Airport Car Hire Spain

All the major airlines fly to Barcelona Airport

Barcelona-El Prat Airport is located 10 km (6.2 miles) southwest of Barcelona city centre on the edge of the metropolitan area, between El Prat de Llobregat, Viladecans and Sant Boi. It’s close enough to Barcelona and is very convenient for Sitges and the rest of the Costa de Gavà.

About Barcelona Airport

As the second largest airport in Spain after Madrid Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat is by far the largest in Catalonia and the most important airport on the Spanish Mediterranean coast.

European and North African destinations dominate but Barcelona Airport also handles flights from all of the major airlines and receive some traffic from Southeast Asia, Latin America and North America. El Prat is also a major hub for Spanish airlines Spanair and Vueling, and a focus city for Air Europa and Iberia.

The Barcelona-Madrid air shuttle – the Pont Aeri in Catalan, Puente Aéreo in Spanish, literally Air Bridge in English – used to be the busiest air route in the world.

The Air Bridge recorded its high of 971 flight operations per week in 2007. However, after the AVE rail connection between Barcelona and Madrid was opened, there was a slight slump in air traffic – this high-speed train covers the distance between Barcelona and Madrid in 2 hours 40 minutes, and with train stations closer to both city centres, it’s a convenient option for many.

In 2008, Barcelona Airport dealt with 30,208,134 passengers – a slight decrease from the peak of 32,793,897 in 2007. However, with the new T1 terminal being added the original terminal – renamed T2 A, B and C – Barcelona Airport is equipped to receive more visitors in years to come.

Public And Private Transport To And From Barcelona Airport

Rail – Barcelona Airport is connected to the city centre by the local RENFE commuter train Line 2 Cercanias North (follow signs for Rodalies Barcelona Line 2 Nord). This train goes up north to Maçanet-Massanes from where you can get a connection to Girona and the Costa Brava. It normally stops at Barcelona-Sants railway station and the fairly central Passeig de Gràcia – both of which are on the Barcelona Metro system. This year, however, a new railway station – which will connect Barcelona Airport to the Spanish high-speed train AVE network, and Line 9 of the Barcelona Metro – is being constructed in La Sagrera. For this reason, El Clot has been the main RENFE and Metro station for airport passengers during the summer of 2009.

Bus - TMB – Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona – bus line 46 will take you from the airport to the relatively central Plaça Espanya, and a scheduled private bus line – the Aerobús – goes Plaça Catalunya, and stops at both Urgell and Plaça d’Espanya. If you’re planning on staying in Barcelona for a few days, it’s well-worth paying €7.70 for a T-10 ticket, which will give you ten journeys on TMB buses, the Metro and RENFE Cercanias.

Taxi – There are taxi ranks outside both terminals T1 and T2 and a ride into the city centre shouldn’t cost more than €30. The main road into both Barcelona and if you’re heading south is the C-32B. This highway connects the airport to a main traffic interchange between Barcelona’s Ronda de Dalt ring road and major motorways but depending on the time of day, taxi drivers may choose to drive into Barcelona city centre on the Ronda Litoral or Gran Via.

Barcelona Airport is easy by car!

Car Hire – Five car rentals companies provide car hire at Barcelona-El Prat Airport – Avis, Hertz, EuropCar, National Atesa and Sol-Mar, so you shouldn’t have any problem getting a good deal. You’ll also find that they’ve also got drop-off points in Barcelona, other major Catalan towns and along the the Costas Brava, Daurada and Maresme.

Airport Parking – Divided evenly between terminals T1 and T2, Barcelona Airport has excellent parking facilities. The multi-storey car park directly in front of Terminal 2C has over 2,000 spaces and connects to the airport via a covered corridor. Another multi-storey car park in front of Terminal 2A gives another 2,600 more spaces. The remainder of the parking spaces are distributed in front of the terminal and office buildings within in walking distance of Arrivals and Departures. There is also a long-stay car park between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.