Barcelona Airport (BCN) to the City Centre

From Barcelona’s El Prat airport, the Aerobús express bus reaches Plaça Catalunya, the city’s central square, in about 30 minutes around the clock, and the R2 Nord commuter train from Terminal 2 stops at Passeig de Gràcia, the avenue where two of Gaudí’s houses stand a few minutes apart.

The Aerobús express bus reaches Barcelona’s central square in about 30 minutes

The Aerobús express bus runs 24 hours a day from both terminals to Plaça Catalunya, the central square at the top of La Rambla, in 25 to 35 minutes: the A1 route from Terminal 1 every five minutes in the daytime and the A2 route from Terminal 2 every ten, every 20 minutes at night. A single is 7.45 euros and a return 12.85. From Plaça Catalunya, the main Barcelona guide walks the Gothic Quarter, and the Plaça Catalunya guide covers the square itself. For a cruise, taxis run to the port’s Adossat wharf on a fixed fare, and the cruise port guide covers the shuttle bus from the foot of La Rambla.

The R2 Nord commuter train leaves only from the station at Terminal 2, every 30 minutes, reaching Sants station, the city’s main rail terminus, in about 20 minutes and Passeig de Gràcia in about 27, for about 5 euros; from Terminal 1, the free shuttle bus between the terminals comes first. Metro line L9 Sud serves both terminals too, but it needs its own airport ticket, 5.90 euros, and takes around half an hour just to reach the rest of the network.

Gaudí’s La Pedrera and its rooftop of sculpted chimneys

La Pedrera, Gaudí’s Casa Milà at number 92 Passeig de Gràcia, is an apartment block built between 1906 and 1912 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, about ten minutes’ walk north of Passeig de Gràcia station. Its cream stone front ripples along the street like a cliff face, with wrought-iron balconies twisting across it, and the street view costs nothing.

Inside, the visit runs from the courtyards through a furnished period apartment and the brick-ribbed attic to the rooftop terrace, where the chimneys and stair towers are sculpted into helmet-like figures. A La Pedrera ticket starts at 25 euros online, and the building opens daily from 9am to 6:30pm in winter and 8:30pm in summer.

Gaudí’s Casa Batlló and its dragon-backed roof

Casa Batlló stands at number 43 Passeig de Gràcia, a few minutes’ walk from the station, its front covered in broken-tile mosaic and its roof built up in scale-like tiles along a curved ridge, read as the back of a dragon. A Casa Batlló ticket includes an audio guide and the roof terrace, and the house opens from 8:30am to 10pm. The Sagrada Família guide covers Gaudí’s basilica, about 20 minutes’ walk east.

Left luggage at Barcelona Airport

Excess Baggage runs a left-luggage office in each of El Prat’s terminals: Terminal 1’s is open 24 hours, and Terminal 2’s from 6am to 10pm, at roughly 17 euros a bag for up to 24 hours. From Terminal 1 the train route means a shuttle bus, a station and a train with the suitcase in tow, and a luggage storage point near Passeig de Gràcia is the alternative for a stop spent in the city.

Collect the bag on the way back to the station or the bus stop, and allow about an hour from Passeig de Gràcia to the gate before check-in and security.