Barcelona Bus Turístic is the city’s preeminent provider of hop-on hop-off bus tours. Barcelona Bus Turístic offers visitors their choice of two distinctive routes. The Blue Route takes you to such iconic destinations as Casa Batlló, Sagrada Familia, and Park Güell, while the Red Route makes stops at Poble Espanyol, Fundació Joan Miró, and Mirador Torre Glòries, just to name a few. Barcelona Bus Turístic also runs several different seasonal routes that might be worth checking out depending on the time of year you visit. Tickets are valid for either one or two calendar days, depending on your sightseeing needs.
History of Barcelona Bus Turístic
Barcelona Bus Turístic has been the official sightseeing bus tour company operating in the city since 1987. Barcelona Bus Turístic actually operates under the control of Barcelona Turisme, an organization established by the Barcelona City Council and Chamber of Commerce that’s in charge of supporting tourism in the city. That pedigree—and those four decades of experience—have given the brand a sterling reputation for running well-regarded guided tour experiences.
Visitors hoping to get even more out of their time riding Barcelona Bus Turístic will want to download the Hola Barcelona app. Available in six languages, this free app comes fully loaded with useful information on top Barcelona tourist attractions and local transportation options. You can also download suggested itineraries for two-, three-, four-, and five-day Barcelona visits.
Barcelona Bus Turístic Highlights
Barcelona Bus Turístic is a great way to get around this incredible city in convenient fashion while learning all about the many charms of one of Europe’s top tourist destinations. While there is some overlap between Barcelona Bus Turístic’s two signature routes, on the whole each tour offers visitors a singular experience. Throughout both routes, you’ll have access to expert guided commentary sharing fascinating facts, rich history, and colorful details about the top sights and sounds of Barcelona. This commentary is available in over a dozen languages.
Barcelona Bus Turístic’s Red Route makes around 20 unique stops along a circular route that stops and ends at historic Plaça Catalunya, located at the top of iconic La Rambla. Top included attractions on the Red Route include Poble Espanyol, Fundació Joan Miró, and Mirador Torre Glòries. It also covers Plaça d’Espanya, Palau Nacional (home of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya), the Picasso Museum, and Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar.
Barcelona Bus Turístic’s Blue Route makes just over a dozen stops across a rectangular route that also stops and ends to the La Rambla-adjacent Plaça Catalunya. Some of the Blue Route’s most popular stops are located near Camp Nou (home of FC Barcelona), Park Güell, and Sagrada Familia. You can also hop off the bus near such big-name attractions as La Pedrera and the upscale Pedralbes neighborhood.
More to See and Do with Barcelona Bus Turístic
Keep reading for even more information regarding how to make Barcelona Bus Turístic work best for you and your sightseeing needs.
*Both the Red Route and the Blue Route have similar durations: if you were to ride either bus tour from start to finish without disembarking anywhere along the way, your journey would take approximately two hours to complete.
*While times are subject to change, both bus routes typically run between the hours of 9:00am and 7:00pm. This means that the first bus of the day starts running from most stops anywhere from 9:00am to 9:30am, while the any given stop’s last departure of the day is usually around 7:00pm.
*Every year between the months of June and September, Barcelona Bus Turístic runs another guided bus tour, the Barcelona Night Tour. This special seasonal experience lasts about 90 minutes and is available in only English and Spanish. Likewise, a Barcelona Christmas Tour usually runs from near the end of November to the first week of January.
*Many visitors to Barcelona choose to go on Barcelona Bus Turístic while utilizing a Barcelona tourist pass. Using a Barcelona tourist pass to access the Barcelona Bus Turístic experience can save you money on sightseeing. Be advised, though, that your Barcelona tourist pass will usually cover only the one-day version of the hop-on hop-off bus tour; it can, however, also unlock a discount on the cost of adding that second day of the Barcelona Bus Turístic to your ticket, if you’re so inclined.
Why the Barcelona Bus Turístic Should Be on Your Must-Do List
If you’re a first-time visitor to Barcelona, then you’ll definitely want to consider going on Barcelona Bus Turístic’s hop-on hop-off bus tour of the city. Not only is it perhaps the definitive way for sightseers to get around the entirety of Barcelona in a convenient and affordable fashion, but it’s a terrific introduction to the city’s top tourist attractions.