Getting to Spain
Airport: Josep Tarradellas Barcelona- El Prat (BCN)
Several airlines nationwide can take you to Barcelona. Book Whichever flights meet you and your family’s needs.
If you are looking for nonstop flights to Barcelona, the following airlines have direct flights from these airports:
- United Airlines -> Dulles (IAD); Newark (EWR); New York City (JFK)
- American Airlines -> Philadelphia (PHL); Miami (MIA)
There are other airlines such as Delta that have stops in NYC or Atlanta prior to arriving in Barcelona. You can also use Google Flights to find the best flights for you!
Exploring within Barcelona
The best way to explore the city is by walking. This allows you to appreciate the natural beauty, architecture, and experience what its like to live there! Otherwise, I would recommend taking a taxi.
Tips on Taking a Taxi
From the airport: After getting your baggage, there will be signs in the airport that guide you towards the taxi pickup area. There will be airport employees directing you where to stand based on how many people are in your party and the amount of luggage. There are large minivan-like taxis that can accommodate those with larger groups. To the city center its takes 25 minutes and costs around 40 euros and can be paid in cash or with card.
Throughout the city: You can use the Uber app to call a taxi. There will be an option for a fixed price that you pay (the one we usually opted for), metered taxi, and regular Uber driver. We do not recommend using the Uber driver option because there usually aren’t many available, so you will often wait a long time for one to pick you up. Taxi’s are always around, there are even posts along the streets that you can stand at to hail a taxi on your own if you’d like. With the app, we generally waited 2-3 minutes for a taxi.
Exploring beyond Barcelona
There are several ways to explore other parts of Spain and Europe.
For cruises, you will travel to/from the Port de Barcelona. This is a leading cruise port in Europe, so you can rest assured that you’re going to have a smooth travel experience.
For travel by train, there are several stations throughout the city that you can utilize if you plan on doing day trips to other cities.
- Barcelona to Madrid: There are several trains that go directly to Madrid and take about 2 h 30 min. You will need to depart from the Barcelona-Sants station and arrive at the Puerta de Atocha station. On average it costs around $30-$50 roundtrip.
- Barcelona to Valencia: The direct trains to Valencia takes about 3 hours with the first train leaving at 7:00 AM. You will depart Barcelona-Sants station and arrive at Valencia JoaquÃn Sorolla station. It costs around 50 euros for a roundtrip ticket.
It is also possible to rent a car and explore Spain on your own. Driving in Barcelona is really no different than driving in the USA. There are several rental companies available at either the airport or even throughout the city center. We recommend parking your rental at your hotel, but otherwise there are parking lots throughout the city. *IMPORTANT* You do not need an international drivers permit to rent a car, but if you get pulled over by police, they will request you to provide one.
- Sixt: This company is particularly convenient if you want to rent for a few days but don’t want to have to pickup/drop-off at the airport. They have several locations within the city center to pickup/drop-off. We have used this company and found it to be reliable and did not encounter any issues.
- Enterprise: Rentals can be acquired at the El-Prat airport, otherwise the most central site would be Barcelona Plaza Catalunya location which is in the Gothic quarter.
- Hertz: Rentals can be acquired at the El-Prat airport, at the Hotel NH Hesperia del Mar, or Sants Railway Station.