By plane: Those arriving in Barcelona by plane will land at Barcelona Airport, El Prat de Llobregat, coded BCN in the international aviation codes. An important international travel destination, Barcelona Airport receives many incoming flights from the USA and other European cities. The airport is 13 km (8 miles) away from central Barcelona to the southwest and there are several traveling options for getting from the airport to the city.

By car: The most common access by road into Barcelona from Madrid (taking the N-2, A-2, and A-7 motorways. From outside of Spain the approach to Barc3lona is from France with the main access route at the eastern end of the Pyrenees. Two options are available: the express highway, the E-15, or the more scenic costal road.

By bus: although this is another possibility, it is a fairly slow way of getting to Barcelona and therefore not popular. Various bus service companies can arrange for travel between Barcelona and several European destinations. These include Eurolines Limited, Enarcar, Linebús, and Julià Via.

By train: Traveling by rail is much faster and more comfortable. Trains depart from Barcelona's main train station Estació de França, just minutes away from Ciutadella Park, the Barcelona zoo, to all major cities within Spain. International destinations are also catered for, with many cities on mainland Europe such as Paris, Zurich, Milan, and Geneva. Generally connections will be required at some point in France. Major trains include the Barcelona-TALGO, the Pau Casals and TALGO Catalán.

By ferry: getting to Barcelona through the port is another option. Transmediterránea provides the ferry service to and from Majorca and Minorca.

The fastest and cheapest way of moving around Barcelona is using public transport.

The easiest of all to use is the metro - with 5 different lines (identified by a different color each) running from 5AM to midnight on Mondays-Thursdays and Sundays and from 5AM to 2AM on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays. A one-way fare will cost around 1?. Tickets will be checked before boarding and it may be a good idea to get a deal on the multiple-trip tickets.

Barcelona's suburban train service, the FCG, Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, is also a wise travel option with 2 lines in Barcelona and 4 others going to towns close by. Trains run from 5:45 AM to 12:05 AM on Mondays through Thursdays, from 5:50 AM to 2:15 AM on Fridays and Saturdays and from 5:50 AM to 12:02 AM on Sundays. The fare is also around 1.

The bus, while being a much slower form of transportation (due to traffic at rush tour), is not a bad option considering the city's extensive bus network (over 70 lines). It is also a great way of seeing the city. Different routes have different schedules and fares are also around 1?.

A taxi is the most comfortable way of getting around the city but also the most expensive. Identifiable by their black and yellow coloring, taxis show a green light when available. Prices must be displayed inside the cab and meters (which are compulsory in all cabs) will indicate the fare.

A fun and novel alternative include bikes, which are ideal for touring the city at one's own leisure. These can be hired at Scenic www.scenic.es.

Our Spanish Language School in Barcelona is ideally situated so that students are just minutes away from the city's means of public transport.