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25
Delta
T
901 116 946,
W
www.delta.com.
easyJet
T
807 260 026,
W
www.easyjet.com.
Iberia
T
902 400 550,
W
www.iberia.com.Jet2
T
902 881 269,
W
www.jet2.com.
Monarch
T
800 099 260,
W
www.flymonarch.com.Ryanair
T
807 220 032,
W
www.ryanair.com.Spanair
T
902 131 415,
W
www.spanair.com.Transvia
T
902 114 478,
W
www.transvia.com.
Vueling
T
902 333 933,
W
www.vueling.com.By train
The main station for domestic and interna-
tional arrivals is
Barcelona Sants
, 3km
west of the city centre. There is a tourist
office here (with an accommodation booking
service), as well as ATMs, an exchange
office, car-rental outlets, a police station
and left-luggage facilities. The metro station
(accessed from inside Barcelona Sants) is
called
o
Sants Estació – line 3 from here
runs direct to Liceu (for the Ramblas),
Catalunya (for Plaça de Catalunya) and
Passeig de Gràcia, while line 5 runs to
Diagonal.
Some Spanish intercity services and inter-
national trains also stop at
Estació de
França
, 1km east of the Ramblas and close
to
o
Barceloneta. Other possible arrival
points by train are
Plaça de Catalunya
, at
the top of the Ramblas (for trains from coastal
towns north of the city, and towns on the
Puigcerdà–Vic line), and
Passeig de Gràcia
(Catalunya provincial destinations).
The high-speed
AVE line
(Alta Velocidad
Española) between Barcelona and Madrid (via
Tarragona and Zaragoza) started operation in
2008, cutting journey times in half between
the two cities (2hr 45min to 3hr 25min,
depending on the service). Arrivals and depar-
tures are at Barcelona Sants, though a
second high-speed station is planned at La
Sagrera, east of the centre beyond Glòries
(though probably not until 2013).
For information about the local rail network
in and around the city, see “City transport”.
Train information
RENFE
T
902 240 202,
W www.renfe.es.
For all
national rail enquiries, sales and reservations. At
Barcelona Sants station (Pl. dels Paisos Catalans,
Sants;
o
Sants Estació) there are train information
desks and advance ticket booking counters, some
with English speakers.
By bus
The main bus terminal, used by international,
long-distance and provincial buses, is
Barcelona Nord
on c/Ali-Bei (
T
902 260
606,
W
www.barcelonanord.com;o
Arc de
Triomf), three blocks north of Parc de la
Ciutadella. There’s a bus information desk on
the ground floor (daily 7am–9pm), plus a
tourist office (Mon–Sat 9am–2pm), accom-
modation agency, ATMs, shops and luggage
lockers. Various companies operate services
across Catalunya, Spain and Europe – it’s a
good idea to reserve a ticket in advance on
long-distance routes (a day before at the
station is usually fine, or buy online).
Some intercity and international Eurolines
services also make a stop at the bus terminal
behind Barcelona Sants station on c/de Viriat
(
o
Sants Estació). Either way, you’re only a
short metro ride from the city centre.
By ferry
Ferries from the Balearics dock at the
Estació
Marítima
, Moll de Barcelona, Port Vell (
T
900
760 760;
o
Drassanes), at the bottom of
Avinguda Paral.lel. There are ticket offices
inside the terminal, and taxis nearby, though
no other services, but you’re only a short walk
from Drassanes metro station at the bottom
of the Ramblas. Ferries from Genoa (Italy)
dock at the
Moll de Sant Bertran
, just along
from the Moll de Barcelona, while
cruise
ships
tie up at several points in the inner
harbour – the Port-Bus shuttle-bus runs
cruise passengers to and from the Ramblas.
By car
Driving into Barcelona is reasonably straight-
forward, with traffic only slow in the morning
and evening rush hours. Parking, however, is
a different matter altogether – rarely easy and
not cheap. If your trip is just to the city and its
surroundings, our advice is not to bother with
a car at all, but you’ll find some useful pointers
in any case in the “City transport” section.
Coming into Barcelona along any one of the
motorways (
autopistes
), head for the Ronda
Litoral, the southern half of the city’s ring road.
Following signs for “Port Vell” will take you
towards the main exit for the old town, though
there are also exits for Gran Via de les Corts
Catalanes and Avinguda Diagonal if uptown
Barcelona is your destination.
BASICS
|
Arrival and departure