Terminals T1 and T2 at Barcelona airport: what to know
Barcelona airport has two passenger terminals, T1 and T2, and four kilometres separate them. You cannot walk from one to the other: there is no pedestrian route between them, the only way across is the shuttle. In practice these are two different airports sharing a name and the code BCN.
Working out which one is yours is worth doing before you fly. This article covers how the terminals differ, how long the transfer between them takes and when the shuttle turns into a problem.
Which terminal is yours
Terminal 1 is the newer building, opened in 2009, one large hall. Vueling, Iberia, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates and almost all long-haul flights operate from here.
Terminal 2 dates from the 1960s and is split into three separate sections: T2A, T2B and T2C. European low-cost carriers are based here, principally Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air.
The terminal letter is printed on your boarding pass. Check it before you fly rather than after you land: in Barcelona a flight is sometimes moved to the other building a few days ahead, and a printed ticket stops matching reality.
Getting between the terminals
The Bus Tránsito shuttle runs around the clock and is free. The trip from T1 to T2 takes 10 minutes, the return 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 70 minutes |
That last line is the trap. In the evening, when most flights land, the interval grows more than tenfold. Land at 21:30 at the wrong terminal and you spend an hour or more standing outside at the stop.
One more detail: the shuttle stops are outside the buildings. You cannot change terminals without leaving the departures area, which means going through security again.
Inside Terminal 2 it is simpler: T2A to T2B is a two-minute walk, T2B to T2C five minutes. The stop at T2A is temporarily closed.
Where the car will be waiting
The meeting point differs between the buildings, but the principle is the same: the driver writes to you after landing and tells you where the car is.
At Terminal 1 you come out of baggage reclaim into the main hall on level 0. Cars with a VTC licence wait in the car park, and the driver tells you which exit and which level.
At Terminal 2 the reference point is your section. It is printed on the boarding pass: T2A, T2B or T2C. Each has its own exit, and the driver brings the car to the one your flight arrived at.
More on the meeting point, flight tracking and the free hour of waiting is in a separate article on where your driver meets you.
If the terminal is changed
This happens both on the day and a week ahead. For the transfer nothing changes: we track the flight number, not the time on the booking. If the plane lands at the other building, the driver brings the car there. No extra charge, no need to rebook.
The same goes for delays. A flight running two hours late does not affect the price: the pickup shifts by itself, and at the airport there is an hour of free waiting from the moment of landing.
What to do before you fly
Give the flight number when booking. Without it we only know the time you typed in by hand, and a change of terminal has to be sorted out manually.
Check the terminal letter on your boarding pass. Especially on an evening flight: between 20:00 and midnight the shuttle runs once every 70 minutes.
Check your section if you are at T2. T2A, T2B and T2C are different exits, and it is a five-minute walk from one end to the other.
Frequently asked questions
How far apart are T1 and T2 at Barcelona airport? Four kilometres. You cannot walk it: there is no pedestrian path between the buildings, the only way across is the shuttle.
How do I get from T1 to T2 at El Prat? On the free Bus Tránsito shuttle, which takes 10 minutes. The other way round it is 14 minutes, because the route is a loop.
How often does the shuttle between terminals run? Every 5 minutes during the day from 08:00 to 20:00, every 10 minutes at night from midnight to 05:00. Between 20:00 and midnight the gap stretches to 70 minutes, which is worth allowing for on an evening arrival.
Which airlines use Terminal 1? Vueling, Iberia, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates and most long-haul flights.
Which airlines use Terminal 2? European low-cost carriers: Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air and others.
What if the airline changes terminal before departure? Nothing changes for the transfer. The driver tracks the flight number and brings the car to whichever building the plane lands at. There is no extra charge.
How much is a transfer from Barcelona airport to the city centre? from €58 for the whole car, not per person. The drive takes ~26 min and covers 14 km.
Can I walk between the T2 sections? Yes. T2A to T2B is two minutes, T2B to T2C five minutes along the outside pavement.
The price is known when you book and does not depend on the traffic, the time of day or how many suitcases you have. Child seats are free and the Van takes up to seven passengers with luggage. If you are flying with children, there is a separate article on arriving with kids.
Booking goes through the Let's GO app: you enter the pickup address and the destination address, and the price appears straight away, before you confirm. You can see the route on the page for the transfer from the airport to central Barcelona.