Considering the small size of the city centre, and its beauty, walking around is not only possible but also advisable; in fact, it is often the best choice in Barcelona. The city also has an efficient public transport network that ranges from its underground to the bike used as a new form of public transport thanks to the innovative ‘Bicing’ experiment.
The map of subway and other means of public transport in Barcelona, Spain.
Underground
The Barcelona underground consists of 5 lines connecting the whole city centre. It is generally very efficient, apart from the inconvenience in the summer of some stations that do not have air conditioning. The hours are 5 am to midnight, and until 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays. The tickets cost €2.55. It is possible to purchase discounted tickets valid for 10 trips (T-casual) or travel and tourist cards with a validity from 1 day up to 5 days (Barcelona Card, Hola Barcelona,...).
Buses
Buses represent a slower means of transport but a more panoramic one. Bus tickets cost €2.55. Travel cards and multiple tickets for the underground are also valid for buses. During the closing times of the underground it is possible to use the Nitbus, night buses easy to recognize by the letter "N" preceding the number of the bus.
Taxi
Barcelona is famous as the European city with the largest number of taxis per inhabitant. In spite of that, after the underground closes, finding a taxi is not so easy. Fares are very reasonable, making a taxi an excellent way to move around Barcelona for those who prefer to avoid the underground and other public transport. Thanks also to the limited dimensions of the city centre, a trip by taxi within the area that goes from Gracia to the Barceloneta will seldom cost more than €12-15. A green light lit on the roof means that the taxi is free.
Bicycle
The city council of Barcelona encourages people to move around by bicycle through a large network of cycle lanes and an innovative system of bicycle rentals for residents called "Bicing" (those interested in finding out more can refer to: www.bicing.cat). A bicycle can also be an efficient mode of transport for visitors to Barcelona. But for travellers and tourists it is much better to get a bike in one of the rentals for around €10/day.