Barcelona is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Millions of tourists come here every year to see the famous sights, as well as enjoy the wonderful atmosphere of the sea and palm trees. There is never a fuss here. In the capital of Catalonia year-round peace and tranquility. Some people prefer to relax in this locality on the beaches, while others prefer to explore the rich historical heritage of the city. Of course, there is a place for every traveler here.
This city needs to be explored slowly. Walk along the beautiful streets, look at architectural structures, as well as ordinary residential buildings. But, unfortunately, travelers who come here for a short time or live far from the city center need to use public transport. It is about him that we will tell you in this article.
It is used by all residents of Barcelona. From elementary school students to the elderly. For tourists, this is the fastest way to travel, as there are metro stations near all the main attractions.
In the capital of Catalonia, the movement of publictransport. Buses, trains, trams and more run here. We will take a closer look at the Barcelona metro. After all, it is so big and interesting that you can talk about it for hours.
Barcelona Metro
The subway began to function here in 1924. This is the fastest way to travel in the city. The subway has a fairly convenient modern scheme of stations. At the moment, there are a little more than 200 stops, as well as twelve branches. An interesting fact is that these branches are managed by two different companies. The sixth, seventh, eighth lines are subordinated to the State Railways of Catalonia, and the rest - to the Barcelona Transport Metro.
With the help of the subway you can get to any point in the city, as well as to some suburbs. For example, Badalona, Sant Adria de Besos and some others.
Metro has both underground and surface sections. This transport system also includes the Montjuic funicular.
Opening hours
From what time to what time does the metro in Barcelona work? This question torments many tourists. The Metropolitan serves passengers daily, seven days a week. Fortunately, there are no siesta breaks here. This is out of the question. But the operating hours of the Barcelona metro may vary. For example, on Friday and Saturday the subway opens at five in the morning and closes at two in the morning. And on weekdays, she works from five in the morning until midnight.
June 23, August 14, December 31 and September 23 subwayoperates around the clock.
Types of travel
As you know, in Barcelona there is a fairly large selection of various profitable tickets. Of course, it is more economical to buy tickets immediately for several trips or for a long period.
Many do not believe in this, considering that the benefits are very dubious. But it's worth comparing. A one-way metro ride in Barcelona costs more than two euros, but the cost of a ten-way pass (T-10) is about ten euros. The benefit here is obvious. The price of one trip is equal to one euro.
By the way, a single ticket after purchase is valid only for 1 hour 15 minutes, later you can use it only for travel by bus or funicular.
But these are not the only types of tickets, as mentioned above, the Barcelona metro has a fairly large selection. But T-10 is considered the most optimal fare for tourists, since its price is quite reasonable.
You can also purchase a ticket for 50 or 70 trips within 30 days, unlimited ticket for a day.
The most expensive are the fares for the sixth zone, and the cheapest for the first.
The city also has tickets called Hola Barcelona. It can be unlimited for 2-5 days. For two days, such a ticket will cost about fourteen euros, and for five - about thirty euros. Cheaper to buy tickets on the subway website. Ten percent discount available.
Features of the subway
Each metro has its own characteristics, and Barcelona is notexception. For example, the lines in the city's subway do not have names at all. Each is indicated by a certain color, as well as a number.
There are six zones in the Barcelona Metro. Each of them is divided into several more. Only the center remains indivisible. Since all the most significant architectural monuments are located in the center, the authorities decided to make a single tariff in this place.
From interesting facts, it is also worth noting that it is very clean here, there are few or no advertisements in the subway. The time interval for trains is only five minutes, so there is no crowding of a large number of people. But the train stop at the station is two minutes.
The transition between metro lines takes only ten minutes. The aisles are quite narrow and with two-way traffic. Many residents claim that this is not very convenient. In many transitions, stuffiness is felt, as well as a lack of ventilation. Roughly the same thing happens in the Madrid metro.
As for getting on the train, there are three platforms at once. Boarding in the car is carried out immediately from two sides. To many travelers, this seems rather unusual; in Russia, this can only be seen at the Partizanskaya station in Moscow.
The city authorities took care of people with disabilities and equipped each station with an elevator and an escalator.
Among the disadvantages of the Barcelona metro is the lack of air conditioning in most cars, non-automatic doors.
Some interesting facts
The subway hastwo types of barriers. The first is an ordinary turnstile, where the composter is on the left and the entrance is on the right. The second barrier has glass doors.
If there are any difficulties, the staff usually solves all problems through the intercom.
Metro Development Plan
After the city of Barcelona took control of the construction of the metro in 1951, it began to develop very rapidly.
Of the upcoming projects, it is worth noting the one that concerns the expansion of the orange line of the Barcelona metro in the near future. By the way, she is considered the "youngest" of all existing.
In addition, not so long ago, the construction of new stations in the Barcelona metro on the blue line passing through the center was going on. According to the plans of the builders, the line should connect it with the Baix Llobregat area. The project is currently on hold.
It is also planned to launch the thirteenth metro line. As you know, it will be quite small. Three stations will open soon. They will cover the whole district of La Morera in Badalona, as well as the hospital in Can Ruti.
Based on all of the above, we can conclude that the development of the subway in the capital of Catalonia is happening quite quickly.
Conclusion
Most of the cities in Europe live thanks to the tourism business, so their city halls do everything to make the stay of travelers comfortable.
