Getting Around Barcelona with Kids
Barcelona's public transport system is an easy-to-use and integrated service that makes travelling around with children fairly manageable. As well as your more typical public transport options, Barcelona has a cable car, tramway and furnicular train among your other choices for getting around. The city is also great for cycling and you may wish to hire bikes while here for a group or individual tour using the many bike paths available.
See also Barcelona sightseeing tours
There are different travel card options that will enable you to get the best deal for your stay. Children under 4 travel free but there is, as yet, no general child fare. Taxis are also an affordable alternative, especially when travelling in numbers. Most trips around the city will cost between €4 and €8. The underground Metro service runs till around midnight and all night on Fridays and Saturdays.
Click here for an Interactive street map of Barcelona
Barcelona Public Transport Information
See also Barcelona Card for a information on transport discounts.
Barcelona Taxi Reservations (for pre-bookings or immediate hire):
Tel. 93 330 0300 Servi taxi
Tel. 93 300 1100 Fono taxi
Tel. 93 225 0000 Radio taxi
Barcelona Travel Cards
Travel cards can be purchased at Metro ticket offices, tobacconists (tabacs) and at some newspaper kiosks around town. When you use the city’s public transport system with a travel card, you may travel on the same fare for up to 1hr 15mns. This means that you will only be charged once as you change between bus, metro, FGC, trams and suburban RENFE trains during this time period.
For travel within the city’s Zone 1 (2008 prices):
T10 card (10 trips): €7.20
1 Day Pass: €5.50
2 Day Pass: €10.00
3 Day Pass: €14.30
4 Day Pass: €18.30
5 Day Pass: €21.70
A Single Metro ticket:€1.30
A Single Bus ticket: €1.30
Taking the Bus with Kids
If you have a travel card, validate it at one of the 2 machines as you enter the bus. There are preferential seats for people carrying young children, (along with the elderly and those with reduced mobility), so make sure you take a special seat when available. Those with prams will find 2 parking spaces on the bus where you can stand with your child. A polite nod or nudge will usually prompt any pramless travellers occupying these areas to step aside for you. Don’t forget to put on the brakes as in the city traffic you can often be subject to a jerky ride.
Taking the Barcelona Metro with Kids
Barcelona’s metro system is fairly simple to negotiate. Frequent trains and clearly indicated arrival times make travelling by underground a fast and simpler option. Escalators are usually available but for those with prams, lifts (elevators) are few and far between. Main interchange stations will usually have lifts although you may have to walk a way to find them. Look for the sign that has a box with people in it when you get off the train.
More lifts are being introduced. The Purple Line L2 has lifts at every station. People do tend to offer help to those struggling up steps with strollers but it can be quite tricky getting to the platforms let alone getting through some of the narrower gates. Put your ticket through and indicate to the ticket office person that you have a pram as there is usually a special wider gate for easier access. If not you may need to go through the exit gates the wrong way if your pram is wider than average. Click here for a list of Barcelona metro stations with lifts / elevators .
Taking Barcelona Taxis with Kids
The official line is that you should always travel with a car seat (for children under 3) or booster seat for children under 12 when riding in a Barcelona taxi whether you are in the city itself or travelling out of town. This is a grey area for some taxi drivers as although new laws in 2007 have made child seats obligatory, in practice, taxi drivers will most likely not be stopped for allowing children to travel without a seat. This is why many drivers will accept you on short trips. Of course, it is always preferable for a child to travel safely whatever the law may be.
Some of the larger taxis have fitted booster seats in the back if you do not have your own, so check with the driver. If you are travelling into the city from the airport and cannot face the airport bus you will usually find plenty of larger taxis pulling up at the rank, so just join the queue and wait for one to arrive. If you are travelling to the airport, you can pre-book a larger taxi by calling one of the several centralised booking services listed above. A green light means the taxi is available for hire but still flag it like crazy. Unlike most taxi drivers in the world who will over-eagerly stop for head scratchers, in the city of Barcelona unless you are flapping around like a headless chicken they will often drive right past you!
Cable Car (Teleféric)
Tel. 93 225 27 18
There are 2 cable car options - both offering fantastic views over the city.
Cable car starts from the Torre de Sant Sebastià (the tower at Sant Sebastià beach) in Barceloneta. The trip takes you via the
Jaume I Tower at the World Trade Center and finally arrives at the the Mirador overlooking the port from the Parc de Montjuïc.
There is a cafe there which serves drinks, snacks and ice creams until 6pm.
Adult Single: ; Child Single (4-12 yrs)
Adult Return ; Child Return (4-12yrs)
Alternatively a cable car runs from the Montjuïc Furnicular station to the Mirador overlooking the port and then on to the Castell (Castle) at the top of the Montjuïc hill.
Adult Single: €5.50 ; Child Single (4-12 yrs) €4.25
Adult Return €7.50 ; Child Return (4-12yrs) €5.75
Montjuïc Funicular Railway
The Montjuïc Funicular Railway is probably the quickest and most comfortable way to travel the short distance from Parallel up to Montjuïc. The best part of all is that is part of the public transport system so you can use your travel card.
Catch the train from Parallel Metro Station (L4) for the short one-stop ride up the side of the hill.
Barcelona Tramway
Tel. 902 193 275
http://www.trambcn.com
As part of the Barcelona public transport network, you can take the recently built tramway that has 5 different routes running from the city. The tram connection will not take you across Barcelona but offers you a fast route to the outskirts of the city. The tram at the Parc de la Ciutadella / Vila Olimpica stop runs past the Teatre Nacional via the Shopping centre of Les Glories and the flea market of Encants, along Diagonal above the Poble Nou area and on to the Forum and Sant Adria. You can also change at Les Glories onto the T5 line which runs by Clot, Sant Marti continuing to Besos and beyond. Taking the tram from the other end of town, at the Diagonal stop at Francesc Macia, the line takes you via Maria Cristina, the University zone and on to L'Hospital de Llobregat, Cornella de Llobregat and Sant Feliu de Llobregat. Depending on the route and day, trams run from around 5am up to 2am in the morning.
Tramvia Blau
The Tramvia Blau is probably the most attractive way of reaching Tibidabo mountain.
This old fashioned tram takes you through leafy suburbs and past uptown Barcelona houses and ends your journey at the foot of the funicular railway. The route is just over 1km.
Single ticket: €2.00;
Return ticket: €2.90; 20 trip ticket: €20.00
Timetable: 10 am - 8:05pm
(Holidays 10 am - 6:05 pm)
Barcelona Bike Hire
Budget Bikes
Marques de Barbera, 15
Tel. 93 304 1885
http://www.budgetbikes.eu
Central Barcelona, near the Rambla. Bike hire with child seats possible.
Barcelona Bici
Tel. 93 285 3832
Hire your bike at one point and return it at another. Hire by the hour, by the day or by the week. A 10 hour card option available for you to create you own itinerary during your visit. Bikes for adults and older children only.
Rental points at:-
Pl de Catalunya & Mirador de Colom: May-Oct 10am–8pm; Nov-Apr 10am-6pm
Pg de Joan de Borbo: Jun-Sep 10am-8pm; Oct-May 10am-6pm
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Visiting with Kids 
