Barcelona Tour Bus (Bus Turistic)

The best and easiest way to see the main sights of Barcelona is with a tour bus. The bus turistic, sometimes refered to as the hop on, hop off bus or the tourist bus enable a visitor to see all the main sites of the city. The only downside is that there is sometimes a wait at the stops. I visited the city in October, 2009, and ran into occasional lines and imagine the lines must be longer in the summer.

The bus costs 21 euros a day and can be booked at most hotels' reception desks with a slight discount. With this service you will be able to see all the main attractions Barcelona has to offer. You can simply hop on the bus, and hop off to see the sights in any order one would choose.and then hop back on another bus again to go to the next sight. Occasionally there will be a wait time at some popular stops. There are two lines, a red line covering the north of the city and a blue line covering the south. Sights covered are all the main attractions in Barcelona including: Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, Gothic Quarter Olympic Village, Poble Espanyol. Commentary is given in 10 different languages. The routes are about two hours long.

Ride the Metro

Even more economical than the tourist bus is the metro. The T-10 is without doubt the best and most economical ticket you can purchase during your stay in Barcelona. The ticket costs 7.85 € and works as a punch ticket for 10 trips. It is valid for metro, bus, tram, and FGC (which is Barcelona's commuter rail network).

Download a Metro map here

The ticket is valid for 1 hour and 15 minutes, which means that during that time you can change between different lines without having to pay again.

Another good thing about the T-10 ticket is that it's not personal. If you are travelling in a group, simply punch the ticket for each person.

Each time the ticket is used, a digital code is printed on the back of the ticket. The last digit of this number indicates how many journeys remain on the ticket.

A single fare for metro, tram or bus costs €1.40.
Buses do not accept notes so make sure you buy your ticket at a metro station or bring the exact amount for the fare.

Other Tickets:
(again, the same ticket is valid for bus, tram and metro)


1 day card: €5.90
2 day card: €11.20
3 day card: €15.90
4 day card: €20.40
5 day card: €24,10


Metro opening hours:

Monday to Thursday: 5 a.m – 12 p.m.
Friday: 5 a.m - 2 a.m
Saturday: 24 hours
Sundays / Bank Holidays: 5 a.m - 12 p.m

The top things to do while visiting Barcelona