Driving in the city centre of Barcelona can be intimidating, especially during rush hour or on the fast multi-lane avenues. A detailed map is needed to manage the complicated one-way system. Cars require a paid ticket to park in the ‘blue zone’, from 8am to 2pm and 4pm to 8pm. Parking costs 1,00 to 3,00 EUR per hour or 20 EUR per day. The numerous car parks in the centre charge about 1,60 EUR per hour and 17,50 to 20 EUR per day.

The FGC and Renfe regional rail lines are available for the suburbs and surrounding areas. Renfe operates the Cercanías (commuter trains), with its central station at Plaça de Catalunya. A funicular (inclined) railway runs from Carrer Nou de la Rambla and Avenida Parallel to Avenida Miramar, from 9am to 8pm (until 10pm in summer), costing 1,10 EUR. A cable car operates from the amusement park to Montjuïc Castle, costing 3,60 EUR one way and 5,00 EUR for round trip. A cable car departs every 15 minutes from the San Sebastian Tower to Montjuïc, from 10.30am to 7pm. Tickets cost 7,50 EUR one way and 9,00 EUR for round trip.

Barcelona provides quick, inexpensive and reliable public transport. ‘Abonos’ (passes) can be purchased for the metro, urban lines of the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) commuter trains and the Nitbus, and is especially beneficial if the public transportation system is used frequently. Barcelona boasts a clean and punctual metro system that travels to most of the major sites in the city.

City buses run daily from 5.30am to 11.30pm. Buses that feature a red band always stop at a central square; those with blue bands are night buses. The bus network is extensive and almost all services travel to Plaça de Catalunya, Plaça Urquinaona and Plaça de la Universitat. Travel tickets/passes must be validated in vending machines before boarding. There are 16 night routes leaving every 30-40 minutes, from 11pm to 4am, which require separate tickets. The TombBús service was designed for shopping and operates weekdays, every seven minutes, and Saturdays, every 15 minutes, between Plaça de Catalunya and Plaça Pius XII. Multi-ride tickets and passes are available at the Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) service centres, as well as metro ticket offices, vending machines and FGC railway stations.