City Centre Transfers from Barcelona Port Terminals: Transfers, Taxis, Buses and Walking
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Once you have arrived at Barcelona cruise port you will need to make your way from the terminal into the centre of Barcelona. This is made convenient for you with a number of different services for transfers to the city centre. This page will provide you with details on your options for transport to the city centre, including timings, prices and frequency of transport.
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| Barcelona Cruise Port |
How to arrange a private car or minibus transfer from the cruise terminal arrival to your hotel
You won't be the only one getting off a cruise, a few thousand other people will also be in the queues for the taxis and the bus. These queues can be up to 60 minutes depending on the size of the cruiser. One time-saving option is to make an advanced reservations for your transfer from your arrival point at the cruise port to your hotel. By doing this you will have someone waiting for you at the cruise terminal holding a card with your name on it. At the terminal there will be a minibus to take you to a drop off point close to your hotel.
Arranging your private transfer in advance
You can arrange a private transfer car to pick you up from any of the cruise terminals and take you to your hotel or the city centre. You can reserve this service online in advance of your trip.
Taxis
On leaving the terminal building you will find a taxi rank directly outside the exit. Staff at the terminal liaise with local taxis to ensure that there are enough taxis waiting at the rank to accommodate the amount of people who are leaving the cruise ship in one go.
Taxis are also a good option for getting from the terminal to your hotel, in case you are not sure what part of town your hotel is in. Under most circumstances the taxi will be able to take you directly to your door.
Taxi from the terminal to the Ramblas
Taxi fare: €10.00
Shuttle bus - Cruise Bus
There is a shuttle bus service that runs between the port terminals to the bottom of La Rambla - an area known as Portal de la Pau. The buses are blue and they are called Cruise Bus (you will see this name on the display panel on the front of the bus). The bus will drop you off at the famous Christopher Columbus monument that sits right at the bottom of Barcelona's most famous street. The journey should take you no longer than 10 minutes.
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| Barcelona Cruise Port Bus |
There is no specific timetable for these cruise shuttle buses because the buses are scheduled to coincide with the arrival of the cruise ships. Buses are also organised to ensure that they can cope with the number of passengers leaving the cruise ships. You should not have to wait more than twenty minutes to get the shuttle bus, but it depends on the number of cruises arriving and the capacity of the ships.
You can buy the tickets for this shuttle in advance by following the link below.
If you decide to buy your ticket on the day you will need change to buy your bus ticket, as there is no credit card machine on the bus.
Price of the Cruise Bus Tickets
Single ticket: €3.00
Return ticket: €4.50
Private car or minibus transfer from / to the cruise port
It is important to remember that you cannot use the standard Barcelona transport travel card - the T-Casual transport ticket on the Cruise Bus. Therefore, even if you have a T-Casual you will have to pay separately for the shuttle bus service.
Hop on hop off tourist bus stop at the cruise port
The Barcelona Hop-On Hop-Off Tourist Bus is a service that takes tourists, around an organize route, to the main Barcelona tourist attractions. You can buy one or two day tickets online and can get on and off the bus where you choose.
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| Barcelona Hop-on-Hop-off tourist bus |
The nearest bus stops for the "hop on hop off" tourist buses to the cruise terminals are at the World Trade Centre (WTC) and another at the Christopher Columbus monument.
If your cruise is arriving at the WTC dock or the Sant Bertrand dock you could walk to the stop for the hop on hop tourist bus in a few minutes. You will see the stop marked with a photo of the bus. The bus typically arrives every 20 to 30 minutes. The tourist bus has two circular routes which you can choose from. The helpful point here is that when you are ready to return to the cruise terminal, you can take the bus with the route to the cruise and get off where you started.
The tourist bus would be a good option if you will not be carrying luggage with you. If however, you have luggage you would need to first drop it off at your hotel because the hop on hop off tourist bus does not permit luggage on board.
What to do when you have luggage and want to go on the tourist bus?
Did you know you can’t take your luggage onto the hop-on hop-off tourist bus? Therefore before you take the tourist bus, you need to either store your luggage or take it to your hotel - all of which can take time out of your holiday. However, there is another solution that can save you time. Follow the link below to learn about a luggage management service that can pick up your luggage and store it or deliver it wherever you want in Barcelona.
Metro stop nearest the cruise terminals
There is a metro station at the bottom of the Ramblas - from here you will be able to take the metro to all different parts of Barcelona.
Metro: Drassanes (Green Line, L3)
To see the exact route of the Cruise Bus shuttle bus, have a look at the map on our Barcelona cruise port overview page.
On Foot
Walking from the cruise terminal to your hotel or city centre is not a good option.
If you want to go to the city centre and you are not staying at the Grand Marina Hotel then it is probably best to use a form of transport other than walking to arrive at your destination especially if you have luggage. Bear in mind the Spanish sun can also be hot, and there is not much shade protecting you on your walk from the cruise terminals.
An exception was you could walk to your hotel would be if you are staying at the Eurostars Grand Marina Hotel and you are arriving at the World Trade Centre or possibly the Sant Bertrand Wharf. The Grand Marina Hotel is situated at the World Trade Centre and therefore walking could be a feasible option.
If you are feeling intrepid and want to walk from the Quai Adossat terminals to La Rambla it is possible but not advisable.
The Quai Adossat has 4 terminals A to D. The closest terminal to La Rambla is Terminal A, and the furthest away is Terminal D. Depending on which terminal you are arriving into, it should take you between 30 minutes to 50 minutes to walk from the terminal building at Quai Adossat to the foot of La Rambla. This walk will be tedious as there is little of interest along the way other than seeing other cruise terminal docks and a busy road and you will be exposed to the sun with little shade for the full duration of the walk.
On leaving the quay area you will need to take a right onto Ronda de Litoral. Keep walking along Ronda de Litoral until you reach the famous Christopher Columbus monument - you will now be at the bottom of the Ramblas.
If you are arriving at the World Trade Centre the time to walk to La Rambla is around 15 minutes walk.
For details of your transport options from the bottom of La Rambla, see above in the shuttle bus section.
It is worth noting that when you arrive at the cruise terminal there will be a member of the Barcelona Turisme tourist information team available at a small temporary desk. They will be able to answer any questions that you have in relation to getting around Barcelona.
On your arrival at Barcelona Port you will not struggle to find ways to get into the city centre. The cruise terminal staff run an efficient and co-ordinated operation, and they ensure that there are sufficient buses and taxis to deal with the surge of demand as hoards of people leave the cruise ship. Have a think in advance about the mode of transport that best suits you, and as soon as you leave the ship you can get on your way to exploring Barcelona.
We recommend you visit our Barcelona cruise map to see the terminals and the route to La Rambla.
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