Barcelona streetcars: everything you need to know

The Barcelona tramway is divided into two distinct networks that run from the suburbs to the municipalities to the north and southwest of the city.

Today, I'm going to tell you all about it.

Barcelona tramway: article summary

Barcelona's tramway system in a nutshell

To the south of the city, Trambiax is made up of three lines (T1, T2 and T3) from Plaça Francesc Macià to Espluges de Llobregat, Cornellà de Llobregat, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Sant Joan Despí and Sant Just Desvern.

To the north, the Trambesòs (lines T4, T5 and T6) runs from the Parc de la CiutadellaIt runs through the Sant Martí district to Badalona and Sant Adria de Besòs.

It's a popular means of transport for tourists and locals alike. Every day, thousands of people use the streetcars to get around the city. If you'd like to diversify your means of transportIt's the perfect alternative to the Barcelona metro or bus.

Fares for Barcelona's public transport system are based on in six zones. Both tramway networks are located in zone 1.

Timetables and opening hours of Barcelona's tramway system

Streetcars run during specific periods. During rush hour, streetcars depart every ten to fifteen minutes, dropping to every thirty minutes in the early morning and evening.

You can also use the tramway:

• Monday to Thursday 5 a.m. to midnight
• Friday and Saturday 5 a.m. to 2 a.m.
• Sunday 5 a.m. to midnight
• The day before public holidays 5 a.m. to 2 a.m.

How much do tickets cost?

One-way tickets for the streetcar currently cost €2.40. You can buy them from vending machines at streetcar stations.

You can save money and time by purchasing a multi-trip ticket such as the Hola Barcelona Travel Card.

The Barcelona Card offers free entry to museums and popular tours, as well as unlimited use of public transport in zone 1.

Just above the ticket dispenser, an LCD display shows the arrival time of the next streetcar. In addition, there are maps of the tramway network and of the metro and urban rail system to help you find your way around. to help you find your way around the different lines.

Don't forget to validate your ticket!

When you enter the streetcar, you must validate your ticket using the machines located near the doors. Failure to do so means you're traveling without a ticket.

Insert the ticket into the slot at the top of the machine, with the arrow pointing downwards and the printed side of the ticket facing you. Once inside the machine, the ticket is stamped. A green LED next to the ticket slot lights up. The machine beeps before returning the ticket, indicating validation. You must keep your ticket for the duration of your trip and present it to inspectors on request.

If the red LED lights up, the ticket has not been validated correctly. This happens on damaged or expired tickets. The most frequent cause of ticket rejection is it has been inserted incorrectly. Check orientation as described above and try again.

What to do with invalid or damaged tickets

If the machines inside the streetcar repeatedly reject your ticket, it has expired. Unfortunately, when this happens, your only option is to leave the streetcar and buy another ticket from the machine at the station.

Damaged tickets can be replaced free of charge by staff at customer service offices and ticket offices in metro and train stations. The Plaça de Catalunya is the most convenient for this kind of exchange.

Is a streetcar ticket also valid for the metro, train or bus?

A single streetcar ticket allows you to transfer from one streetcar line to another within the same journey for a period of thirty minutes after the first validation of the ticket. When transferring from one streetcar to another, you must revalidate your ticket as you board the streetcar.

Single streetcar tickets cannot be used when travelling in metroin bus or in train.

If you have purchased a multi-trip ticket, you can transfer between different modes of transport within the same trip.

The history of streetcars in Barcelona

Barcelona's first tramway service was inaugurated in 1872 and ran between Las Ramblas to Plaça Lesseps. The first streetcars were horse-drawn, but were replaced by steam streetcars as the network expanded.

Steam streetcars were both noisy and dangerous. Apparently, they were involved in so many accidents that locals referred to the lines by nicknames such as "the guillotine" and "King Herod".

The first electric tramway, inaugurated in 1899, benefited from new lines running as far as Badalona and Tibidabo theme parkwhich opened its doors in 1905.

Two years later, the first buses began to run and a price war began between the two public transport operators.

The arrival of the metro, the end of the tramway

In the 1920s, work began on Barcelona's metro system. Streetcars slowly declined until only one line remains.

For over thirty years, Barcelona's only tramway was a tourist attraction called the El Tramvia Blau (The Blue Tram)along Avinguda Tibidabo.

Barcelona's current tramway system dates from 2006. Unlike the old steam streetcars, modern electric streetcars are silent. They're also one of the most environmentally-friendly ways of getting around the city.

Now you know everything there is to know about streetcars in Barcelona. On your next trip, I advise you to diversify your means of transport and to enjoy a streetcar ride.