Driving inside Barcelona is not recommended, especially in downtown. The public transportation system consists of metro and buses, plus a few internal train lines and a couple of tram lines. It is safe, fast, and reliable.

Metro : The metro system is probably easiest to use and will take you to most places of interest. Barcelona has five main lines (L1 to L5, color-coded). The metro is open until midnight Sunday to Thursday, until 2am on Friday and the whole night on Saturday. If you plan to take more than 5 trips, we recomment that you buy a T-10 card (10 trips, 7.25 euros).

Bus : You pay on board. You can use the T-10 card, but not buy one on board. You can use the same ticket (or T-10 trip) for a combined metro+bus journey. Most bus lines stop around 11pm; there are few night bus lines, all of which pass by Plaza Catalunya (i.e., the hotel area).

Taxi : Taxis in Barcelona are yellow and black. A taxi is available when the green light on top is on. There is a taxi stop in Plaza Catalunya next to la Rambla. Moving with taxi is relatively cheap, compared with many other European cities. A typical fare within the city is around 8 euros. Going to and from the airport is around 30 euros. All taxis can issue receipts (ask for a "ticket") but not all accept credit cards. Note that drivers may complain if you want to pay with a 50eur bill or larger; ask first.

Tourist bus : If you have only 1 or 2 free days in Barcelona, the Bus Turistic is a reasonable option to see the main attractions. There are three routes (North, South, and Forum) and a ticket lets you get on and off the bus as many times as you want in a day.

Tourist information: There is a Tourist Information Office in the basement of Plaza Catalunya. Check also the links below.