Every station has machines and often attendants to purchase tickets from. The machine have many language options and I highly recommend using them.
Individual Tickets: 1.35 Euros
- It buy you a one way trip. Purchase these if you plan on riding the metro once, twice or three times. If you are planing to ride more then three times, I recommend purchasing the T10 (or a discount card, more information on this will be posted later).
T10 ticket (Zone 1): 7.70 Euros
- This ticket gets you 10 rides on the Metro, the FGC, the buses, the trams and the RENFE in all Zone 1 areas. This ticket can be shared with other members of your group.
- You can buy T10 tickets for any of the zones, but most of the tourist sites and all of the city center are in Zone 1.
- T10 tip: Your journey will count only as a single journey if the length of your entire trip is under 1 hour and 15 minutes and you have to use multiple forms of transit. Meaning if you have to take the metro and then a bus to arrive at your destination. When you use your T10 at the metro and then the bus, if its been less then an hour and 15 minutes, that counts as only one journey on your ticket.
Ticket Tips
- The metro turnstiles work as follows:
- Insert ticket into the front of the machine
- The machine marks the back with date and time
- Take the ticket from the slot on the top of the machine
- The turnstile will unlock and you can pass through
- Turnstiles vs Glass sliding doors
- Turnstiles: Hold your ticket in the left hand when you put it into the machine and the turnstile to your right will unlock.
- Glass Sliding Doors: Enter with the ticket in your right hand and the doors will open on your left.
- Care for your ticket
- Damage can easily occur and it can become illegible by the machines
- The machine will read "Esta Tarjeta no funciona" or
- The machine will spit the ticket back out
- Damaged tickets can be reissued by an attendant for the remaining number of rides.
- Ticket Machines
- Most machines take bills, coins and credit card, however, some only take coins so its best to always have coins with you
- Often you can choose what language the machine uses. Push the button of the flag that corresponds with your preferred language.
- For English its the UK flag (so don't wait time looking for the US stars and stripes
Which way to go...
- When entering the metro each line with have two sign written in their respective colors. And each sign will be labeled with the first and last stops of the line. See which direction your stop is and head to the platform that corresponds to the last stop in that direction.
- For example lets say we are in the Placa Catalunya Station (aka Cataluna) and we want to go to Placa Espanya (Espanya). We look at our metro map and see that both L1 the red line and L3 the green line go to Espanya, but the red line is more direct. Now the signs in the metro for the red line will be in RED and one sign with say Hospital de Bellvitge and the other Fondo because those are the last stops for each direction. From Catalunya, Espanya is in the direction of Bellvitge, so we will head to the L1 Bellvitge platform.
- Main entrances to each station has a large wall map
- These can help you plan your journey
- Help you enter and exit the station so you end up headed in your desired direction
- Take our time. Some stations are very large and can be disorienting. Breath and following the signs. It really very easy when you get the hang out it.
How much time...
- Maximum wait for a train about 5 minutes
- 3-5 minutes between stops
- give or take 2 min per stop
- 10 min for a metro line change
- Sundays trains don't run as often so give yourself and extra 10-15 minutes.
When to ride/Hours of Operation (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5 & L11)
- Mon-Thurs, Sun & Holidays 5:00-24:00
- Friday 5:00-2:00
- Saturdays Continuous Service
- Dec. 24th 5:00-23:00
- ****On public holidays and Fiesta days the metro often runs continuously but double check the hours with an attendant or tourist information booth.
