One way to see the sights of Barcelona is to use the services of the Barcelona Bus Turistic system. These are bus tours on three different routes with an audio guide that will allow you to get to know the capital of Catalonia and get a holistic view of the city. Read more about how to travel on Bus Turistic in our article.
Barcelona Bus Turistic with an "eye" on the side.
What is Bus Tourism?
Bus Turistic is an official guided tour organized by the city's Tourist Board and operator public transport TMB. Buses have been running around since 1987, making it easier for tourists to see the diverse and many-sided Barca. To know double-decker buses Bus Turistic and can be distinguished from the buses of another Barcelona City Tour company by its blue color and a huge “eye” on the side. The vibrant tourist transport has itself become a landmark of Barcelona.
Who will benefit from using Bus Turistic?
- you are in Barcelona for the first time and want to look around in order to return to the most interesting places later;
- you only have a couple of days to explore the city;
- you do not want to overpay for the services of a guide;
- you do not like, but want to inspect the city only "on the ground".
When buying a ticket for a bus tour, you will receive a booklet with coupons for discounts (10-20%) for visiting the main attractions of the city.
Bus tour features
The tourist bus in Barcelona runs on three circular lines: blue, red and green, in total making 44 stops.
The scheme of all Bus Turistic routes - opens in full size when clicked.
At each stop, tourists can get off the bus to get better, change the route, and have a bite to eat. Then get back on the bus at this or another station and continue the sightseeing tour. There are five stops where you can transfer from one line to another: the red one has four points in common with the blue one, and one with the green one. enough to buy one ticket to travel all day on all routes, go and get on the bus again as many times as you like. Two-day tickets are also on sale.
Passengers receive headphones and an information booklet from the driver, which are recommended to be kept until the end of the trip. Headphones must be connected to the socket on the chair, setting the audio guide to Russian. Tourists are waiting for a short audio guide to attractions, streets and areas where the bus passes.
Passengers of Bas Touristik receive many discounts and privileges, which allow you to save a lot of money during your holidays in the capital of Catalonia. This is a visit to the museums and galleries of Barcelona, a funicular ride to Mount Montjuic, lunch at MacDonald's and more at a reduced price.
Additional Benefits
- free high-speed Wi-Fi;
- amenities for people with handicapped, for families with small children, including those with strollers;
- QR code for each stop with information about nearby attractions worth seeing.
Minuses
The main disadvantage of the Bus Turistic system is congestion during the hot season. If you want to take the most popular seats on the second floor, chances are you'll have to wait in line outside for about an hour. However, there is a little trick - do not take the bus at the most popular stations, but walk to the next one. In addition, a rich excursion program on hot days can be a test for many tourists. On the second floor, the chairs get very hot - hats are required.
The most inquisitive - on the second floor.
flickr.com/monstermunch
Rules
- it is forbidden to eat and drink on the bus;
- on the second floor it is forbidden to ride standing;
- the purchase of a ticket does not guarantee the availability of seats;
- on the second floor it is forbidden to use umbrellas from rain or sun;
- the transport of animals is prohibited;
- passengers with wheelchairs travel on the ground floor.
Schedule
Buses of the red and blue lines run all year round, the green line - from March 18 to November 1, as well as on holidays December 25 and January 1. Tourist buses operate on the route daily: from 9:00 to 19:00 in winter and from 9:00 to 20:00 in summer. Actual timetables can be found at bus stations.
Tourist transport runs at intervals of 5-25 minutes depending on the season. But in reality, even at the height of the season, you can wait about 20-30 minutes, and then see two buses at the bus stop at once.
Tickets - prices and points of sale
Tickets are sold on the bus itself, at some Bus Turistic stops, as well as at metro stations.
You can enter and exit at any stop, and buy a ticket directly from the driver.
flickr.com/tmbarcelona
The ticket can also be purchased online with a 10% discount on the official website barcelonabusturistic.cat. Electronic tickets must be printed and exchanged for regular ones at the Bus Turistic ticket offices.
Regular ticket price, without discount:
- adults - 28 euros;
- children from 4 to 12 years old - 16 euros;
- seniors over 65 years old - 24 euros;
- children under 4 years old - free of charge.
Two-day tickets:
- adults - 39 euros;
- children from 4 to 12 years old - 20 euros;
- seniors from 65 years old - 34 euros.
Routes
You can drive a full circle along the red line without leaving the bus in 2 hours. The blue route will take the same amount of time. Buses of these branches depart from Plaza Catalunya, but from different stops. The green route takes 40 minutes, starting from the Olympic port.
Blue route:
- Plaza Catalunya;
- MACBA (Barcelona Museum of Modern Art);
- Citadel Park;
- st. Passage de Gracia;
- Monastery of Pedralbes;
- FC Barcelona stadium.
During the trip, tourists will see the significant buildings of Gaudi - and Casa Batlló, royal and aristocratic palace buildings.
House of Mila - of course, you can't help but get off at this stop.
Starting your journey from Plaza Catalunya, we recommend getting off to take a closer walk through the creation of Gaudí - Parc Güell. Football fans will be interested in the Barcelona FC Stadium stop, where the team's museum is located. At the Tibidabo stop, you can take a colorful blue tram and take it to
And for those who visited the capital of Catalonia for the first time, and experienced tourists will come in handy tourist map discounts and a part-time travel pass. - good way save a tourist on transport in Barcelona.
Red route:
- Plaza Catalunya;
- Citadel Park;
- st. Passage de Gracia;
- Avenue Diagonal;
- Train Station;
- foothills of Montjuic;
- old port Vell.
Following the red line, tourists will be able to get acquainted with such attractions as Plaza de España, the Spanish Village, the Gothic Quarter. Gaudí's buildings await lovers of beauty in the area of Passage de Grazia and Diagonal streets. At the foot of Montjuic, you can take the funicular and climb to the observation deck, which offers a panoramic view of the whole of Barça. Getting off at Port Vell, you can easily
Stops where you can transfer from the red to the blue line and back: Plaza Catalunya, Casa Batlló, Passage de Grazia, Diagonal Avenue.
Green route: from Port Olimpic to the coastal area of Poblenou, along the best city beaches. The main attraction of the Green Line is the Forum. The line intersects with the red line at Port Olympic.
Interactive route maps can be viewed on the official website of Bas Touristik -
One of the best ways to get to know Barcelona is on a sightseeing tour on an open top double decker bus.
The red tourist buses "Barcelona Bus Turistic" annually transport more than 2 million tourists from all over the world. Reviews on Tripadvisor speak about the quality of the tour.
For more than 30 years of existence, the route and the excursion program has undergone many changes and now meets all the requirements of the tourist. You need to pay for a comfortable double-decker tourist bus in Barcelona only once - the ticket is valid for the whole day (or two days).
All buses are equipped with Wi-Fi, so you can keep all your friends on Odnoklassniki, VKontakte and Facebook up to date with your adventures.
Throughout the sightseeing tour of the city, you will be accompanied by an audio guide in Russian that introduces you to every sight you meet on the way. The audio guide was compiled very professionally and if you had any negative experience with similar guides in other cities, then here you will be pleasantly surprised by its quality and content.
Tourist bus on the streets of Barcelona
Tickets
| Adult | Children 4-12 years old | Over 65 years old | |
| 1 day | 30€ | 16€ | 25€ |
| 2 days | 40€ | 21€ | 35€ |
Tickets can be purchased:
- in Plaza Catalunya, where all routes start
- in the airport
- in special tourist kiosks
- as well as directly from the driver at any of his stops, which are marked with a special sign.
Together with the ticket, you get additional discount coupons for visiting attractions, museums and excursions:
- aquarium (-1 euro)
- walking tours (-50%)
- columbus statue (-20%)
- science museum Cosmo Caixa (-1 euro)
- Tour of the Camp Nou
- free admission to the casino
- flamenco show El Tablao Carmen (-10%)
- House Mila (-10%)
- Casa Batlló (-3 euros)
- Sagrada Familia
- and many others
Routes
The starting point of all routes is Plaza Catalunya. Three routes (red, blue and green) united 45 sights of the city. At some points, the routes intersect. The name of the route is displayed on the electronic scoreboard.
Red Route
Red is the longest route, so it is better to start a trip around the city from it.
The open top bus leaves from Plaça Catalunya and then returns here. Along the way you will see:
- ciutadella park
- one of the most elegant streets of the city - Paseo de Gracia
- then your path will run along the main artery - Diagonal Avenue.
- famous house with spikes built at the beginning of the last century
- a miracle of modern architecture - the Agbar tower.
- passing through Plaza de España, you will be able to enjoy appearance majestic National Palace and popular singing fountains
- then climb Mount Montjuic, "dotted" with Olympic objects.
- after driving around the mountain, the bus will descend to Port Bell, the harbor area where the Barcelona Aquarium is located.
- along the embankment you will return to the starting point of the route
Blue Route
Just like the previous one, it originates from Plaza Catalunya. Unlike the red route, here you will see fewer attractions, but what! Waiting for you:
- museums of modern art,
- the main attraction of the city - the temple of Sagrada Familia
- House Mila
- unique Park Güell
- Then the route will lead to the foot of Mount Tibidabo, on top of which the Sacred Heart Temple awaits you, and the best city amusement park for children.
- Monastery of Pedralbes
- the famous Camp Nou stadium
Green Route
- Opening hours: from March 27 to November 1
- Duration: 40 minutes
This is the only route that starts at the Olympic port, which was built for the 1992 Summer Olympics. Driving along Poblenou, you can enjoy the view of this seaside area with modern parks and clean beaches. Parks Diagonal Mar, Forum can not only charm, but also amaze you with their original design.
- Buy tickets in advance online. Firstly, it's cheaper, and secondly, if you decide to buy tickets at the starting point, you will have to stand in two lines: first at the ticket office, and then on the bus. During the peak season, this can take more than 30 minutes.
- Start off we recommend to drive on the red and blue route. They cover all the main attractions of Barcelona. Visit the green route if you wish.
Even the smallest travel company will offer you a sightseeing tour of Barcelona, but group events have several significant drawbacks: "attachment" to the bus and viewing the maximum number of objects in the shortest possible time. It is clear that under such conditions, a high-quality review will not work. To get a more complete and vivid impression of this wonderful Spanish city, you can use individual excursions or a convenient service that offers Barcelona Tourist Bus.
This is a special bus for tourists who wish to see the city at their own pace. The buses are double-decker, have an open top, are equipped with an audio guide in 11 languages, including Russian, each seat has headphones. Tourist transport is adapted for people with disabilities and even for those who use hearing aids. Having bought one ticket, you can travel along three routes, while it is allowed to get off the bus at stops at any time for a detailed acquaintance with the sights, and then quickly “jump” back! From each stop on the route, buses depart around 9:00 - 9:30 and run until 19:00 in winter and until 20:00 in summer.
How much does the ticket cost?
The basic ticket price for an adult is 27 euros for 1 day and 35 euros for 2 days. The cost for a child from 4 to 12 years old is 16 and 20 euros, respectively.
Where can I buy a ticket?
Tickets for the Barcelona sightseeing bus can be purchased at the following locations: directly on the bus, at bookstores, at newsstands, at bus and metro ticket offices (TMB), at Barcelona Turisme Tourist Information Centres.
Going on an independent tour of Barcelona, you choose what and when to watch and how much time to devote to a particular object. Of the minuses: you will have to spend some time at stops waiting for the bus; traffic jams often occur in the center of Barcelona.
There are two tourist bus companies in Barcelona, Bus Turistic Barcelona and City Tour Barcelona. Both companies operate open-top double-decker buses with the same price per day ticket. However, the number of routes and the routes themselves differ. Below we will talk in more detail about tourist buses, namely:
- Tourist bus tickets, where to buy, cost?
Buying tickets for the tourist bus
Many city services and services provide discounts when buying tickets electronically - via the Internet. Tourist buses in Barcelona are no exception and give a 10% discount on buying tickets online.
Ticket prices for 2019:
- 1 ticket for the whole day for an adult when bought on the bus will cost 33 euros,
when buying online - 30 euros.- For 2 days, a ticket costs 44 euros, when buying online - only 40 euros.
Thus, if you purchase a ticket for two days, the discount will be much more significant.
Prices for Bas Touristik and City Tour are the same.
By the way, we saved 6 euros for two, as we paid 54 euros for two tickets, not 60 (date of trip March 2018). Given the current exchange rates, good savings.
The ticket gives the right to travel on all routes of the selected company all day. Or two days in a row if you have a two-day ticket.
With one ticket, you can get off and transfer to another bus from any Bus Turistik or City Tour stop an unlimited number of times. Those. you ride the bus around the city, get off, walk around the sights, then get on the next tourist bus, go to the next sights, etc.
There are rumors on the Internet that a passport is required to travel on the tour bus. So, neither the tourist bus, nor the metro, nor the bus with the tram requires any identity card. Only a ticket. And in general, it is better to keep passports in the room, and you can take a copy with you just in case.
https://www.holabarcelona.com/tickets/barcelona-hop-on-hop-off-bus-tour - official website for buses of the Bus Tourist company (Barcelona BusTuristic).
http://barcelona.city-tour.com/en - City Tour Barcelona bus tickets, is also the official site.
The bus ticket does not need to be printed. Controller scanners perfectly read the barcode from the smartphone screen. In any case, we checked this at the Bas Touristik company.
It is difficult to say unequivocally which company has better routes and which one has worse. We first came across the first option on the Internet - the Bas Touristik company (it is more advertised), so we used it. The buses of this company in the spring, according to the sensations, went more often .... We subjectively liked everything.
The only significant difference is that Bas Touristika has three routes, one of which operates in the warm season (more on that below), City Tour has only two. The website of the latter offers a kind of smart card that allows you to visit museums, temples, attractions at no extra charge. Its cost is quite high, so it makes sense to buy if you plan to visit these attractions very closely.
! By the way, Since 2019, City Tour has a pleasant innovation: now when you buy a ticket for 1 day or 2 days, you get the opportunity to ride on a double-deck boat Las Golondrinas. Just check the ship's schedule in advance. In summer, from July to September, it runs daily, every hour from 12.30 to 18.30. From April to June less often - every 2 hours, in autumn and winter (October, November, February, March) depending on weather conditions - only 3 times - 12.30, 13.30 and 15.30.
Bas Touristik also offers small discounts on museums, parks and water parks, attractions and funiculars, food in some restaurants, as well as on purchases in central stores. All discount coupons will be placed on the card given to you when boarding the bus.
| It will be interesting: |
What Tourist Buses Look Like in Barcelona and Their Stops
As we said above, there are two companies operating in Barcelona. The buses they operate look the same. The difference is only in logos and inscriptions. If you bought a ticket from one company, then, of course, you will not be allowed on the buses of another.
Tourist buses of the company Bus Turistic (Bus Turistic Barcelona)
This is how the tourist bus stop Bas Touristik looks like. It has the name of the stop, a route scheme is drawn, the color of the route, the cost of tickets and the time the first bus and the last bus pass the stop are written.
Stop Bas Turistika (red route)
Bas Touristik buses have red, blue and green routes. On the map you can see the stops where you can transfer from one to another. They, as a rule, are located a little further from each other, apparently so as not to interfere with each other. But on the maps everything is very clearly described how to get to the stop for a transfer.
And here is the bus itself. As you can see, the name of the company and the color of the route are written on it.
Tourist buses of the company City Tour (City Tour Barcelona)
And this is the stop of a competing organization - City Tour. It has all the same information as at the Bus Turistica stops. In some places they stand next to each other, so be careful not to burst and try to get on the wrong bus.
Tourist bus stop - City Tour
The City Tour Barcelona bus is the most noticeable on it, it is the Gray Line inscription in a rhombus and the sun sign in the entire side wall.
Tourist bus - City Tour
Barcelona tourist bus route maps
Bus routes Bus Turistic (Barcelona TuristicBus)
When you board the bus, you are given this brochure
and, optionally, headphones for the audio guide, which can be connected to the audio socket next to the chair.
You can bring your own headphones. It uses a standard 3.5mm jack.
A memo with the language number is pasted next to the headphone connection point. To listen to the audio guide in Russian, you must select number 11.
Audio guides in all buses work well, a pleasant male voice tells, however, quite briefly and dryly about the streets and sights of Barcelona. Basically, these are dates, names, historical chronicles, as well as warnings on how to behave on the bus.
By the way, food and alcoholic beverages are not allowed on the tourist bus. One man was not allowed in with ice cream, but a woman with a glass of coffee was allowed in without any problems.
Routes:
As we wrote above, the Bas Touristik company has three routes.
Red and blue are open all year round. The green route runs along the embankment and operates only during the warm season, starting from March 23 and ending on November 4. We traveled on tourist buses on March 21, so we didn’t manage to ride the green route.
Three routes of Bas Turistica (the map is enlarged)
On the site you can also find an interactive map of the red, blue and green route.
Bus routes City Tour (City Tour Barcelona)
The City Tour company has two routes - West (West - orange route) and East (East - green route).
The audio guide works in the same way, because the buses of these companies are identical.
Below is the itinerary:
Two City Tour routes (map enlarges)
Conclusion
If you are in Barcelona for the first time, then you simply need to ride the tourist buses for at least one day. Their itineraries are planned in such a way that you can visit all the important sights of Barcelona in 1 day. Or maybe it even makes sense to buy a ticket for two days, so that you have more time to get acquainted with the city.
Buses run quite often (approximately every 5-10 minutes), there were no queues in the off-season (March), there were enough seats for everyone.
In addition, free Wi-Fi is available on all buses. Rather, the network is visible everywhere, we had Internet access in about half of the buses we used. But Barcelona is full of public Wi-Fi hotspots that you can connect to and surf the internet for free.
To use Wi-Fi, it does not matter if it is a bass tourist, a city tour, a cafe or just a public spot, it is advisable to have a Facebook account, because. in most cases it is required for authentication. Less often we saw authorization only through email, and even more rarely - through Twitter. But Twitter has always come as an alternative to Facebook.
View from the second floor of the bus
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There is no doubt that Barcelona sightseeing tour by bus is the best way acquaintance with the city and all its sights. The carrier company "Barcelona Bus Turistic" offers to purchase 2 types of tickets - for one or two days. You can get off the bus at any minute (of course, at the designated bus stops) and get on the bus back without buying a ticket again.
Routes
Barcelona Bus Turistic operates on three lines - red, blue and green(only open in summer). The green route runs through the beaches and the sea, the red line goes through the city center and focuses on the northern part of the city to Mount Tibidabo, the blue route also passes through the center and heads to the huge mountain park Montjuic.
red route
The bus running on the red line includes 23 stops, of which four have an intersection with the blue and green routes. During a sightseeing tour of Barcelona on this route you will see such sights of Barcelona as the Estacio de Franca station (Estacio de Sants), Creu Coberta, then moves through the main entrance of the city Plaza España (Placa d'Espanya) to Montjuic, the museum Pavilion Mies van der Rohe (Caixa Forum-Pavello Miles Van der Rohe), Spanish village (Poble Espanyol), where each house is built in different typically Spanish styles, National Museum of Art of Catalonia (MNAC), spectacular sports facility Olympic Ring (Anella Olimpica) , Museum - Foundation of Jean Miro (Fundacio Joan Miro) - a famous Spanish avant-garde artist, along the Teleferic de Montjuic cable car, Miramar-J garden. Costa i Llobera with a huge collection of cacti, the World Trade Center office building, the Maritime Museum Colom-Museu Maritim. Further along the route there is Port Vell, which occupies the entire coastal strip between the Barceloneta area and the southern foothills of Montjui, the Museum of the History of Catalonia (Museu d'Historia de Catalunya), Port Olimpic, Bogatell Beach (Playa del Bogatell), Ciutadella Park (Parc de la Ciutadella), Plaza de Palau (Pla de Palau), Gothic Quarter of Bari Gothic Barri Gotic, Plaza Catalunya (Placa de Catalunya), Antonio Tapies Foundation (Casa Batllo-Fundacio Antoni Tapies), Museum of Palau Robert (Passeig de Gracia-La Pedrera) and ends on Francesc Macia-Diagonal Avenue.
blue route
The blue line bus passes around attractions such as the Monestir de Pedralbes, the Royal Palace (Palau Reial-Pavellons Guell), Barcelona Football Club (-Futbol Club Barcelona), Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (-MACBA-CCCB) , Plaza Catalunya, Antonio Tapies Foundation, Casa Mila - La Pedrera, Sagrada Familia Cathedral, Gracia district, Park Guell, Mount Tibidabo (Tramvia Blau-Tibidabo) and lookout Sarria site.
The most important parts of this route are the Sagrada Familia (Barcelona's main attraction) and to some extent the Camp Nou stadium.
Green route
The green line of buses runs from 1 April to 25 September and runs to places such as the city center, the Olympic Port, the Plata de Bogatell Cementiri de Poblenou quarter in the coastal area of Problenou and Parc Diagonal Mar.
To be honest, you can safely skip this route, as you can see all this yourself while walking along the embankment.
A trip on an open-top sightseeing bus through the streets of Barcelona on all three routes will take about 4-5 hours, provided that you do not get off the bus at stops. Usually tourists are limited to the blue and red route, which show the main sights of the city. But in Barcelona it is really worth going inside some of the objects, because inside these buildings and objects are even more interesting than outside.
Here is a list of the tour bus stops we recommend getting off at to get the most out of this tour. We publish objects in order of importance.
- Sagrada Familia (Sagrada Familia)
- Casa Batlló
- Park Güell
- Gothic Quarter
- Camp Nou stadium
- Mount Tibidabo (observation deck at the Temple of the Sacred Heart)
If you have an acute shortage of time, then we recommend starting your tour of the city from the red route and be sure to get to the Sagrada Familia on your own (metro station Sagrada Familia on L2 and L5). Moreover, it is better to start the day with a tour of the cathedral, since at the beginning of the day there is less queue, and if you want not to waste time at all, buy tickets in advance.
Buying tickets
The price of tickets for a sightseeing tour of Barcelona bus is 27€ per adult for one day or 3€ for two days (adults are considered to be persons over 12 years old); and for children from 4 to 12 years old - 14 € for a one-day ticket and 18 € for a two-day ticket. Children under 3 years of age are transported free of charge.
You can buy tickets for a sightseeing tour of Barcelona by bus at any bus stop. The central point of sale is in Plaça Catalunya. When buying tickets through the website, a 10% discount is provided.
The ticket entitles you to get on and off the bus at any stop. Bus stops are clearly marked on the route and are located near the sights of the city. Along with the ticket, tourists receive headphones to listen to the audio guide in Russian.
Working hours
The tourist bus operates daily except January 1st and December 25th. On the way, it is about 2 hours on the red and blue route and 40 minutes on the green route. Buses run from 9-00 am to 19-00 pm, and in summer - until 20-00 pm. The frequency of their circulation depends on the volume of tourists and ranges from 5 to 20 minutes.
In the summer, there is the possibility of taking a night sightseeing tour of Barcelona by bus (seats are limited).
Please note that purchasing tickets for a sightseeing tour with Barcelona Bus Turistic entitles you to discounts on other attractions in Barcelona - museums, galleries, cultural events, as well as other vehicles and finally in restaurants, fast foods and parking lots.