Airport Guide: Barcelona El Prat Airport
Barcelona El Prat Airport is the biggest airport in Barcelona and the second biggest in Spain. With approximately 40 million passengers a year, Barcelona El Prat Airport is also one of the biggest airports in whole Europe. Due to the ongoing tourist boom of Barcelona, the airport is constantly growing and has a decent infrastructure even though just having two terminals.
Barcelona is one of the few airports with more than 30 million passengers, which at the same time is no hub for any major network carrier.
Lufthansa operates many flights to Barcelona
Instead, Vueling and Ryanair took over the lead at Barcelona El Prat Airport. While Vueling operates out of Terminal 1, where most legacy carriers are also departing and arriving, Ryanair and other low-cost carriers operate out of Terminal 2.
Biggest airlines at Barcelona El Prat Airport:
- Vueling: Dozens of destinations in Europa and Africa
- Ryanair: Several destinations in Europa and Africa
- EasyJet: Several destinations in Europe
- Lufthansa: Several daily flights to Munich and Frankfurt
Shopping and dining at Barcelona El Prat Airport
When it comes to restaurants and cafés, Terminal 1 at Barcelona El Prat Airport is definitely superior to Terminal 2. While you’ll find a basic selection of cafés, fast food outlets and a few restaurants at Terminal 2, there’s a big choice of different restaurants in Terminal 1.
There’s a decent choice of shops in both terminals
The same is true for shopping as there are just a few shops for travel essentials, press, cosmetics, souvenirs and a few other things at Terminal 2. In the main terminal of Barcelona El Prat Airport, passengers can find a little shopping paradise with a choice of several dozens of shops!
- Overview of all shops at Barcelona El Prat Airport
- Overview of all bars and cafés at Barcelona El Prat Airport
- Overview of all restaurants at Barcelona El Prat Airport
Sleeping at Barcelona El Prat Airport
Barcelona El Prat Airport comes with so-called Air Rooms, which are located in Terminal 1. There are nine rooms and one suite, which all come with a double bed, a private bathroom and additional amenities. The rooms may also be rented on an hourly basis, but are relatively expensive compared to hotels.
You may also opt for a luxury hotel in the city center, but the drive can take some time
If you’re looking for a cheaper option to sleep at Barcelona El Prat Airport, you may use one of the benches provided as the airport doesn’t close during the night. There are also several airport hotels including several three and four star properties. There are no luxury hotels near Barcelona’s biggest airport though.
Lounges at Barcelona El Prat Airport
Spanish airports are quite unique in regards to lounges as nearly all lounges are operated by AENA, the national airport operator. At Barcelona El Prat Airport there’s not a single airport lounge, but instead four lounges operated by AENA.
We were everything but impressed by Sala VIP Canudas Barcelona
Colomer VIP Lounge, Joan Miro VIP Lounge and Pau Casalas VIP Lounge are located in Terminal 1, while the Canudas VIP Lounge is located in Terminal 2. All lounges are accessible with Priority Pass or paying for access (25.50 Euro). Also, frequent flyers and premium class passengers may be invited into one of the lounges by the airline they are flying with.
Lounges at Barcelona El Prat Airport:
- Colomer VIP Lounge T1: Several airlines, PP, $
- Joan Miro VIP Lounge T1: Several airlines, PP, $
- Pau Casalas VIP Lounge T1: Several airlines, PP, $
- Canudas VIP Lounge T2: Several airlines, PP, $
Transportation at Barcelona El Prat Airport
As it’s the norm for Spanish metropolises, Barcelona has a very good public transportation system. The fastest way to get to the city center is the regional train (Rodalies Barcelona), which needs just twenty minutes to Passeig de Gràcia and the main train station Barcelona Sants.
Taking a train is the best way to get to Barcelona El Prat Airport
Another option is taking metro line 9 to Zona Universitària with possible exchange to lines L1, L3, L5 and L8. Last but not least, there’s also the Aerobús, which takes a little longer, but also connects the city center with the airport on a regular basis. Taxis are another option, but are more expensive and take longer than the trains, so are only convenient if you are going to special locations.
Thought about you guys, when I was wondering what the cost for lounge access at El Prat would be 🙂 Thanks!
Glad we could help 🙂