Barcelona's Bus Network

In Barcelona, the question "Where do you want to go?" can be easily answered without having to worry about the answer because this city benefits from an efficient network of buses which enables residents, travelers and tourists to reach pretty much anywhere in the city or the surrounding areas by day or by night.

Types of buses in Barcelona

As you are wandering around the city, inevitably you will see a range of different types of buses moving around the streets of Barcelona: below you will find all the information you'll need in order to find the most suitable service, depending on where you want to go.

The city bus network: V,H,D,N.

First and foremost, it is worth knowing that the company which manages the bus network, also runs the Metro service: TMB. A good way of getting around by bus in the city is to be aware of the fact that the routes marked with the letter V: (V3,V7,V11,V13,V15,V17,V21,V27) cross the city vertically or in the direction away from the sea. The 7 routes which show the letter H, cross the city horizontally or follow the coast and fan out in parallel with the route going north (the H4) runs along a section of the Ronda de Dalt (a sort of highway on the outskirts of the city, in the hills). In addition to this, there is the D20 route which departs from Barceloneta and then moves away from the city center until it reaches the Avenida del Paral-lel and Carrer de Sants and carries on through the Plaza Espanya. To finish with, you won't see the routes with a letter N in the city during the daytime due to the fact that this letter denotes the night buses that run in Barcelona: the city's night network includes 17 buses whose numbers are preceded by the letter N which stands for the "Nitbus" whose routes can be checked out on the web page of the AMB, (which stands for the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona).

The city's bus network: the numbering system

In addition to the bus routes that are identifiable by their letters, in Barcelona there are also buses that are numbered from 1 to 200! The routes that are traveled by the city's buses can be easily checked on the TMB map. Some of the most useful routes, if you are in the city center are: route 19 which departs from the Plaza Urquinaona and will take you to the Arc de Triomf and the Sagrada Familia; Route 22 departs from Plaza Catalunya and traverses the typical neighborhood of Vila de Gracia; Route 39 leaves from Barceloneta and travels as far as the stunning Mirador del Carmel; the number 120 bus follows a route through the most typical neighborhoods of Barcelona such as: Sant Antoni, El Raval, the Gothic Quarter and El Born. What's also very useful is the alerts service in the event of a strike or any problems on the line. All you need to do is to type in your email address on the Alerts Service on the TMB web page and you will receive updates on any changes to the bus and Metro services. You can get anywhere in Barcelona, all you have to do is to decide where you want to go and whether you prefer to travel by bus in order to see the city in comfort. We would definitely recommend the bus tour which you can find at Barcellona.shop!

How much does a bus ticket cost?

A ticket for a single journey on the city's buses is the same as for the Metro: €2.15. If you are planning to use other means of transport such as the Metro, buses, the Montjuic funicular and the tram, you just need to scan your ticket at the machine for any of the services you are using. If there is a time lapse of an hour from the first validation, the same ticket will still be valid. This also applies in the event that you decide to buy a multiple pass such as the very convenient T-10 (the one covering Zone 1 costs €9.95, can be used for 10 journeys and is not user-specific). You won't need to validate the ticket again if you are changing the mode of transport within the same hour. You should remember, however, that integrated tickets such as the T-10 work based on zones. The cost of a pass increases the further away from the center you get and it is important to decide in advance which zones within the city you wish to visit. You can then purchase the correct ticket from newsagents, at the ticket machines in the Metro or directly from the bus driver.

The bus network outside the city

Barcelona is well connected to the towns surrounding the city thanks to the bus network which travels extensively outside the city. A very pretty town that's worth visiting, for example, is Caldes de Montbui which boasts natural thermal springs. In order to reach it, you will need to get to the bus station that's near Plaza Tetuán (or one of the following stops) and take the 201, 202 or 203 routes which are operated by the company Sagalés. The journey takes about an hour. Another bus company which offers services to some of the tourist attractions outside Barcelona, such as the lovely seaside town of Sitges is Monbus: in this case, you will leave the Gran Vía stop on the Civic 2 and the journey time will take about half an hour. And lastly, a useful connection is the one between El Prat Airport and the city which is effectively serviced by the Aerobús A1 (for Terminal 1) and the A2 (for Terminal 2) whose well known blue and white buses stop at numerous locations every 5 to 10 minutes. In order to find the correct bus company and the right bus route to take you to any destination outside the city, it is recommended that you use the convenient web site Rome2rio, where you will also be able to see how much a ticket costs based on the route you have chosen. Remember that you can buy tickets any time on the web pages of these different transport companies but, you can also pay the driver directly for your ticket but if you're going to do this, you will need to ensure that you have lots of coins with you so that you don't have any problems with regard to changing money.

Other means of transport for travelling around Barcelona

Getting around in Barcelona is really easy, thank to the efficient transport network which connects different areas of the city, both different districts and neighborhoods. In addition to the buses, you can also travel around the city on the trams which are modern white and green overground trains, or on the metro. Of course, you can also call a taxi as and when you need one, (the fares aren't terribly expensive) or, if you feel that you can handle the city's traffic, you might want to hire a car. Our recommendation would be to use a combination of different means of transport which can be found by checking the useful Apps on your Smartphone such as Google Maps and, of course, making a stroll through the beautiful streets of Barcelona a priority so that you can admire all the city's attractions up close!