèric) to Montjuïc Castle daily 1200–2000 in summer and Saturday and Sunday 1100–1930 in winter. This costs €3 for a single and €4.21 for a return journey. A further cable car operates every 15 minutes from the San Sebastian Tower in the Barceloneta district to Montjuïc, stopping en route at the Jaume I tower, near the World Trade Centre. This operates daily from 1030–1900 (from March to mid June), 1030–2000 (from mid June to mid September), 1030–1900 (from mid September to mid October) and 1030–1730 (from mid October to February). Tickets cost €6.01 for a single or €7.21 for a return journey.
Taxis
There are 11,000 yellow-and-black registered cabs operating in the city. Not only available on the street, taxis can also be booked in advance. Reliable companies include Radio Taxi (tel: (93) 303 3033) and Servitaxi (tel: (93) 330 0300. The basic fare is €2, which should be displayed on the meter – each kilometre is charged at €0.80 and a €0.80 supplement is charged for each piece of large luggage. Taxi drivers should be tipped 5–10% of the meter fare.
Limousines
A number of companies offer limousine services with multi-lingual drivers. Barcelona Limousine Service (tel: (93) 247 0699; fax: (93) 265 1484; e-mail: bcnlimousine@spain-bcnlimo.com; website: www.spain-bcnlimo.com) charges from €300 for eight hours of limousine hire. Limousine Rental (tel: (93) 372 0000; fax (93) 473 6077; e-mail: central@limorent.com; website: www.limorent.com), hires out limousines at €45 for airport transfers and €227.70–540 for a full day.
Driving in the City
The proximity of the main attractions and the excellent public transport system in Barcelona makes driving unnecessary in the city. Driving in Barcelona can be quite daunting, especially at rush hour – early morning, lunchtime and early evening – or on the fast multilane avenues in the city centre. A detailed map is a necessity for managing the complicated one-way system and it is advisable for visitors to plan their routes in advance.
Parking is tricky in some areas. Cars require a paid ticket to park in the ‘blue’ zones, daily 0800–1400 and 1600–2000. Illegal parking results in the offending vehicle being towed away. Parking costs from €1–3 per hour to €20 per day. There are numerous car parks in the city centre, which charge approximately € 1.60 an hour and €17.50–20 a day.
Car Hire
Drivers must be 21 years or older to hire a car in Barcelona. A passport and a valid driving licence are required. A valid international insurance policy is also necessary, although this can be purchased at the time of hire.
In addition to companies at the airport, car hire in Barcelona is provided by Avis, Carrer Casanova 209 (tel: (93) 209 9533; website: www.avis.com), and Hertz, Carrer Tuset 10 (tel: (93) 217 3248; website: www.hertz.com). Hire of a small car costs from €40 a day and from €265 a week.
Bicycle Hire
Barcelona has a limited network of bicycle lanes and bicycle racks. Bicycles can be carried on the public transport system, although there are some peak hour restrictions. Bicycles are available for hire from Scenic, Carrer Marina 22 (tel: (93) 221 1666), Un Coxte Menys, Esparteria 3 (tel: (93) 268 2105), and Biciclot, Sant Joan de Malta 1 (tel: (93) 307 7475). Hire charges start at around €5 an hour or €15 a day. ID is required.
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General
