The Rough Guide to Barcelona 8 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

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Getting there
It’s never been easier to reach Barcelona by air, with a variety of budget airlines
from regional UK and European airports competing with the Spanish national
carrier Iberia to get you directly to the city, quickly and cheaply. There’s also a fair
amount of choice from North America, though you may have to fly there via
Madrid or another European city to get the best fare.
Air fares vary wildly, depending on how far
in advance you book and on the season. To
get the very cheapest fares advertised by
the budget airlines you’ll need to book
weeks, if not months, in advance. Flights
with Iberia and other major airlines tend to
be more expensive and seasonal, with the
highest fares from June to September, at
Christmas, New Year and Easter, and at
weekends all year.
Most airlines prefer you to book tickets
online these days and you can turn up
some great deals, but always check the
small print as most budget airline tickets
are non-changeable and non-refundable.
Another option is to contact a general flight
or travel agent – these have similar deals
on flights and services, and some are
particularly geared towards youth, student
and independent travel. Other specialist
tour operators can book you onto a variety
of city breaks or themed tours in Barcelona
and Catalunya.
Travelling to Barcelona from elsewhere in
Europe by train or bus inevitably takes much
longer than flying and usually works out
more expensive given the travelling time
involved. However, if Barcelona and Spain
are part of a longer European trip it can be
an interesting proposition, and is an increas-
ingly popular “green” alternative to flying.
Driving to Barcelona is also something of an
undertaking and, with motorway tolls in
France and Spain, fuel costs, cross-Channel
ferry and Eurotunnel fares, it’s certainly not a
cheap option.
Booking flights and
services online
W Price comparison on
flights, short breaks, packages and other deals.
W Flights, hotels, cars and
holiday packages.
W Discount air fares, all-
airline search engine, and daily deals on hotels,
cars and packages.
W Good last-minute
flights, holiday packages, hotel bookings and
car rental deals.
W , W
Destination guides, hot fares and good deals on car
rental, rail passes and accommodation.
Flights and tours from
the UK, Ireland and
Europe
Flying time to Barcelona from the UK or
Ireland is between two and two and a half
hours, depending on your departure airport.
A whole host of budget no-frills airlines
compete on the Barcelona route from the
UK and Ireland, notably easyJet (W www
, Monarch (W www.flymonarch
.com), Jet2 (W ), bmibaby
( W ) and Aer Lingus
( W ), with daily departures
throughout the year from more than a dozen
regional airports, including all the London
airports, plus Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol,
Cardiff, Dublin, East Midlands, Leeds,
Bradford, Liverpool, Manchester and
Newcastle. The earlier you book, the cheaper
your flight will be – and special offers can
even mean the seats are free, or virtually
free, with just the taxes to pay (from £20
each way). Even Iberia (W ) is
forced to compete, with good-value promo-
tional fares – however, their more flexible
tickets (allowing cancellation and/or date
changes) are considerably more expensive
and can rise to £200 (€260) return or more
in peak season.
BASICS
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Getting there