The city of Barcelona is located on the Mediterranean coast. It annually attracts tourists with its gentle sea, sandy beaches, an abundance of beautiful places and attractions. Among the most famous of them are the buildings of the architect Antonio Gaudi, many museums of modern art and ancient monuments. Also, tourists are pleased with incendiary parties, sociable locals and fine wine. All this will complement the image of sunny Spain. Immediately upon arrival, you will be taken to the largest airport in Barcelona - El Prat, the infrastructure and device of which we will consider in this article.
Excursion into the history of the construction of the airport
El Prat air terminal was built in the first half of the 20th century. Since then, Barcelona Airport has undergone multiple transformations. Its infrastructure expanded and developed. So, in the second half of the 20th century, two runways, a control tower, a terminal for comfortable accommodation of passengers were built.and taxiways. Then all these objects underwent partial and complete reconstruction. After these transformations, the airport building experienced a period of decline, which ended with the decision to host the Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona.
Thus, in 1992, before the Olympic Games, El Prat Airport underwent a complete reconstruction in accordance with the project of the famous Spanish architect - Ricardo Bofill. Thanks to him, Barcelona Airport acquired its modern look. By the way, in 2009 a new terminal was opened at the airport. We will talk about the functionality of the old and new terminals in the next chapter of our article.
Barcelona Airport Terminals
Currently, there are two passenger terminals (T1 and T2) on the territory of the airport, there are plans to create a third terminal due to the high tourist load. Barcelona airport departure zones vary. Thus, for terminal T1 this is zone D, and for terminal T2 - A, B and C.
The terminals are located at a distance of about four kilometers from each other, so it is convenient to move between them on a special free shuttle. It is worth noting that the tourist needs to think about planning time and arrive at the airport at least two hours in advance. Because just a trip from one terminal to another with stops in different zones takes about twenty minutes. If we add to this a rather significant area of the airport, then we can conclude that an unprepared travelerit takes time to find the right terminal, the departure area and take an exciting walk through the shops and cafes.
About the workload and passenger traffic of the El Prat terminal is already legendary. According to statistics, last year alone it received about 44 million tourists. Therefore, the city administration plans to build a third terminal. El Prat airport is second only to Madrid airport in terms of congestion.
Shopping & Shopping
Barcelona Airport is equipped with a developed infrastructure. On its territory, there are many cozy restaurants and cafes, rooms for mother and child, modern children's play areas and playgrounds, superior comfort rooms where you can relax for a fee. As well as left-luggage offices, lost and found offices and, of course, Duty Free shops, boutiques of various brands and souvenir shops.
It is worth noting that, according to numerous reviews of tourists, the prices at the airport for food products are not inferior to their counterparts in local stores in Spain. The main shopping area is located in zones A, B and C.
Buses and transfers
For easy transport links between Barcelona airport and the city center, there are bus stops in front of each terminal. Comfortable buses are the most inexpensive means of transportation. They run every twelve minutes and make three stops in the city center.
According to numerous reviews of tourists, the most convenient means of transportation fromEl Prat Airport is a shuttle service. This type of transportation is especially good for large companies, when you can share the cost. You need to take care of ordering a transfer from Barcelona airport in advance. In this case, the driver will meet you at the airport with a name sign and take you to the hotel.
Electric train and metro
The airport is connected to the city center by rail. The station is located on the territory of the airport terminal, and you can buy a ticket there. The train makes three stops in the city center.
Also an affordable way to get to the city is the L9 metro line, which connects both airport terminals to the city center. To do this, you also need to purchase a special ticket. Trains run every seven minutes.
Taxi and car rental
Taxis are considered by travelers to be the most expensive form of transport to use. In addition, when you exit Barcelona airport, you will see a long queue. The movement will be supervised by an employee of the airport terminal. A good tip for tourists is to know the name of your hotel in Spanish in advance so that there are no problems due to the language barrier. Taxi services are paid by the meter.
You can also rent a car. You can do this both in advance and upon arrival at the airport, where there are numerous offices of companies that will be happy to offer you their services.
How many airports are there in Barcelona?
When buying tickets to Barcelona, many tourists often get confused at local airports. Recall that in Barcelona itself there is only one airport - this is ElPrat. It is located about twelve kilometers southwest of the city and at the same time is equipped with a developed infrastructure and transport network, which is of no small importance. At the same time, at a distance of about 120 kilometers from Barcelona there are two more airports - Reus and Girona.
It is worth special attention to the fact that, according to tourists, it is most convenient and fastest to get to the city center from El Prat airport, since transport links are established there and will not require huge time and financial costs. This is very convenient when traveling with small children and having luggage. But the final decision when choosing an airport is up to you.
