Barcelona's main airport is Prat Josep Tarradellas, and it is 13 km from the center of Barcelona. Once you arrive at the airport, you will need to go downtown, either to go to your accommodation or as a connection point on your trip to another city. To do this, you have several options: you can make the decision depending on which terminal you arrive at, the rush you are in, or the amount of money you want to spend.

There are 2 terminals at this airport: T1 and T2. The two terminals are connected to each other by a shuttle bus you can take for free, and the journey takes about 15 minutes. It is available 24 hours a day and every 5 minutes during the day and every 20 minutes at night. This will be very useful, for example, if you want to catch a train since the train station is in T2. The train is one of the most comfortable alternatives, it takes about 25 minutes to get to the center and leaves every 30 minutes from the station. The ticket costs around 5€.

The easiest way to get to the center from the airport is probably the Aerobus. It is a shuttle bus that connects the airport with Plaza Catalunya. It leaves from both terminals, so you will have no problem taking it when you arrive at your terminal. It passes with a frequency of between 5 and 10 minutes, from 5 am to 1 am, therefore, if you arrive at dawn, you will have to find another option. The ticket price is around 6€ and you can buy it on the bus so you don't have to worry about it until you get there. Although it is the most used option, it is not the cheapest or the most comfortable.

The cheapest way is to take the city bus. The closest stop to the center that it passes through is Plaça Espanya, so if you stay in that area it will be perfect. It is slower and more uncomfortable than the Aerobus but costs around 2,50€. It takes between 40 and 55 minutes to get to the center, depending on the terminal you leave from, and it runs every 15 to 20 minutes. At dawn, this bus does not run and you can instead take the night buses N17 at T1 or N18 at T1 and T2, which run every 20 minutes and will take you to the center in about 50 minutes.

Another option is the metro. The line that connects the airport with the city is the L9 Sud, which leads to Zona Universitaria. This option is perfect if you are going to live in the university area, but if you want to go downtown you will have to make transfers and it will take much longer than with any of the other means of transport. The price, being a ticket with a special rate to leave the airport, is 5,15€.

Finally, if you are in a hurry and want to go as comfortably as possible, you can take a taxi or some kind of private transfer. The price ranges between 30€ and 35€ ​​and you can reach your destination in about 20 minutes.