If you’re planning to visit Barcelona you need to decide how to get there! Most people will take a flight to Barcelona, but depending on where you are then there are various different options for how to travel to Barcelona, including by train, bus, ferry and by car.
Barcelona Travel Planning
While you can always book a last-minute trip to Barcelona, planning ahead can save you a ton of money, with cheaper transport tickets and better hotel deals. With enough time you can plan an overland trip in Europe, travelling by train or public transport, or creating your own Spain road trip itinerary.
If you need help planning your Barcelona trip, book a private Barcelona travel planning consultation with me and I’ll help you to decide what will work best for you.
How to Get to Barcelona
Flights to Barcelona
While you could say there are three different airports in Barcelona, Barcelona El Prat Airport is the only airport actually in Barcelona. It is the main international airport in Barcelona, with two terminals and an expansion in the works over the next few years.
Long haul flights tend to fly into Terminal 1, with most low-budget UK to Barcelona flights arriving into Terminal 2. Both terminals are well-connected to the city via public transport. You can learn more about Barcelona’s airports here and how to get from Barcelona Airport to the city centre here.
When booking flights to Barcelona I recommend using a flight comparison site like Skyscanner to find the best options for flights to Barcelona from your chosen airport. It compares all the different options for flights, including budget airlines so you can get the best deal for you.
Generally, there is higher demand around weekend dates, which means higher prices – so if you can be flexible and book your flights for mid-week you can find some great deals!
Trains to Barcelona
Barcelona has high-speed rail links to various other cities in Spain and Europe. The main long-distance train station in Barcelona is Barcelona Sants, and you can easily take the train to Barcelona from Madrid, Paris and lots of other locations in Europe.
I had a lovely trip from Barcelona to Montpellier on the train, and have travelled to Bilbao, San Sebastian, Zaragoza and Valencia by train from Barcelona.
There are several companies which run high-speed trains to and from Barcelona. When I’m searching for train times and tickets I use Omio as it shows you the options from all the companies which is easier than checking each individual site.
In general, train prices are lower the further out you book, so plan ahead to save money. You can select different classes of tickets and add on extras such as a seat reservation and free cancellation.
The website is in English and tickets are emailed to you to either print off or to show a pdf ticket on your phone, without needing to print off the tickets.
All of the high-speed trains run by Renfe, Ouigo and Iryo tend to be reliable and the service is generally better than you would get in the UK, with clean trains running mostly on time. There are currently speed restrictions on some lines since the accident earlier in 2026 so trains can take longer than usual, but all lines are now open and operating.
Catalonia also has a slower local train service within the region, connecting Barcelona with cities and towns across Catalonia, which is a cheaper way to get around if you are already in the area.
Buses to Barcelona
If you’re backpacking Europe or want to visit Barcelona on a budget then taking a bus to Barcelona could be a great option for you. Barcelona Estació Nord Bus Station is the main inter-city coach and bus station in Barcelona, and has routes running all over Spain and into France and beyond.
Barcelona Nord Bus Station has recently undergone a major €14 million refurbishment, reopening in June 2026 after an extensive renovation project. The upgrade has transformed the station into a more modern and accessible transport hub, with improved waiting areas, new digital information screens, updated food and drink facilities, and better connections to public transport.
The bus station is now a lot easier to navigate, and some historic features of the former railway station have been restored. Passenger numbers have increased by roughly 50% since 2019, which prompted the upgrade, so you can test it out if you travel to Barcelona by bus!
If you fly into Girona Airport and take the bus to Barcelona you’ll arrive here.
Ferries to Barcelona
While it isn’t possible to get a ferry from the UK to Barcelona, you could get a ferry from the UK ports of Portsmouth or Plymouth to Santander or Bilbao in northern Spain, then travel overland to Barcelona from there. The journey by ferry from the UK to Spain takes between 20 to 36 hours depending on the route you take.
If you are in the Balearics, there are direct ferries from The Balearic Islands to Barcelona, from Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza which can make a lovely Spain itinerary to spend some time on the islands before or after exploring the city.
Barcelona Cruises
Barcelona is a major cruise port, the busiest in Europe, and there are various cruise lines that include Barcelona on their Mediterranean itineraries.
Barcelona has a love-hate relationship with cruise ships, at first using them to drive visitor numbers, but then turning against them as Barcelona started to struggle with overtourism.
This is particularly the case with transit cruises which only stop in Barcelona for a day as part of a longer trip starting and ending somewhere else. The current mayor is moving to ban all cruise transit stops but we will see if that takes effect!
If you do plan to take a cruise from or to Barcelona, I highly recommend you make sure you have time to spend a few days in the city before or after your cruise. It is a large and varied city, with far to much to see and do in one shore day.
That way you get the best of both worlds as you can explore the city as well as relax on a cruise!
Driving to Barcelona
Driving to Barcelona is quite straightforward until you actually get into the city itself and have to contend with lots of one-way streets and plenty of traffic – including scooters and motorbikes which can be extremely unpredictable!
You then need to find somewhere to park your car (which is difficult and expensive), so I would advise against driving into Barcelona if you can avoid it. If you have been doing a Spain road trip with a hire car, I’d suggest returning the car when you arrive in the city, and hiring a new one as you leave.
If you want to explore more of the Catalonia region after the city, then hiring a car in Barcelona could be a good option for you, there are car rental companies based at the airport and in the city. Although there are plenty of places to visit in Catalonia that are accessible by public transport, having a car gives you a lot more freedom.
Looking to Hire a Car in Barcelona?
Get a quote for car hire with Discover Cars who compare car rental deals from trusted suppliers in Barcelona like Alamo, Avis, Budget, Centauro, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz, SIXT and many more, so you know you're getting a great deal.
If you are here with a campervan or motorhome, I recommend staying at a campsite outside of the city. When I had my campervan I considered driving from the UK to Barcelona with the van, but read so many horror stories about campervans being broken into I decided against it.
There are various campsites with campervan and motorhome pitches along the coast to the north and south of Barcelona with decent public transport or shuttles to take you into the city.
How are you planning to travel to Barcelona? If you have any questions, head over to our Facebook group or book a private consultation call with me!