Barcelona's Tourist Bus
One of the most daunting things when visiting any new city is navigating your way around without getting too lost (getting a little lost is all part of being in a new place, right?!). Well, although the Barcelona Metro system is a very, very good way of getting around, there is an even easier way!
The problem with the metro is that it's underground. I know this is stating the obvious, but this means that you don't see any of the city along the journey you are making and almost everyone gets a little disorientated when leaving the metro as to which way around to look at the map, too!
Barcelona city council endorses the official city tour bus, "Bus Turistic" which is an open-top bus tour similar to those you find in other big cities. The journeys are split up into 3 different routes, Red, Blue and Green. Red and Blue represent the north and South routes, and the Green follows the coast along to the Forum of cultures building (although it has to be said that this route doesn't have as many interesting things as the other 2 routes).
Tickets can be bought as a 1 day or 2 day pass, transferring between lines as and when you please. The difference in price between the 1 and 2 day pass means that usually people take the 2 day, and choose the red route one day and the blue route the next. The tourist bus takes in all of the main sights, including Barcelona's 9 World Heritage sites and gives you a real perspective of the size of the city, as you view it all overground. Barcelona is also on a gradient, meaning the bus does all the climbing for you, too!
The tour also has an audio guide in 10 languages and offers discounts for many of the places on the route, and more. Prices for 2022* are 30 Euros for a 1 day adult ticket, and only 40 Euros for the 2 day ticket. Children under 4 go free, and from 4 to 16 years pay 16 Euros for the 1 day ticket and 21 Euros for the 2 day ticket.
Our tip for using the tourist bus is to avoid starting the tour at Plaça Catalunya. This is the city's main square and also where the main tourist information office is located, making it a very busy place. Don't forget, if you have a tourist bus stop close to your apartment, then we'll point it out to you, and you can buy the ticket on the bus and save huge queues or lines at the bigger stops.
*prices correct at time of publishing. We are not responsible for any change
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