T1 and T2 at Barcelona Airport: what you need to know
Barcelona Airport has two passenger terminals, T1 and T2, and four kilometres lie between them. You can't walk from one to the other: there's no pedestrian path, and the shuttle is the only way across. In practice they are two separate airports sharing a name and the code BCN.
Work out which one is yours before you fly. Here's how the terminals differ, how long the ride between them takes and when you shouldn't count on the shuttle.
Which terminal is yours
Terminal 1 is the newer building, opened in 2009, with a single large hall. Vueling, Iberia, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates and almost every long-haul flight leave from here.
Terminal 2 dates from the 1960s and splits into three separate sections: T2A, T2B and T2C. European low-cost carriers are based here, above all Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air.
Your boarding pass shows the terminal letter. Check it before you fly, not after you land. In Barcelona a flight is sometimes moved to the other building days ahead, and your printed ticket no longer matches reality.
Moving between the terminals
The Bus Tránsito shuttle runs around the clock and costs nothing. From T1 to T2 the ride takes 10 minutes, on the way back 14 - the route is a loop that calls at the sections.
| Time | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 08:00-20:00 | every 5 minutes |
| 05:00-08:00 | every 7 minutes |
| 00:00-05:00 | every 10 minutes |
| 20:00-00:00 | every 7 minutes |
The shuttle runs 24 hours a day, and the evening frequency barely changes: 5 minutes during the day, 7 minutes after eight. Still, if you land at 21:30 at the wrong terminal, you add ten minutes on the road plus the wait, all of it outside with your suitcases. Your driver brings the car to the building your flight lands at: a transfer from Barcelona Airport or one to the coast if you're going further.
One more detail: the shuttle stops sit outside the buildings. You can't switch without leaving the departures area, so you clear security all over again.
Inside Terminal 2 the sections are easier: T2A to T2B is a two-minute walk, T2B to T2C five. The T2A stop is temporarily closed.
Where your car will be waiting
The meeting point differs between the two buildings. The principle stays the same, though: your driver messages you after you land and names the spot where the car is parked.
At Terminal 1 you come out of baggage reclaim into the main hall on the ground floor. Cars with a VTC licence - the permit for passenger transport with a driver - wait in the car park, and your driver points you to the exit and level. You can see the fare from the airport to the centre before you book.
At Terminal 2 your section is the landmark. It's printed on your boarding pass: T2A, T2B or T2C. Each one has its own exit, and your driver pulls up at the section where your flight lands.
For more on the meeting point, flight tracking and the free hour of waiting, see our separate article on where your driver meets you.
If the terminal changes
This happens on the day of departure and a week beforehand alike. For your transfer it changes nothing: we follow the flight number, not the time in the booking. If the flight lands at the other terminal, your driver brings the car there. No surcharge, no rebooking.
Delays work the same way. You pay the same price for a flight that arrives two hours late. Your driver brings the car for the actual landing time, and at the airport the free hour of waiting starts the moment you land.
What to do before you fly
Give your flight number when you book. Without it we only know the time you typed in, and any move between terminals has to be sorted out manually.
Look up the terminal letter on your boarding pass. This matters on an evening flight: the shuttle runs every 7 minutes, and the ride between the buildings takes another 10 to 14 minutes.
Check your section if you're flying into T2. T2A, T2B and T2C are different exits, and the walk from one to another takes two to five minutes.
Frequently asked questions
How many kilometres are there between T1 and T2 at Barcelona Airport? Four kilometres. You can't walk it: there's no pedestrian path, so the shuttle is the only way across.
How do you get from T1 to T2 at El Prat? Take the free Bus Tránsito shuttle. The ride lasts up to 15 minutes - around ten minutes from T1 to T2, longer on the way back, because the route is a loop.
How often does the shuttle between the terminals run? Every 5 minutes from 08:00 to 20:00, every 7 minutes from 05:00 to 08:00 and from 20:00 to midnight, and every 10 minutes between midnight and 05:00. Even on a late evening flight you wait no more than 7 minutes.
Which airlines fly from Terminal 1? Vueling, Iberia, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates and most long-haul flights.
Which airlines fly from Terminal 2? European low-cost carriers: Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air and others.
What if the airline switches terminal before departure? For your transfer nothing changes. Your driver follows the flight number and brings the car to the building the flight lands at. You pay no surcharge.
How much does a transfer from Barcelona Airport to the centre cost? From €58 for the whole car, not per person. The ride takes ~24 min and covers 14 km.
Can you walk between the T2 sections? Yes. T2A to T2B takes two minutes, T2B to T2C five minutes along the pavement outside.
You know the price when you book, and traffic, the hour of the day and the number of suitcases make no difference to it. Child seats are free and mandatory for children 135 cm and under, and the Van takes up to seven passengers with their luggage. If you're flying with children, our separate article on arriving with little ones is worth a read.
You book in the Let's GO app: you enter the pick-up address and the destination, and the price appears straight away, before you confirm. To see the route, open the page for transfers from the airport to central Barcelona.