Fantastic looking airport, modern sleek and runs beautifully.
This airport is situated some 10km from the city and is connected by either a Renfe train, airport bus (which we caught - very handy) and taxi’s. The airport buses run very frequently and take around 30 mins to get to and from the city (Placa Catalunya) and for a good rate. The train is also frequent and fast: these two modes of transport however cannot be used in conjunction with the TMB travel cards. It’s a shame that the Metro doesn’t (yet) run here as once in the city you may have to jump on a metro to take you to you final destination.
Some of the open space in the buildings are almost masterpieces of modern, minimalist design. Very easy to navigate with the main terminal (A, B and C) all clearly highlighted. Another is planned to open next year and I’m surprised at an airport handling over 32 million passengers per year only has the one terminal.
The usual array of shops and bars are included here, but again unlike many drab and cramped uk airports this has an airy, open feel to it.

Der Flughafen in Barcelona ist übersichtlich und auch das shoppen macht hier Spaß. Es gibt viele nette Lädedn und auch größere Geschäfte, in denen man u.a. auch typische spanische und katalonische Spezialitäten kaufen kann.

Die Abfertigung ist verbesserungsfähig. Vor allem wird es mit viel Handgepäck ein Kraft- und Ballanceakt, denn die Schalen für das Gepäck sind auf Tischen plaziert, die etwas weiter weg vom Transportband sind. Daher muß man zunächst alle Schalen fertig packen und dann alles aufs Band wuchten und davor ggf. auch noch länger in der Schlange warten ohne das man Ablagemöglichkeiten hätte. Ich habe so immer drei Schalen in der rechten Hand (Notebook, Jacke/”Flüssigkeitenbeutel” und Notebooktasche) und eine links (Trolley) und das kostet Kraft, ging aber bislang noch immer gut ohne das ich vor dem Band zusammengebrochen wäre. Das Band läuft i.d.R. zu schnell und der Mann am Bildschirm stoppt es manchmal auch nicht, selbst wenn sich hinten schon die Schalen auftürmen. Naja, auch hier sind eben schnelle Reflexe gefragt, um alles zügig zusammenzuraffen ;)

Vor dem Flughafen kann man leicht ein Taxi bekommen. Einfach in der Schlange einreihen und warten bis man eines zugeordnet bekommt. Nervig wird es, wenn man einen Taxi”zuweiser” hat, dem es Freude bereitet, zu allen Gelegenheiten mit voller Inbrunst in die Trillerpfeife zu blasen. Das ist eine schwere Attacke auf das Trommelfell.

I travel to Barcelona quite regularly and have stumbled across a transfer company that always gets me into the city quickly and without any hassle. I book online (http://www.justtransfers.com/airports/elpratdellobregat.html) the rates are good and the driver has always been waiting for me. It’s about the only time I get to relax on these work trips!

Barcelona is fast becoming the airport I know best outside the UK and, all-in-all, has provided me with some of my better airport experiences.

Once a relatively sleepy provincial airport, since the Olympic Games were held in Barcelona in 1992, passenger numbers have increased by 200% from under 10 million to over 30 million, and are still climbing rapidly: so far this year, growth has been a whopping 15%. Barcelona and Madrid claim to have the world's most intensive service between any two cities, with up to 70 flights a day in each direction.

Despite all that growth, it seems to cope relatively well with the numbers. The main terminal (A, B, C) is effectively one huge long glass shed, with large projecting triangular halls forming the main departure areas. Most international flights requiring a passport check leave from terminal A. It's well signed internally, and the design means that arrivals in particular have a short walk from the air-bridge through passport control and baggage reclaim to the transport - no tedious long corridors. It's never going to win any architectural awards, but it works for me. A huge new terminal (T-Sur) is under construction for opening in 2009.

Departures are bit more spread out, and most of the shopping is in terminal B, which is a few minutes' walk along from A or C. The choice of shops is OK, with a reasonable spread of standard 'duty-free' type places, expensive specialist shops (for cigars, art-work, whisky and the like) and a smattering of designer clothing stores. There's a choice of different bars and cafe-style restaurants, including one full-blown waiter service establishment. Prices are, of course, higher than outside, but not extortionately so. Some of these close at 21h or 22h so beware if you are travelling later. But my overall impression is one of space and reasonably good organisation - very different from Heathrow or Gatwick.

Arrivals have always been very straightforward, but departures are a bit more of a lottery since the new security regulations came into force. Boarding passes and passports are checked before you reach security, and you are expected to take off everything - belts, jewellery and watches included - that might set off the detector-gates. Laptops have to be put through separately from other luggage too. All this is a bit of a pain, but the queues are tolerable (but beware key Spanish holidays, when passenger numbers can double for the day, which stretches the airport's resources). Travellers to the UK and non-EU countries may also be asked for their passports again before departure.

Transport services to and from the airport are it's main weakness, in my view. There's no metro link into the city (though one is planned) and the airport train runs only every 30 minutes into Barcelona (Sants and Estacio de Franca), taking about 15 minutes. Trains can be fearfully crowded as a result, and the service thins out to hourly after 22h and stops altogether just before midnight. Those going to Sitges will need to change at El Prat de Llobregat station and cross over for a 20 minute or so wait for a connection. One upside is that it's cheap - €2.50 into Barcelona, one way - and the automatic ticket machines give change and take Euro notes, coins and credit cards (with Chip+PIN).

An alternative is the bus, and there are several routes to choose from into Barcelona: the main A1 airport bus runs to Plaza Catalunya every 7 to 15 minutes, and costs €3.75. Line 46 (of the ordinary TMB Barcelona bus service) runs to Plaza de España every 30 minutes, and costs €1.25. Other services run to destinations around Catalonia at roughly hourly intervals, including the Mon Bus service to Sitges and Tarragona. Be warned - many of the bus stops are poorly signed at the airport and timetable information can be non-existent, so check before you arrive.

Taxis are plentiful (official ones are black and yellow), but there's an airport supplement as well as luggage, late-hours and holiday supplements, and motorway tolls on some roads, so what fare you pay can seem like a lottery. Rip-off stories are legion and even the airport website advises you to ask for a receipt! Expect a trip to central Barcelona to cost €15-€30. Outside Barcelona the drivers may not know the destinations well - so consider arranging something specific in advance.

Driving is another alternative, if you have the nerves of steel required for Barcelona's traffic. Care hire is plentiful and generally better value than the UK. If you have your own car, there's plenty of well signed car-parking, and rates are good compared with the UK (€14-17 a day, calculated by the minute).

The main access roads are the C31 and C32 motorways and the airport is very well signed. Note that the roads carry very heavy commuter traffic, and there are extensive road-building works going on in association with the new terminal until late 2008, so delays are possible at rush hour (this applies to buses and taxis too, of course).

The website listed above is available in English as well as Spanish and Catalan, and is pretty comprehensive - very useful is the description of how to pay on leaving the car parks! It also lists the major forthcoming Spanish holidays, so you can plan around them. NB: there's another website called 'Barcelona Airport' which is not the official site, and which seems more interested in selling you accommodation etc, though it does have some practical information too.