Airport
El Prat Barcelona Airport
IATA Code: BCNLocation: The airport is located seven miles (12km) southwest of central Barcelona.
Time: GMT +1 (GMT +2 between the last Sunday in March and the Saturday before the last Sunday in October).
Contacts: Tel: +34 (0)902 404 704.
Transfer between terminals: A pedestrian avenue with moving walkways links the three terminals.
Transfer to the city: The Aerobus service goes to and from Placa de Catalunya every 15 minutes, dropping off at locations along the way. It is a good option for those with little luggage. Trains run from the airport to various stations in the city centre every 30 minutes, costing around EUR2.40; the airport station is located near Terminal A and is connected to the terminal by a moving walkway. There are taxi ranks outside the airport terminals; taxis are metered. The journey time by road or rail is between 20 and 30 minutes.
Taxis: There are taxi stands at every terminal at El Prat Barcelona Airport and the cost for a taxi to Plaça d'España in Barcelona is approximately EUR15 while a taxi to Sagrada Familia will cost EUR21 and take approximately half an hour. Avoid touts and unlicensed taxis. Prices are steeper at night and on the weekends. Avoid touts and unlicensed taxis.
Car rental: Car rental companies represented at the airport include Alamo, Avis, Europcar, Hertz and National.
Facilities: Facilities at the airport include ATMs, currency exchange facilities, banks, shops (including duty free), a children's play area, wireless Internet access, VIP lounges, bars and restaurants. Disabled facilities are good; those with special needs should contact their airline in advance.
Parking: Both terminals at El Prat Airport have their own dedicated parking garages (T1 and T2). There is also a long-stay parking lot, located a mile (1.6km) from the airport, and connected to the terminals by a free shuttle-bus. Parking rates in T1 and T2 are calculated quite strangely - at EUR0.023375 per minute. This works out to be about 70 cents for 30 minutes, and EUR1.40 for an hour. Daily rates are EUR18.30. The long-stay parking lot charges EUR13.20 per day.
Departure tax: None.
Website: www.barcelona-airport.com
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Barcelona
The enchanting city of Barcelona is a visual delight, and has an atmosphere that combines elegance and sophistication with provincial charm. In exploring its streets you'll discover medieval romance in its Gothic quarter and the awe-inspiring delights of the fantastic and sometimes outrageous Art Nouveau architecture of Gaudi and his contemporaries.
The funicular up to Tibidabo, or the cable car up Montjuic both offer breathtaking views over this city. Its skyline is perhaps most famous for Antoni Gaudi's masterwork, the still incomplete church of the Sagrada Familia, as well as the city's huge Gothic cathedral. The artistic legacy of Barcelona is one of the city's most appealing offerings, with museums containing extensive collections of the works of Miro and Picasso.
Barcelona is also a shopping Mecca, with the city's flair for style reflected in its numerous boutiques and markets, open late into the afternoons. As the sun sets, and the city's many bars and restaurants open, the night comes alive. Dinner is served at any time between nine o'clock and midnight, and the festivities around the bars and nightclubs carry on well into the early hours of the morning.
Barcelona is the commercial centre of the popular holiday region known as the Costa Brava, the northernmost Mediterranean seafront in Spain, as well as the Costa Dorada to the south. The coast is dotted with popular resort towns, many retaining their age-old charm, which can be easily reached from the city.
