In the capital of the Spanish region of Catalonia - Barcelona, it is quite easy to get from one place to another, as local residents and tourists can use various city transport. In the article you will get acquainted with the metropolitan of Barcelona, which looks like the most difficult puzzle for the person who got here for the first time. In order to move around the city, you are guided peacefully, you need to study the basic features of the metro in Barcelona.
Metro scheme of Barcelona
Today the metro of Barcelona consists of 11 lines with 165 stations, including overground ones, and has a total length of 123.5 km. Its first feature is that the lines belong to different companies: TMB controls 1-5 and 9-11, and 6-8 - FGC (railways of Catalonia). Lines 9 and 10, which, in fact, constitute one line with fork traffic, are being reconstructed, and for the suburban communication it is planned to construct 12 and 13 more lines.
On the maps, the metro lines are marked with number and color, and additionally the line of the funicular and 2 tram systems are indicated.
Barcelona metro stations
The second feature of the metro station in Barcelona is the availability at each station instead of two conventional ones - three platforms: in the middle - a wide island, and on the edges - two conventional ones. This design is called the "Barcelona solution". It allowed to reduce the flow of passengers due to the fact that you can enter and leave the car simultaneously from both sides.
Inconvenience of the underground can be called long, narrow and poorly thought over transitions between stations, as passengers go simultaneously in two directions and sometimes it is necessary to pass through 2 junctions.
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How much does Metro Barcelona cost?
All metro lines in Barcelona belong to the first transport zone. The purchase of tickets is fully automated, there are vending machines in the turnstile area where tickets can be purchased. One-time ticket after composting is valid for 1 hour and 15 minutes, its cost from January 1, 2014 is from 2.15 euros.
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A more economical solution is the purchase of a T10 ticket for 10 trips, its cost for 1 zone is 10.30 euro, and also tickets T50 / 30, T70 / 30, T-Mes, there are 9 types. These tickets should be worn carefully, because if you remember, they are not identified by the machine, and they will need to be exchanged with the metro staff, it's done for free.
For visitors of the city a special tourist map "Barcelona Card" is issued, which allows to save well, and also in addition to receive such bonuses:
- free map of Barcelona and metro lines;
- free visit to 16 museums and popular sights of the city;
- discount for visiting 26 museums;
- unlimited transportation in the city;
- 30% discount for some city tours;
- discounts when visiting certain cafes and restaurants;
- 20% discount on Aerobus.
The price of such a card depends on the time spent in Barcelona (2, 3, 4 or 5 days). You can buy it in the city center in tourist centers or order and pay online.
How to use the metro in Barcelona?
In the metro of Barcelona there are different types of turnstiles:
- The usual way is to compost the ticket on the left in the machine, and go to the right of it;
- with sliding glass doors - you need to do the opposite: punch the ticket to the right and go to the left. They are installed at the stations Catalunya and Barcelona Sant.
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At each station there is a general metro map, and the nearest attractions and transport routes to which you can change are also shown. The stations are equipped with excavators, and 119 stations - lifts for the disabled.
Metro time in Barcelona
The third feature of the metro in Barcelona is its working time:
- from 5:00 to 24:00 - Monday to Thursday, on Sundays and public holidays;
- from 5:00 to 2:00 on Fridays and on holiday days;
- from 5:00 to 23:00 on 24 December;
- round-the-clock from 5:00 - on Saturdays, 31 December, 23 June, 14 August and 23 September.
For free movement on the metro of Barcelona, you must buy a subway map in Russian. Having such a map and a list of attractions, you can quickly and conveniently move around Barcelona, and if you use the Barcelona Card, it's also very profitable.
Also here you can find out about the metro in other European cities, for example, Prague or Berlin .