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Spain

Barcelona

A Mediterranean city dotted with Gaudí's architecture. Beneath the grid of the Eixample, the metro runs everywhere.

Metro de Barcelona

Tap a credit card at the gate and it buys and validates one single ticket - this is not London-style open-loop, and only some entrances have the reader. Riding often, load a 10-journey T-casual onto a T-mobilitat card.

Updated on August 5, 2026

How to ride

  1. 1
    Buy from a station machine
    The machine takes coins, notes or cards. Riding often? Load a 10-journey T-casual onto that same anonymous T-mobilitat card.
  2. 2
    Paying by bank card? Find the right entrance
    To pay by bank card, look for an entrance with the dedicated reader - not every barrier has one.
  3. 3
    Validate at the barrier
    Hold your ticket to the reader at the barrier; arrows show which gate or door will open.
  4. 4
    Keep the ticket until you are out
    Keep the validated ticket until you leave your destination station - staff may ask to see it.

Fares

Single fares2

Single ticket (bitllet senzill, zone 1)
Only on TMB metro and TMB buses, not other operators; a first machine purchase also costs the card.
2.9 EUR ≈ $3
Airport ticket (metro only)
Metro only; arrive on an invalid ticket and you must buy this to leave the airport station.
5.9 EUR ≈ $7

Passes & multi-ride4

T-casual (10 journeys, zone 1)
Single-person, 10 journeys; not valid at Aeroport T1 or T2 on L9 Sud
13 EUR ≈ $15
T-dia (24-hour unlimited, zone 1)
Unlimited for 24 hours from first validation; includes one trip each way to the airport stations
12 EUR ≈ $13
T-familiar (8 journeys, shareable, zone 1)
8 journeys within 30 days, shareable; not valid at Aeroport T1 or T2
11.5 EUR ≈ $13
T-grup (70 journeys, shareable, zone 1)
70 journeys in 30 days, shareable; not valid at Aeroport T1 or T2
91 EUR ≈ $100

Card itself1

Anonymous T-mobilitat card (fare carrier)
Charged automatically the first time you buy a ticket from a machine; after that you reload the same card.
1 EUR ≈ $1

Estimates use exchange rates as of November 3, 2026

Payment

Tap to ride
VISAMastercardAmex
Only at some metro entrances; a tap buys and validates one single ticket.
IC card
Load your fare product onto a T-mobilitat card and tap it.
App tickets
Held in the TMB App: Android 7+ with NFC, or an iPhone set to an EU country
Paper tickets
Magnetic paper tickets are gone; fares load onto a card or a phone.
Cash
Machines take coins and notes; you cannot pay cash at the gate.

Quick facts

Hours
05:00-24:00; all night Sat
Frequency
2-3 min at morning peak (L1, L5)
Fares from
2.9 EUR+

Heads-up

  • Your own e-scooter or unicycle cannot come into the metro

    You cannot bring your own e-scooter, electric unicycle or Segway into the metro. The ban has been open-ended since February 2023, and being caught with one past the fare barrier costs €200. Electric bicycles and mobility vehicles for disabled passengers are exempt. The same rule applies across Catalan public transport, so do not plan on folding one up and carrying it aboard.

Timetable

Operating hours 05:00-24:00; all night Sat
Typical duration The backbone of getting around the city - watch for the summer 2026 closures
Check the official site for the latest times and service status
Editor Naotaka