Taxi in Barcelona?

[mystang52]

DW and I going on a cruise out of Barcelona in June. We're going in 2 days early. At airport when we arrive, do we just go to a taxi stand? Fixed rate to our hotel in downtown, or meter? Any safety concerns we should be aware of (including being ripped off by the taxi driver)?

 

[audreyh1]

The officially marked taxis are fine in Barcelona.

ETA: I believe we arrived at Sants train station from France and took one of the yellow taxis outside to our hotel. It was fine. I don’t like dealing with the metro when we have luggage.

If I recall correctly Barcelona taxis are not expensive.

 

[Zona]

You might look into taking the train. That's what we did, but then again we travel pretty light. The train is only 4.90 euros per person and leaves the airport (terminal 2b) every 30 minutes. There's a station right on the Passeig de Gracia near Casa Batllo if you are staying in that area.

Train: BARCELONA Airport - El Prat ⇆ City Center (2025)

Current information (2025): Tips for transfer by train R2 Nord from Barcelona airport to the city center. Current prices, timetables, route map, ...

www.travelguide.barcelona

If a taxi is better for you, we have had luck booking in advance in other cities with Booking.com. They will actually meet & greet you at the airport. I just did a quick search on their "Airport taxi" for one-way on Wed 2/12 from El Prat to Placa Catalunya and I see options in the 33-35 Euro price range.

 

[audreyh1]

There is also a big AirPort Express bus (one for each terminal?) that goes from Placa Catalunya to the airport and back. We took it to the airport once - it’s good. Big luggage racks inside. Airport Aerobus (A1 and A2): Barcelona Airport Express Shuttle Bus To City Centre

I think we’re going to book a transfer but we’ll be going from the BCN airport to Sitges first.

 

[Montecfo]

As stated, taxis are around and pretty easy to hail. Fares are metered. But if you need to schedule a ride, that may not work so well.

But there is an app called Freenow in Barcelona and some other places too. Works just like uber. We used it to schedule an early morning ride to the airport. It worked flawlessly so that is another possible resource.

You should find it in your app store.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

If you choose to use a taxi from the airport, you exit the terminal and go to a specific taxi line. It will be pretty obvious. Look for signs as you exit.

Official taxis are yellow and black. Here’s a good overview site. There is a link on that page to even more details about taxis from the airport.

Everything You Need To Know About Hiring A Taxi in Barcelona

Complete guide to the Barcelona official taxis service, operating hours, Barcelona taxi prices, how to flag down a taxi, how to get a taxi from Barcelona airport, cruise port, how to book, payment facilities, baby and child seats and more.

www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com

 

[mystang52]

Thank you all. This is why I have loved this site for so many years.

 

[sdtech]

We just got a taxi at the airport to a downtown hotel. Reasonable prices. We used the hop/on bus for tourist sites. Hotel got us a taxi to cruise ship.

 

[Kabowest]

We were on a cruise this past Nov and also spent four days in Barcelona. There were many taxis everywhere however, we used Uber a number of times - what we are used to. One thing to note, if you are staying on any of the smaller side streets off La Rambla, Uber is not allowed to drive there, but taxis are. I also recommended watching a few YouTube videos on how to spot pickpockets - high concentration in the La Rambla area. Something we didn't know ahead of time - there is an elevator in the Christopher Columbus monument, and it has a quite a nice view!

 

[misanman]

We were in Barcelona in September and the taxis were plentiful and easy to use. There were six of us plus luggage and we were pretty easily able to secure a taxi big enough to transport all of us to our Airbnb. Once in the city, we found the subway to be fun and cost effective but used taxis several times as fall backs. We also took a taxi to the airport for our return flight. There is an online app that you can use to arrange for pick up but SIL used it, not me, so I don't have more details. It might be wise to check to see what's going on in the city while you're there as that may impact the availability of transportation. There was a marathon the day of our departure but we left early in the morning before they started closing down streets. We loved Barcelona and I think you'll enjoy it too.

 

[audreyh1]

Do Barcelona taxis take tap-to-pay now? The last time we were there was 2016. Back then we used cash for taxis.

Looks like they are required by law to accept credit cards. Some will argue with you that they only take cash.

 

[audreyh1]

We were on a cruise this past Nov and also spent four days in Barcelona. There were many taxis everywhere however, we used Uber a number of times - what we are used to. One thing to note, if you are staying on any of the smaller side streets off La Rambla, Uber is not allowed to drive there, but taxis are. I also recommended watching a few YouTube videos on how to spot pickpockets - high concentration in the La Rambla area. Something we didn't know ahead of time - there is an elevator in the Christopher Columbus monument, and it has a quite a nice view!

Oh yeah Barcelona is very famous for elaborate pickpocket schemes always ready to distract a tourist. And La Rambla has lots of tourists and lots of distractions so easy pickings. Also the big market La Boqueria which gets jammed with people. Great place to visit, but watch it!

 

[Sunset]

We were there in 2018 for 10 days.
Stayed at Hotel Medicis
Great location to buses and very walkable to couple of places, not a tourist area.
We took buses everywhere, and no pickpockets on buses, took train/subway once and pickpocket tried to rob me.

I emailed the hotel to ask how to get there, and the taxi was the easiest, out of 4 choices, they said it would cost ~35 Euros.
When we arrived I went to the taxi stand with a print out of the hotel address and asked the driver if he speaks English. One didn't so I picked the other guy.

Traffic is crazy there, our driver was great, it cost just over 30 Euros, I rounded to the whole Euro, meaning if it was 32.3 Euros I paid 33 Euros.

At end of 10 days we took taxi to cruise ship, didn't want to drag suitcases on buses.

Book online to see many sites, as they sell out.

 

[rodi]

We did the airport train when we were flying out. We also did the bus from the train station to Placa Cataluna. Our airbnb was a few blocks away, just off Las Ramblas.

My favorite site for figuring out this stuff is Rome2Rio.com. It breaks down the price/cost/time for most options. I'm a big fan of using public transportation options when travelling in Europe. That said, we'll be using a taxi to get from our TA Cruise ship in Barclona, to the airport to get our flight to Rome. Time is too tight.

 

[BigNick]

Taxis in Spain are well-regulated. Your ride will almost certainly be on the meter. About the only thing you have to watch out for is the driver pressing the button to add on an extra that you didn't use, such as an extra Euro for a booked ride if you jumped into the car at the airport. There may be an airport supplement too, but then you are actually paying for that. In any case, if you think the driver might be trying something on, it will be sufficiently minor that you can just not tip. It's not expected anyway, and when the car stops and the driver announces the total price (which will be the number on the meter), you can just show your Visa/MC card and that exact amount will be shown on the terminal.

 

[audreyh1]

I used to take a little print out of an address to hand the taxi driver. That was very effective. The drivers always entered the destination in their navigation system.

If you have the hotel schedule a taxi for you they will give the taxi service your destination address over the phone.