Airport to Hotel in Barcelona

[BobbyD]

We are a family of 4 (myself, DW, 2 college-age DS). This is our first time to Europe and will be on a 12 day Med cruise followed by 3 days in Paris. I have read various info on how to take the bus/metro system to our hotel (Hotel Continental). Is it worth all that trouble changing and switching, lugging all the baggage with us, or are we just better off just taking a taxi? I am not sure we would save all that much money in the long run. Any practical advice would be appreciated.

[riffatsea]

I would NEVER suggest that you take the metro system lugging a bunch of suitcases!! Have you ever been on a subway/metro in other cities???

It is not fun going up and down stairs/escalators jumping off with the crowd at the right station etc.

I don't know the location of your hotel but if it is anywhere near Placa Espanya, Universitat, or Placa Catalunya then you can take the express bus called the Aerobus. It leaves from right outside the terminal and it costs

5.05euro per person.

Otherwise I'd just take a taxi.

[financialgrl]

I'd not use Metro. I am back now but before I left, I read suggestions on here about how to save money using Aerobus and I fully expected to do that. However, after a long tiring flight, getting thru immigration/customs, collecting luggage, we walked out into the heat, the cabs were right there and . . . well, convenience won over monetary consideration that day. Door to door service from the AP taxi stand to hotel (tip included was close to $30 euro). That was for two of us, 3 pieces of luggage.

 

I was in Hotel Jazz very near Universitat Metro. Your situation may be different since you have two college aged sons to help drag "stuff" but I'd definitely use Aerobus over Metro.

[Kerry's Girls]

The airport bus and metro are per person, while the cab is the same price for all four. The cab charges extra per piece of luggage, while the bus and metro do not. That said, though the cab would cost a bit more, it's not that expensive and the convenience is worth it. My group was just 3 people and I still figured a taxi was worth it in comparison to the other forms of transport when dealing with luggage and having just landed.

 

Without luggage, the metro is very easy and inexpensive to use though, so that's what we did for most of our pre-cruise stay.

 

Best,

Mia

[Turtles06]

First, I agree with the advice not to take the metro with luggage. Too hard to get up and down strairs and escalators. (Otherwise, as others have said, the metro is a great way to get around the city once you've settled in.)

 

Second, assuming your Hotel Continental is the "Hotel Continental Barcelona," it's not far from Plaza de Catalunya (final stop for the Aerobus) and you could walk it. BUT: do you really want to be schlepping luggage onto a bus and around the streets, particularly when you'll lkely be exhausted from travel? Also, please keep in mind that pickpockets are a real problem in Barcelona (read other threads on here, just be alert and prepared). Why be concerned about your belongings, either on the bus or on the street (when it will be abundantly clear you are tourists who just arrived)?

 

Unless money is really an issue, I would suggest a taxi. Please be aware that many of the cab drivers in Barcelona do not speak English, so you may want to have the name of your hotel and the address printed out.

 

You'll be fine; have a wonderful cruise and enjoy your time in BCN and Paris!!

 

BTW, in case you haven't found it yet, here's a wonderful web site that really helped us plan our visit to BCN, including really useful info about getting around the city:

 

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/

[Keith1010]

You will be tired from your flight. You do not want to take public transporation. I would highy recommend that you take a taxi. Be sure to have Euros.

 

Keith

[itsjb1]

You are paying so much for your cruise, why try to save a couple of bucks by dragging around an unfamiliar transit system after a long flight. Cabs are relatively chaep and will drop you off at the front door of the hotel.

[BobbyD]

Thanks for all the help and responses. I had always intended on taking a taxi but after reading some posts, I had the (brief) thought that it would be more "adventerous" to take the Aerobus. I'm glad the wisdom of everyone put that to a screaching halt and a taxi it will be!

[Northern Bear]

We are a group of 4 with a similar situation. We were told the cabs will only take up to three people with luggage so keep this in mind too. You will need to take 2 cabs.

 

Unless someone knows of a company that has min-van style cabs?

[itsjb1]

We are a group of 4 with a similar situation. We were told the cabs will only take up to three people with luggage so keep this in mind too. You will need to take 2 cabs.

 

Unless someone knows of a company that has min-van style cabs?

 

 

 

We used this outfit for our recent trip:

 

http://www.autosvilar.com

[Northern Bear]

Looks like I had some bad information regarding taxi's. This is what I found on the airport site.

 

Barcelona Taxis can hold up to a maximum of 4 passengers. However it really depends on the size of your bags and the size of the taxi you take as to if you will all fit in one taxi. The airport is also serviced by Van Taxis which also take 4 people but you will also have more room for your luggage. You can make a request to one of the attendents to wait for a Van Taxi taxi. There are always taxi attendants at each taxi rank who can help you. You may have to wait a little longer for a Van taxi to be available

 

Thanks for the link, I have an inquiry into them.

[Kerry's Girls]

I had 4 passengers (2 adults + 2 kids in car seats) plus 4 large suitcases and a double stroller. It all fit into one of the larger taxis at the airport. As stated above, we had to wait a few minutes for one to be called to pull up, but it was not a problem.

 

When we left our hotel, we did need to ask for a cab to be called so we could request a larger one, and there is a surcharge when you call for a cab, but it was still less expensive than taking two regular-sized cabs.

 

Best,

Mia

[Northern Bear]

Thanks for the info. We will have 8 suitcases though which may be even too much for a mini-van?

[BobbyD]

Looks like I had some bad information regarding taxi's. This is what I found on the airport site.

 

Barcelona Taxis can hold up to a maximum of 4 passengers. However it really depends on the size of your bags and the size of the taxi you take as to if you will all fit in one taxi. The airport is also serviced by Van Taxis which also take 4 people but you will also have more room for your luggage. You can make a request to one of the attendents to wait for a Van Taxi taxi. There are always taxi attendants at each taxi rank who can help you. You may have to wait a little longer for a Van taxi to be available

 

Thanks for the link, I have an inquiry into them.

 

You had me nervous there for a minute. I thought I had read that 4 people was fine but I had my doubts after your post. Thanks for clearing it up!

[Northern Bear]

No prob.

 

I think with us, because of our luggage that we'll have to look at a private car. Its cheaper than 2 taxi's which is what we may have to take anyway.

 

Just need to hear back from them now...

[EmKe]

Yes, definitely take a taxi. They are plentiful and not overly priced. If you do take the underground at any time throughout your stay in Barcelona beware of the pickpockets. Always have your personal belongings close to you and bags at the front of you at all times especially on the underground and round places such as Las Ramblas. Don't stop to make small talk - they take advantage and work in groups. Other than that Barcelona is a great city. There is so much to see and do - you'll have a fabulous time.

[CruisingGoddess]

I don't agree with EmKe about not taking the subway at all. We used the subway when we went in November and had no problems. You just need to be aware of your surroundings. I wrote up my advice for preventing pickpocketing in my full review here:

 

http://moonprincess.com/travel/royal-caribbean-mediterranean-cruise-2009/

 

However, if you have luggage, I do recommend taking a taxi. It is a lot easier than schleping your suitcases around.

[jku2]

Thanks for all the help and responses. I had always intended on taking a taxi but after reading some posts, I had the (brief) thought that it would be more "adventerous" to take the Aerobus. I'm glad the wisdom of everyone put that to a screaching halt and a taxi it will be!

 

My husband had to talk me into the aerobus since I was afraid of being tired and of not knowing where to go.

Turns out I was wrong. The aerobus was easy to find and though it is suppose to make many stops along the way the only stop that everyone got off at was right by playa cataluyna.

We will do this again

[patriotfan]

I would suggest you take a taxi. You may have to take 2, but so much easier than the metro, especially with your luggage. Not very expensive either. We just returned and it was about $18 Euros from the airport to our hotel, Hotel Jazz, near Las Ramblas.

[jpalbny]

Guess we're in the minority, but we found that the Aerobus was a piece of cake, and you certainly can't beat the price. Easy to find, fast, not crowded, plenty of luggage racks, and Plaza Catalunya was 1/2 block from our hotel. Would do it again without a second thought.

 

I wouldn't use the Metro with luggage, but used it plenty to get around town without problems.

[mrbbb]

We have done the aerobus many times. It stops at Plaza Espana and then on to Plaza Catalunya. At both places there is a taxi stand with taxis waiting to take you to your hotel. I do think tho that with four of you I would take a taxi.