Barcelona underground: the metro system explained

Moving around the city by tube is easy, comfortable and cheap.
How does it work?

Ever found yourself in the position of understanding how metro Barcelona works? If so, you will probably agree that it’s an easy and comprehensive system that comfortably covers the entire city (and beyond). Moving by subway in Barcelona is a great choice; less polluting than other options like cars, motorcycles or taxis, and faster than cycling or buses.

The transport system is integrated, which means that by buying one ticket, you can catch a bus, the metro or certain trains; one ticket to rule them all, that is. It has six zones, 1 being the city's centre and the sixth being the furthest; it covers a significant area; for example, the airport is still zone 1. Tickets change from zone to zone, so be sure you choose the right one on the machines.

To find your way around the underground, you first need to know which station you’re in and which one you want to go to. The trains are identified with their last stop (this is the direction in which that train is heading), their line number and colour, so let’s say that if we are in the Drassanes station and we want to go to Lesseps, we will have to catch an L3 train (green line) towards Trinitat Nova. Easy.
What is FGC?

There are quite a few Metro de Barcelona lines, but this isn’t Tokyo. It has eight lines (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L9, L10, L11) run by the TMB company and three run by FGC (Catalan Government Railways) that are the missing numbers: L6, L7, L8, also called the Metro del Vallés. And what is “metro del Vallés?” Let’s say that these last three, along with the S1 and S2 lines, are more like trains and less like tube transport, and they ride to different parts of the city, but you can access all of them with the same tickets.

Now, If you happen to be in the main Barcelona stations, you might feel there are still more trains you can’t identify; those are the Rodalies ones run by the Spanish state train company called Renfe. They will take you outside Barcelona, although they will stop in the town's central areas.
Live Barcelona like a local
Information about Barcelona metro tickets
To understand how to move in Barcelona by metro, you must first know what ticket to buy. There are different types of tickets, but here are the main ones:

– T-casual: This ticket is valid for ten trips, costs 11,35 € and is unipersonal.

– T-usual: Unlimited travel in one month, costs 40€ and is unipersonal.

– Airport ticket: 5,15€ will take you to the airport by tube.

– Single ticket: 2,40€ for one ride, unipersonal.

– T-grup: This ticket can be used by many people and is valid for 70 journeys in one month. It is more expensive than the other options (zone 1 for 79,45€).

– T-familiar: 8 journeys in 30 days from the first validation. In the case of one-zone cards, you will have 75 minutes between the first and last validation when changing lines or transport (as in, you travel all together like a family).

This familiar and easy-to-manage metro system will give you the joys while exploring the Mediterranean beauty; make sure you make the most of it!
Find your home in Barcelona
Moving around the city by tube is easy, comfortable and cheap.
How does it work?

Ever found yourself in the position of understanding how metro Barcelona works? If so, you will probably agree that it’s an easy and comprehensive system that comfortably covers the entire city (and beyond). Moving by subway in Barcelona is a great choice; less polluting than other options like cars, motorcycles or taxis, and faster than cycling or buses.

The transport system is integrated, which means that by buying one ticket, you can catch a bus, the metro or certain trains; one ticket to rule them all, that is. It has six zones, 1 being the city's centre and the sixth being the furthest; it covers a significant area; for example, the airport is still zone 1. Tickets change from zone to zone, so be sure you choose the right one on the machines.

To find your way around the underground, you first need to know which station you’re in and which one you want to go to. The trains are identified with their last stop (this is the direction in which that train is heading), their line number and colour, so let’s say that if we are in the Drassanes station and we want to go to Lesseps, we will have to catch an L3 train (green line) towards Trinitat Nova. Easy.
What is FGC?

There are quite a few Metro de Barcelona lines, but this isn’t Tokyo. It has eight lines (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L9, L10, L11) run by the TMB company and three run by FGC (Catalan Government Railways) that are the missing numbers: L6, L7, L8, also called the Metro del Vallés. And what is “metro del Vallés?” Let’s say that these last three, along with the S1 and S2 lines, are more like trains and less like tube transport, and they ride to different parts of the city, but you can access all of them with the same tickets.

Now, If you happen to be in the main Barcelona stations, you might feel there are still more trains you can’t identify; those are the Rodalies ones run by the Spanish state train company called Renfe. They will take you outside Barcelona, although they will stop in the town's central areas.
Live Barcelona like a local
Information about Barcelona metro tickets
To understand how to move in Barcelona by metro, you must first know what ticket to buy. There are different types of tickets, but here are the main ones:

– T-casual: This ticket is valid for ten trips, costs 11,35 € and is unipersonal.

– T-usual: Unlimited travel in one month, costs 40€ and is unipersonal.

– Airport ticket: 5,15€ will take you to the airport by tube.

– Single ticket: 2,40€ for one ride, unipersonal.

– T-grup: This ticket can be used by many people and is valid for 70 journeys in one month. It is more expensive than the other options (zone 1 for 79,45€).

– T-familiar: 8 journeys in 30 days from the first validation. In the case of one-zone cards, you will have 75 minutes between the first and last validation when changing lines or transport (as in, you travel all together like a family).

This familiar and easy-to-manage metro system will give you the joys while exploring the Mediterranean beauty; make sure you make the most of it!
Find your home in Barcelona
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