Barcelona Metro Guide for Tourists 2026

By Joan. I have lived in Barcelona for 16 years and the metro is how I get to almost everything in this guide.

The Barcelona metro is the fastest way around the city: 8 lines, 165 stations and a train every 2-4 minutes in rush hour. It is also the part of the trip people overpay for, usually by buying the wrong ticket on the first morning. Here is which one to buy, which lines actually matter and the shortcuts I use.

Quick answer: Every Barcelona travel ticket is personal, so count one per traveller. On your own for 2 days, buy the T-Casual, from €13.00 for 10 rides, the cheapest per journey. If you are coming in by metro from the airport, buy the Hola Barcelona Travel Card, from €12.50 instead, because it is unlimited and it covers the airport journey that the T-Casual does not. Key lines: L3 green for Las Ramblas and Park Guell, L5 blue for Sagrada Familia. Fares changed on 15 January 2026 and they get revised, so check the current one before you buy.

The short version

• The T-Casual at €13.00 is the best value for one person, and one person only.
• The Hola Barcelona, from €12.50, is also one card per person, and it wins when you land at El Prat because it covers the airport line that the T-Casual does not.
• Single fares at €2.90 are for emergencies, not for a trip.
• Four lines cover almost everything a visitor does: L3, L5, L4 and L2.
• Keep the ticket until you are out of the station, because some exits check it.

How I would decide

The order here is simply cost per person for a short stay, worked out from the fares in the table below. I have not included the tourist attraction passes, because that is a different calculation and I have not done it honestly enough to publish. On transport alone, the arithmetic is easy: count your rides, and if the airport metro is one of them, buy the unlimited card instead.

Ticket types at a glance

The tickets, in the order I would buy them

1. T-Casual, 10 rides

From €13.00. Ten journeys, which is more than most people use in 2 days, and the cheapest way to ride if you are alone. It is a single-person ticket, so two of you need two of them, and it is not valid at the Aeroport T1 and T2 stations on L9 Sud.

2. Hola Barcelona Travel Card

From €12.50. Unlimited rides, and it includes the airport metro journey that the standard fares charge separately. It is sold in blocks of 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours, and the operator only publishes the price of each duration in its own shop, so check yours there before you buy. It is personal and non-transferable, so a couple needs two cards. For anybody who hates counting journeys, this is still the calm option.

3. Single fare

€2.90. Buy this only if you are making one ride and going home. On any real trip it is the expensive way to travel, and the machines make it very easy to do by accident.

Key lines for tourists

• L3 green: Las Ramblas (Liceu), Park Guell (Vallcarca), Passeig de Gracia
• L5 blue: Sagrada Familia, Diagonal, Placa de Sants
• L4 yellow: Barceloneta beach, Gothic Quarter (Jaume I)
• L2 purple: Sagrada Familia, Passeig de Gracia, Paral-lel
• L9 Sud: Airport T1 and T2 to the city (separate fare)

Sagrada Familia, Park Guell and the old town

From Plaza Catalunya, L5 blue takes you 2 stops north to Sagrada Familia and the exit puts you at the basilica. For Park Guell, take L3 green to Vallcarca and then a 10 minute uphill walk with escalators, which is the version I use and the one nobody tells you about. For the Gothic Quarter, walk 5 minutes south from Plaza Catalunya or take L4 yellow to Jaume I.

Before you tap in

• Keep your ticket until you are out of the station. Some exits check, and a lost ticket is a fine, not an apology.
• Watch your pockets on L3 through Las Ramblas and on crowded trains near the big sights. This is the one warning on this page I would repeat twice.
• Buses and trams work on the same Hola Barcelona ticket, so the card is worth more than it looks on the metro map.
• There is free wifi in all stations and it is spotty on the trains, so download the map before you need it underground.
• Fares here are from prices and they get revised. The current table came into force on 15 January 2026, so check at the machine rather than trusting this page.

Hola Barcelona Travel Card

Unlimited metro, bus and tram, plus the airport connection that the ordinary fares charge separately. It is personal and non-transferable, so buy one per traveller. If you are landing at El Prat and riding a lot, this is the card I would buy before leaving the airport, because it starts working the moment you validate it.

None of this is complicated once you are through the barrier, and the network is genuinely good, which is not something I can say about every city I visit. Buy the right ticket on day one and you can stop thinking about transport for the rest of the trip.