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Arrival to Barcelona by Car

Advice for traveling by car

You can reach Barcelona by car via three toll motorways. A ring road leads around the city, which merges into the motorways. On the ring road itself, you can usually progress reasonably well apart from the centre of the city. However during rush hour there is also regular congestion at the hubs, eg Plaça de les Glòries.

In Barcelona there are a lot of hotels that have their own parking facilities. You can explore the city very easily with the well developed public transportation.

Arrival via Southern France

The border crossing from France is located a few miles from Perpignan. If you come from the coast (Marseille, Montpellier, Narbonne), then take the A9 to the French border and Spain. If you come from North-west of Toulouse, head towards the coast along the A61 as far as Narbonne and turn right off the A9 to the border.

Driving and parking in Barcelona

Driving in Barcelona is exhausting, and like any big city parking spots are also in short supply.

The French A9 becomes the AP-7 in Catalonia, leading to Figueres and Girona. About 20 kilometres from Barcelona at Montmeló (the Formula 1 circuit is here) your route will vary depending on exactly which part of Barcelona you want to go to.

Our advice: If you have time and you are interested in Dali, make a stop in Figueres and visit its museum.

If you want to get to the Old Town, in the northeastern part of the city, or the beach, take the C-33 from Montmeló. Then from Barcelona take the B-10 (Ronda del Litoral) as part of the ring road. You will drive through a huge industrial area towards the sea. The B-10 makes a right turn at the sea (the CCIB fair is also there) and then takes you along the coast right up to the old town. The roundabout at the Columbus Monument is the centre point for Las Rambas, the Old Town and the harbor.

If you would rather drive directly into the city centre, take the C-33 to C-17. This leads directly to Plaça de les Glories.

Several major roads radiate from there into the urban areas. To enter the old town, go straight around the square on the Avinguda Meridian. This leads directly to the Parc de la Ciutadella.

If you would like go to the southwestern city areas, the airport, congress centre (Fira) or the cargo port, then drive from the C-33 for a short distance on the C-17, then take the B-20 (Ronda del Dalt), which forms onshore part of the ring road. The B-20 leads into the C-32 and carries right on till the edge of the L'Hospital de Llobregat district, past the airport. Before the river Llobregat you can turn left onto the B-10 (Ronda del Litoral) and you will also get to the Columbus monument - just from the other side. This is the route you take if you want to go to the congress centre (Fira) or to the cargo or ferry ports. Alternatively, you can stay on the AP-7 and then take the AP-2 in the direction of the city(see below).

From Madrid, Bilbao, Zaragoza and Bordeaux

From Bordeaux, take the Atlantic coast road in the direction of Bilbao. But then drive the A 15 towards Pamplona, where it continues with the AP-15. Then continue with AP-15 which leads to the AP-68 and from Zaragoza continue with the AP-2 to Barcelona.

From Madrid take the A-2, after Zaragoza this road becomes the AP-2 and then leads to Barcelona.

About 20 kilometres from Barcelona the AP-2 joins the AP-7, which leads northern around the Conserrola mountain massive around Barcelona. The AP-7 leads directly to the airport via the district of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. How to get there is described above.

Traveling by car from Tarragona and Valencia

This is quite simple. Take the AP-7 towards Barcelona and turn left just before the Barcelona B-23 from the airport. Continue as above.

Arrival by Motorcycle

"The journey is the reward." It is worth while connecting the journey to Barcelona with a trip through the Alps. Then you follow the Rhone Valley and the French coast in the direction of Spain. Of course you shouldn't miss driving by the Pyrenees in order to enter Catalonia. You should give yourself three days if you have the time.

Spanish drivers usually show great consideration to motorcyclists. To park at a red traffic light in front of the patrol cars that wait, for example, is not a problem. In addition to the steering wheel lock, take a further strong lock with you and always park your motorcycle in well frequented areas.