🇪🇸 Barcelona · Getting around
Transport and the shape of the city in Barcelona
A flat grid, an excellent metro, one integrated fare system covering several operators, and a low-emission zone that catches out anyone importing an older car.
The thing people get wrongThe transport card that fits most people is the T-usual: unlimited travel for thirty days across metro, bus, tram and local trains in your zone, €22.80 for zone 1 in 2026 with the 50 per cent discount still applied. A single ticket is €2.90, so eight journeys a month already make the pass the cheaper choice.
Indicative figures
- T-usual, zone 1€22.8030 days unlimited, one person; 2026 fare with the 50% discount.
- Single ticket€2.90T-casual: ten journeys for €13.00.
- T-jove, up to 30€45.5090 days unlimited, all fare zones.
- Airport by metro€5.90L9 Sud airport ticket; T-usual and T-jove are accepted.
- Bicing€50/yearRegistered residents only.
- Sants to Girona~40 minBy high-speed train.
Checked . Ranges, not quotes — your Insider confirms the current numbers in Barcelona before you commit to anything.
Tickets and the integrated fare system
TMB runs the metro and city buses, FGC and Rodalies run suburban and regional trains, and the ATM fare system covers all of them on the same ticket within a zone. The 2026 fares took effect on 15 January with an average rise of about 3.5 per cent, while the 50 per cent discounts on the T-usual and T-jove were kept. Tickets now live on the contactless T-mobilitat card or app rather than the old magnetic strip. Almost all of the city sits in zone 1, so the cheapest zone band covers more than newcomers assume.
- T-usual: unlimited travel for thirty days, one person, €22.80 for zone 1. It needs a personalised T-mobilitat.
- T-casual: ten journeys for one person at €13.00, each with transfers for 75 minutes in zone 1.
- T-jove: 90 days of unlimited travel for anyone up to 30, €45.50, valid across every fare zone.
- Single ticket €2.90; Hola Barcelona travel cards are for visitors and poor value once you live here.
Metro, trains and buses
The metro is fast, frequent and reaches most of the city, and the bus network was rebuilt around a high-frequency orthogonal grid that is far more usable than its reputation. Rodalies commuter trains reach Sitges, Mataró and Girona; FGC covers Sant Cugat, Sabadell and Terrassa through the tunnel under Tibidabo. The metro runs all night on Saturdays, and late on other nights, with the Nitbus filling the gaps.
Bikes, scooters and the low-emission zone
Bicing is the municipal bike-share scheme and is only open to registered residents, which is another practical reason to complete the empadronamiento early. Cycle lanes have expanded substantially and the terrain is flat away from the hills. The Zona de Baixes Emissions covers the area inside the ring roads and excludes older vehicles; any car you bring must be registered and checked against it, and non-Spanish plates need registering with the city to circulate.
- Bicing is for registered residents only, through the SMOU app: €50 a year on the flat rate, with the first 30 minutes on a mechanical bike free and electric bikes €0.40 per half hour, or €35 a year paying per trip.
- The ZBE applies on weekdays and is camera-enforced.
- Foreign-plated vehicles must be registered with the ZBE system even if compliant.
The airport and getting out
El Prat is reachable by metro line L9 Sud, which uses a €5.90 airport ticket unless you hold a T-usual or similar pass, by the Aerobús from Plaça Catalunya, or by Rodalies train from Sants and Passeig de Gràcia to Terminal 2. The two terminals are far apart and joined by a shuttle, so allow for it. Uber's presence here is limited by regional licensing rules; taxis and the Free Now app are the reliable option.