Highlights
The Hola Barcelona Travel Card covers all Zone 1 public transport for 48 to 120 consecutive hours from your first tap. Buy online and pick up the physical card at any metro vending machine.
Tickets & Prices
Hola Barcelona Travel Card Prices
| Duration | Price |
|---|---|
| 48 hours | €20.57 (€10.29/day) |
| 72 hours | €30.03 (€10.01/day) |
| 96 hours | €39.16 (€9.79/day) |
| 120 hours | €47.96 (€9.59/day) |
The pricing table above covers the basics, but picking the right duration is where most visitors get stuck.
Which Duration Should You Choose?
- 48 hours fits a weekend city break. Land Friday afternoon, validate your card, and you’re covered through Sunday afternoon. Three calendar days of coverage from a two-day card. Most weekend visitors take 8 to 10 trips total, putting the per-ride cost well under €2.00.
- 72 hours is the sweet spot for most visitors. Three full days of sightseeing with room for a beach morning at Barceloneta or a slow wander through the Gracia neighbourhood. This is the duration I’d recommend to anyone asking “which one should I get?” At €30.03, it works out to €10.01 per day of unlimited transport.
- 96 hours works for relaxed trips where you want breathing room. A rest day at the hotel pool, a slow morning browsing La Boqueria before hopping the L3 from Liceu to Diagonal for shopping. Four days gives you enough time to explore Montjuic, El Born, Eixample, and the waterfront without rushing.
- 120 hours only makes sense if you’re using transport for five straight days. For stays this long, the T-Usual monthly pass at €22.80 covers the same network (including airport metro) and costs roughly half. The catch: it requires passport registration and T-Mobilitat card setup at a machine, which adds friction if you don’t speak Spanish or Catalan.
Buy online and save. Your voucher arrives by email instantly and stays valid for 180 days. The physical card, once dispensed but not yet tapped, expires on February 28 of the following year.
What’s Included
Included:
Everything above falls within Zone 1, covering six different transport operators with a single card.
Not included:
Good to know:
- One person per card (non-transferable).
- Children under 4 ride free. Everyone aged 4+ pays the full adult price.
- Zone 1 only. Day trips to Sitges, Montserrat, or Castelldefels need separate tickets.
- No family or group discount available.
Hours, not calendar days
The Hola BCN runs on hours-based validity. A 48-hour card validated at 15:00 on Monday runs until 15:00 on Wednesday. You get your full 48 hours regardless of when you start. A calendar-day card would waste most of Monday if you activated it in the afternoon. For a short trip, that difference can mean an entire extra morning of covered transport.
Hola Barcelona vs Barcelona Card
Two cards, easily confused, different products.
| Feature | Hola Barcelona | Barcelona Card |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Transport only | Transport + museums |
| Price range | €20.57 – €47.96 | €53.10 – €71.10 |
| Durations | 48h, 72h, 96h, 120h | 72h, 96h, 120h |
| Transport | All Zone 1 + airport metro | Identical |
| Museum access | 25+ free entries | |
| Attraction discounts | 85+ discounts | |
| Validity | Consecutive hours | Calendar days |
The transport coverage is identical. The difference is museums. The Barcelona Card gets you into the Picasso Museum, MNAC, Fundacio Joan Miro, MACBA, and 20+ other venues for free. Check the full list of included museums and discounts.
- Choose Hola Barcelona if you only need transport.
- Choose the Barcelona Card if you plan to visit two or more included museums.
- Neither card includes Sagrada Familia or Park Guell.
Is the Hola Barcelona Card Worth It?
A single metro or bus ticket in Barcelona costs €2.90 in 2026. The airport metro supplement is €5.90 one way, so €11.80 round trip. Here’s where the numbers land.
If you’re flying in and out via metro:
| Duration | Card Price | Airport Savings | Extra City Trips to Break Even |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48h | €20.57 | €11.80 | 4 trips |
| 72h | €30.03 | €11.80 | 7 trips |
| 96h | €39.16 | €11.80 | 10 trips |
| 120h | €47.96 | €11.80 | 13 trips |
Four extra trips on a 48-hour card. You’ve broken even before lunch on day one if you take the metro to Sagrada Familia and a bus to the beach.
Without airport metro:
You need roughly 4 trips per day to justify the card without airport savings. Eight total trips for 48 hours, eleven for 72, fourteen for 96.
If you’re bouncing between Gaudi buildings, Park Guell, and the Gothic Quarter, that’s easy to hit.
What buyers say
Based on 14,000+ verified buyer reviews
How It Works
Five steps from purchase to your first ride.
- Buy online. You’ll receive a voucher code by email within minutes.
- Find a ticket vending machine at any metro station. They’re located before the turnstiles. The airport has them too, right in the L9 Sud station at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
- Select your language on the touchscreen, then tap “Hola Barcelona Travel Card.”
- Enter or scan your voucher code. The machine dispenses a physical NFC card.
- Wait to tap. The countdown starts the moment you validate at a turnstile, bus reader, or tram validator. Don’t tap until you’re ready to ride.
Once activated, using it is straightforward across each transport type:
- Metro: Tap at the turnstile. You can change lines freely inside the system without re-validating.
- Bus (TMB): Tap the reader near the driver when boarding through the front door.
- Tram and FGC: Validate at platform readers before boarding. Inspectors check on board.
- Rodalies: Tap at the station turnstile, same as metro.
- 75-minute transfer window. A metro ride followed by a bus counts as one continuous journey.
- Card not working? Walk to any metro staff booth and say “Esta tarjeta no funciona.” Free replacement.
Pick up your card before the turnstiles
A common mistake: people land at El Prat and walk straight to the metro turnstiles without picking up the card first. The vending machine is always before the barriers.
Insider Tips
- Validate strategically. Since the clock runs on consecutive hours, activate your card in the afternoon. A 48-hour card tapped at 14:00 on Saturday covers you until 14:00 on Monday. Three calendar days of use from a two-day pass.
- Download the TMB app. Real-time metro and bus tracking, route planning, service disruption alerts. It handles Barcelona’s network better than Google Maps, especially for bus connections along Gran Via or Diagonal.
- Keep the card flat. Store it in a rigid section of your wallet, not loose in your back pocket. Bending cracks the NFC antenna. Replacement is free at any metro staff booth, but nobody wants to waste 20 minutes at Sants station sorting it out.
- Plan for late nights. The metro shuts down at midnight from Monday to Thursday. Night buses (N-lines) take over but are not covered by the card. Budget €2.90 per person for each night bus ride, or split a taxi from Placa Catalunya.
- Skip the Hola BCN Store. There’s a dedicated store in the L3 lobby at Catalunya station, but the queue can be brutal during peak season. Any metro vending machine dispenses the card in under two minutes. The airport machines work too.
Barcelona Metro Hours
| Day | Operating Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 05:00 to midnight |
| Friday | 05:00 to 02:00 |
| Saturday | 05:00, then continuous through Sunday |
| Sunday | Until midnight |
| Pre-holiday nights | 05:00 to 02:00 |
Saturday service runs nonstop through to Sunday closing. Friday and pre-holiday nights extend to 02:00. All-night service only runs three nights per year: Sant Joan eve (June 23), La Merce eve (September 23), and New Year’s Eve.
After the metro closes, night buses (N-lines) cover the city. Your Hola Barcelona card won’t work on them. Budget €10-15 for a taxi or €2.90 per night bus ride.
How to Get from Barcelona Airport to the City
This is the number one reason travellers buy the Hola Barcelona card. The airport metro transfer alone saves €11.80 round trip.
With your Hola BCN card:
Take metro line L9 Sud from Aeroport T1 or Aeroport T2 station. Change at Zona Universitaria to L3 for the city centre (Placa Catalunya, Passeig de Gracia, Diagonal). Total journey: 35 to 40 minutes.
Pick up your card at the vending machine before the turnstiles, tap through, and ride. Zero extra cost.
Without the card:
- Airport metro single ticket: €5.90 one way
- Aerobus express bus: ~€7.75 one way (35 minutes nonstop to Placa Catalunya)
- Taxi: €39 flat rate to central Barcelona
- RENFE commuter train from Terminal 2 only: ~€4.60 (add 15 minutes for the free inter-terminal shuttle if you land at Terminal 1)
FAQs
Does the Hola Barcelona card include the airport metro?
Yes. It covers L9 Sud to and from Aeroport T1 and Aeroport T2 stations.
Is the card counted in hours or calendar days?
Consecutive hours from your first tap. A 48-hour card validated at 15:00 on Monday expires at 15:00 on Wednesday.
Can I share the card with someone else?
No. The Hola Barcelona Travel Card is non-transferable. Each person needs their own card. Children under 4 travel free without a card.
Can I use it on night buses?
No. Night buses (N-lines) require a separate ticket purchased from the driver.
How far in advance can I buy?
The voucher is valid for 180 days from purchase. Once you dispense the physical card from a machine, it expires on February 28 of the following year if you haven’t tapped it yet.
Is there a child or family discount?
No. Everyone aged 4 and up pays the same price. Children under 4 ride free on all Barcelona public transport.
What if my card stops working?
Take it to any metro station staff booth. Tell them “Esta tarjeta no funciona.” They replace damaged cards at no charge.