Barcelona’s metro system is one of the best ways to navigate the city and quickly get from major attraction to major attraction. Spanning the city with numerous crisscrossing lines and underground stations near all the important hotspots, it’s a quick and easy way to travel around the city.
How long does it take to get the metro?
Travelling by metro is one of the quickest ways to get around the city. Sure, you might not be able to see all the awesome goings-on above ground, but you can get from one side of the city to the other in a matter of minutes (and save your feet the hassle in the process).
As a general rule, each stop takes around 2 minutes to reach. Obviously some take less and some take more, but using this theory tends to average out in the end. If you need to make a change, allow for 5-10 minutes to do this. Most of the lines have trains every 5 minutes, but it’s best to tack on an extra minute or two just in case there’s a delay.
Running times on the Barcelona metro
Not only is the metro super speedy, but it’s also open into the night, making it easy to navigate the city after dark.
From Sunday to Thursday trains run between 5am and midnight, whilst Fridays and Saturdays are a little later, with trains running up until 2am the following morning – perfect if you’ve been out for a beer or two.
Bear in mind that the running times change on public holidays, so check with an attendant if you need to get somewhere on a fiesta day.
Metro Tickets
Tickets are easy to get from the machines in the stations, which offer information in a variety of languages. Single tickets cost just over 2 euros for one journey, or you can grab the popular T-10 ticket which gives you 10 journeys for 10 euros. This is a great buy if you’re planning on hopping on and off the tube to see a variety of attractions in one day.
You can also use the T-10 ticket on buses, too, as long as the overall journey isn’t over 1 hour and 15 minutes.
If you plan on spending a few days exploring the city and want to cram in as much as possible, you can also grab a one, two, or three-day metro ticket from station machines and attendants.
Safety on The Subway
The Barcelona metro system has come under fire many times for its safety – or lack of. But, in actual fact, the metro is one of the safest ways to travel around the city, particularly during the day.
If you do decide to head underground to get around, just remember to keep your eyes peeled and your wits about you, as well as a hand over your bag which you should keep close to your body.
Undercover police patrol the carriages pretty much all the time, so if there is any trouble help will be at close hand. However, it’s very rare that you’ll actually see a commotion as the city has become hot on controlling the safety issues on the metro.
