Today we will treat a fundamental aspect to visit a city: how to going from place to place in the way you like. Each tourist has his own preferences to find his ideal transport to move around Barcelona at leisure. If you wonder how to get around Barcelona, this post is perfect for you.
Yellow and black as bees: the taxi colors in Barcelona have their own history
The Barcelona taxis are as emblematic as those of New York, although in my opinion as an author that I express with all my respect and affection, they are more elegant because the bright yellow, which allows them to be seen at a distance, has an elegant black added. It’s the chic spot between the vehicles from the old Yellow Cab Company in NY and London’s black cabs.
And why these colors and not others?
In the city of Barcelona, cars devoted to public service have been in circulation since 1864. But it was in 1924 when the City Council implemented the traffic code and imposed to taxis things such as the taximeter or the colored stripes. These indicated the different tariffs of each vehicle. The cheapest ones were the white line (40 cents per kilometer), followed by the red line (50 cents), yellow (60 cents) and blue (80 cents). In the 1930s a flat rate was imposed and the yellow strip was chosen.
Private very private
We continue our guide on how to get around Barcelona in a very private way. The rental car is an option in Barcelona as it exists in every city in the world. The best known companies are easily located at the airport and at the train and bus stations. It is important to hire the services of homologated companies to avoid unpleasant surprises. From a utility vehicle to a limousine, any type of car can be rented to fit tastes and pockets.
Bikes are also possible to rent and allow you to move freely and quickly. There are companies that rent scooters for hours or weeks, individually or in groups. Companies like Cosmo Scooter offer a service of electric motorcycles and wheelchairs.
Barcelona, “Bicing” territory
As this is a relatively small city and without huge unevenness, using a bike is an ecological and economic transport for slow tourism in Barcelona. Either electric or traditional bicycle are very fashionable in the city. We talked about them a few days ago, as the city council bike service called “Bicing” and others. Here is the article about how to move around Barcelona by bicycle.
The Barcelona metro takes you wherever you want
Here comes our article’s star about How to move around Barcelona. This is not the first time in the Barcelonina Blog we talk about the metro.
The truth is that Barcelona can boast of its suburban. The trains are modern and also are most of the stations. The rest is in rehabilitation or will be soon. Although there is still much to do to facilitate access for people with disabilities, much progress has been made in this regard. Concerning this topic we recommend visiting the website that Turismo de Barcelona has enabled
The metro of Barcelona runs it from tip to toe with 10 different lines that are distinguished by their color and number; Although they do not have a circular structure as in other suburban networks. This is compensated with a good frequency of passage and a handy schedule: from 5am to 12am on weekdays, closes at 2am on Fridays and vespers, and offers 24 hours service on Saturdays. Other nights with continuous service are Saint John’s Eve (from 23rd to 24th June), the Festivities of Gràcia (from 18th to 19th August), the Festivals of Mercè (from 22nd to 23rd and from 24th to 25th September ) And New Year’s Eve (from December 31st to January 1st). On Christmas eve, however closes at 11pm so that workers can celebrate it at home.
Although it is not cheap, it is not expensive either if you use the integrated fare systems with your special cards for the tourist: HOLA BCN!
Hundreds of bus stops, Barcelona is committed to mobility
TMB, the local transport company, is included an extensive network of metropolitan buses with night and day service, the Funicular de Montjüic that allows access to the mountain and Bus Turistic.
This last service has become very familiar in the city with its colorful two-story buses. It offers two routes, red and blue, stopping in the key points of the city. Buying a single ticket, with a limited time, the traveller can go up and down as he wishes.
Recently it has been implemented a service of the Turistic Night Bus that is very successful among the visitors.
Trams, new and old
Desde hace relativamente poco tiempo, la ciudad ha recuperado un modo de transporte renovado: el tranvía. Las vías 6 líneas de TRAM Barcelona se trazan a norte y sur de la ciudad, Trambaix y Trambesos, pero no la atraviesan.
Since a relatively short time, the city has recovered a renewed transport: the tram. Nowadays, 6 lines of TRAM are traced north to south of the city, Trambaix and Trambesos, but they do not cross the city yet.
http://www.tram.cat/en/lines-and-times/
How to get around Barcelona in a unique way
To finish we will talk about a historical transport, an unique experience in Barcelona: The Blue Tram, active since 1901, is the survivor of an old tram line in Barcelona. It runs along a 1,276 meter route in ascension towards the Tibidabo funicular. It ascends through old modernist buildings until reaching a point of the mountain with a wonderful view of the city. The Blue Tram is also a way to access the Cosmocaixa (Museum of Science), the Amusement Park of Tibidabo, the Church of the Sacred Heart, the communications tower of Collserola and the Fabra Observatory.
Surely you are today all with a map app installed on your cellphones but it is always very desirable to have a paper map. They will offer you maps in hotels, in tourist buses and at the Tourist Offices.
Here we leave you not without telling you that with Barcelonina, your private guides in Barcelona, you will always be advised on these and other services of the city. Also, if you arrive in Barcelona on a cruise, here is our article on how to get to the city center.