Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona Cruise Port

There are 7 cruise terminals at the port of Barcelona with 5 of these situated at Adossat Quay (A, B, C, D & E) along with 2 at the World Trade Centre (North & South Terminals).

The terminals at the World Trade Centres are closer to the centre of Barcelona and approximately 1.25 miles (2km) from Placa de Catalunya whereas the terminals at Adossat Quay are 2.5 miles (4km) away.

El Prat airport is situated south of the cruise terminal and around 9 to 11 miles away (15 - 18 km) depending on the which cruise terminal you are cruising from.

There is a cruise shuttle bus in operation between the terminals. The stop at the World Trade Centre is less than a 10 minute walk from the bottom of La Rambla and the Colombus Monument.

How to get there

Barcelona El Prat Airport is located around 15 km from the city centre of Barcelona and has two terminals.

Terminal 1 has flights from both Schengen and non-Schengen countries and is mostly used by the airlines in the One World, Sky Team and Star Alliance groups. British Airways and Vueling have direct flights from the UK into this terminal.

Terminal 2 is mostly used by the budget airlines such as Easy Jet, Jet2, Ryanair and Wizz Air that fly in from the UK.

There are numerous options from travelling to Barcelona from the UK and the rest of the world.

If travelling from the UK, the options are:

British Airways from London Heathrow and London City airport
EasyJet from Bristol, Glasgow, Liverpool, London Gatwick, London Luton and Manchester and seasonal from Belfast and Birmingham.
Jet 2 from Birmingham, Leeds/Bradford and Manchester.
Ryanair from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London Luton, London Stanstead, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and seasonal from Glasgow Prestwick.
Vueling from Birmingham, Edinburgh, London Gatwick and Manchester.

If travelling from North America, some of the options are:

Air Canada fron Montreal-Trudeau and seasonal from Toronto-Pearson
American Airlines from Miami, New York - JFK, and Philadelphia with seasonal flights from Chicago-O'hare and Dallas Fort Worth.
Delta Airlines from Atlanta and New York-JFK
Emirate Airlines from Mexico City
United Airlines from Newark and seasonal from Chicago-O'Hare, San Francisco and Washington-Dulles

There are also direct flights direct flights into Barcelona from all over Europe and world wide including the Far East Asia, the Middle East, and South America.

Transport into Barcelona

How to get from the Airport to Barcelona city centre.

Barcelona El Prat airport is located around 14km (9 miles) from the cruise port of Barcelona and around 12km to the centre of Barcelona (Plaza Catalunya).

The airport has 2 terminals and there is a free shuttle bus that runs 24 hours a day. The transit time between the terminals is around 10 minutes.

There are numerous transport options for either travelling between the airport to cruise port or the centre of Barcelona if you are staying before or after your cruise.

If you have booked a stay cruise or a fly cruise package, then airport transfers to the hotel or cruise ship are most often included in the package.

The following transport options are available if you have booked your flights, hotel and cruise independently.

Train or Metro
Bus
Taxi
Private Transfer

Train or metro

Trains link terminal 2 with Barcelona city centre through R2 Nord Line. If you arrive at terminal 1, then there is a free shuttle bus which link the terminals. The train station is located around 200m from Terminal 2 which is close to the Terminal 2 car park. The one way ticket is around €5 and trains depart approximately every 30 minutes from just before 6am to around 11:30pm. The main train station in the city is Barcelona Sants which takes approximately 20 minutes to reach and from the airport and there are multiple options for onward travel through trains, metro and buses.

Metro line 9 (orange line) connects both terminals 1 and 2 with Barcelona, and to get to Plaza Catalunya will mean a change to line 1 (red line) at Torrassa. The metro is a good option if you are travelling light, although this is not often the case if you are going on a cruise with a large suitcase and hand luggage. The metro will be a good option for travelling around Barcelona if you are staying before or after your cruise.

Bus

There are two options for buses from the airport to the city centre of Barcelona. The fist option is the Aerobus which departs from both terminals 1 and 2 and stops at Plaza Espanya, Carrer Sepúlveda and Plaza Catalunya.

The second option is the metropolitan buses and the following buses that depart from terminals 1 & 2 to the city centre.

Bus line 46 runs from terminals 1 & 2 to Placa Espanya.

Night buses N18 and N19 run from terminals 1 & 2 to Placa Catalunya

Taxi's

Located at the front of both terminals 1 and 2

The official taxis in Barcelona are black and yellow and are operated by Radio Taxi Barcelona, Cooperative Radio Taxi, Barnataxi and Radio Taxi Barcino.

The cost of a taxi depends on the time of day, although the costs from Barcelona Airport to the city centre generally costs €25 to €30.

Ride share services Cabify, Free Now and Uber are also available.

Private Transfer

Meeting points will be the arrivals area with the driver waiting with your name on a board.

There are a number of private transfer options from Barcelona Airport.

Sun Transfers - www.suntransfers.com

Barcelona in Motion - www.barcelonainmotion.es

Transfers Barcelona - www.cjtransfersbcn.com

Where to stay

There are thousands of hotels in and around Barcelona with the areas of Ciutat Vella, Eixample and Poble Sec closest to the main attractions in Barcelona.

There are hundreds of hotels in Barcelona and the best areas to stay before a cruise is in the districts of Ciutat Vella, Eixample and Poble Sec. These districts will allow easy access to the tourist sites, restaurants, bars and the cruise port.

Ciutat Vella (old city) is where you can find the Gothic Quarter, Las Ramblas, Barceloneta beech and is also very close to the cruise port.

Eixample is a little further inland, and is easily reached by transport to Plaza de Espana, Plaza de Catalunya and Barcelona Sants train station. Here you can also find the world famous La Sagrada Familia.

Poble Sec is south of Ciuatat Vella and Eixample and is the area that contains Sants Montjuic.

A great central location is Avendida del Paral lel. This avenue runs from Plaza de Espanya through to the port of Barcelona. Staying at hotels along here will allow easy access to reach La Rambla, the Gothic Quarter and Park Güell on metro line 3 (green line). Metro line 2 (purple line) also connects at metro station Para-lel which runs through the area of Eixample and to the station Sagrada Familia for easy access to La Sagrada Familia.

It is also close to the cruise port and can be reached fairly quickly by taxi on the day of your cruise.

Another location would be hotels around the area of Plaza de Catalunya which will also allow easy access to the Gothic Quarter.

As a budget alternative, then staying close to the airport in El Plat de Llobregat and will save money on staying in Barcelona city itself. There are a number of metro stations in this area which allow quick access to Barcelona through line 9 (orange line) and changing to line 1 (red line) at Torrassa which will take you to Plaza Catalunya.

Getting around Barcelona

The easiest way to get around Barcelona is on the metro and buses and there are numerous ticket options as follows.

Hola Barcelona Travel Card (48 - 120 hours) which allows unlimited journeys on Barcelona's public transport for 2, 3, 4 or 5 consecutive days. These are single person cards. Prices €16.40 (2 days), €23.80 (3 days), €31 (4 days), €38.20 (5 days).
T-Casual card is a good option if you are only in Barcelona for 1 day before your cruise. The card allows 10 journeys on Barcelona's public transport system for single person use and can be purchased for journeys between zones 1 to 6. If staying in Barcelona, then only zone 1 is required. This travel card is not valid for the Airport terminals 1 & 2 on line 9. The price of the card for zone 1 is €11.35
T-familiar travel card is a multi-person travel card that is valid for 8 journeys which can be purchased for journeys between zones 1 and 6. If staying in Barcelona, then only zone 1 is required. This travel card is not valid for the Airport terminals 1 & 2 on line 9. The price of the card for zone 1 is €10.
Single fare tickets are available for €2.40.
Airport ticket for a single journey from the airport and the rest of the metro system is €5.15 per person for 1 journey.

Another way of getting around the city would be to use the hop on hop off bus with tickets costing around £30 per adult.

City Sightseeing has two routes and the red route takes in the sights that are close to the sea front, Sants Montjuic and the area of Eixample. The highlights on the blue route are Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, and the Nou Camp, the home of Barcelona (currently being renovated and due to be competed for the 2025-26 season).

Tourist Attractions

Basilica de la Sagrada Familia is a UNESCO World Heritage site that was designed by Antoni Gaudi and is still under construction. It is located in the Eixample district of Barcelona and the nearest metro station is Sagrada Familia situated outside the church. Sagrada Familia is can be extremely popular and to visit it is best to book tickets in advance. The ticket options and prices on the official website www.sagradafamilia.org are:
- Sagrada Familia ticket with downloaded audio guide on the Sagrada Familia app - €26
- Sagrada Familia ticket with a guided tour by a specialised guide - €30
- Sagrada Familia ticket with download audio guide on the Sagrada Familia app - €36
- Sagrada Familia ticket with guided tour and visit to the towers - €40
Park Güell is another UNESCO World Heritage site dating back to 1900 when Eusebi Güell gave Antoni Guadi the task of developing an estate in the area known as Muntanya Pelada. The closest metro station to Park Güell is Lesseps which is on the line 3 (green). This line passes through Plaza Catalunya, so can easily be reached from the centre of Barcelona. The ticket options from the official website are:
- General admission - €10
- Guided Tour - €22
Gothic Quarter (Barri Gótic) is the historic centre of the city of Barcelona. It's a maze of small streets in the oldest part of the city and includes the remains of the city's Roman wall as well as Barcelona Cathedral. The area can be reached by walking from metro stations Drassanes and Liceu on line 3 (green line) or from Jaume I on line L4 (yellow line). It is also within walking distance of Plaza Catalunya.
Las Ramblas (also known as La Rambla or Ramblas) is a boulevard that runs from Plaza Catalunya to Port Veil and is approximately 1.2km long. From Plaza Catalunya walking down, the Gothic Quarter will be to the left and the Raval area will be on the right. Located on Las Ramblas is Mercat de la Boqueria, a vibrant market which is well known for a wide range of fresh produce. At the bottom of Las Ramblas and closest to the cruise terminal is the monument of Colombus (Mirador de Colom). There is a wide range of shops and restuarants located along Las Ramblas, although the prices will be higher due to the popularity of the area for tourists.
La Pedrera - Casa Mila is another building in Barcelona that Antoni Guadi was commissioned to build in the Gracia area of Barcelona and was constructed between 1906 and 1912. It is located on Passeig de Grácia and the closest metro station is Diagonal that can be reached on line 3 (green line). The cost of tickets for Casa Mila from the official website are:
- La Pedrera Essential €25 adult, €12.50 child (7 - 17), €19 for students, seniors (65+) and people with disabilities.
- La Pedrera Full Experience €35 adult, €22.50 child, €29 students, seniors and people with disabilities
- La Pedrera Night Experient €38, child €19
Beaches in Barcelona - 2 of the closest beaches to the centre are Barceloneta and Bogatell beach. Barceloneta beach can be reached by walking from the bottom of Las Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter or from Barceloneta metro/train station. Barceloneta beach is 800m from Barceloneta metro and 1.7km from the Colombus monument. Bogatell beach can be reached from Bogatell metro which is situated on line 4 (yellow) and is around a 1.2km walk.
Camp Nou is the home of FC Barcelona, although it is currently being renovated and is due to be completed for the 2025/26 season. While the work is being competed, Barcelona are playing at the Estadi Olympic Lluis Companys located in Montjuic.

Cruises from Barcelona

Barcelona is a popular port for cruise embarkations with the following cruise lines sailing out - Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Virgin Voyages