Barcelona ticket prices in zone 1
Barcelona's fares are set by the metropolitan transport authority, ATM, and apply on metro, TMB buses, tram, and FGC and Rodalies trains inside the zones you pay for. The 2026 fares took effect on 15 January 2026, with an average rise of 3.5%, according to ATM's 2026 fares announcement. These are the one-zone prices a visitor chooses between, from ATM's guide for occasional travellers and TMB's fare list, all checked 12 October 2026.
| Ticket | Price, 1 zone | What you get | Who can use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single ticket | €2.90 | 1 ride on one mode, no transfers | One person |
| Airport ticket | €5.90 | 1 metro ride including Aeroport T1/T2 | One person |
| T-casual | €13.00 | 10 journeys, transfers included | One person at a time |
| T-familiar | €11.50 | 8 journeys within 30 days | Several people together |
| T-dia | €12.00 | Unlimited for 24 hours | One person at a time |
| T-usual | €22.80 | Unlimited for 30 days | Only the ID holder |
| T-grup | €91.00 | 70 journeys within 30 days | Large groups |
The ATM T-casual page also shows a second price table (€12.55 for one zone) in a collapsed section without saying which applies. The €13.00 figure matches the main table, ATM's visitor page and TMB's list, so this guide uses €13.00; check the machine screen before paying. Higher zones cost more: €25.50 for a 2-zone T-casual and €18.30 for a 2-zone T-dia.
The single ticket's limit matters. TMB describes it as non-integrated and valid only until you leave that means of transport. A metro ride followed by a bus costs two singles, €5.80, where a T-casual uses one journey.
How zones and the 75-minute transfer work
Zone 1 is wider than the city. TMB's zone map lists 18 municipalities in it: Barcelona, Badalona, Castelldefels, Cornellà de Llobregat, Esplugues de Llobregat, Gavà, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Montcada i Reixac, Montgat, El Prat de Llobregat, Sant Adrià de Besòs, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Sant Joan Despí, Sant Just Desvern, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Tiana and Viladecans. ATM's visitor page says a 1-zone ticket covers the city and its metropolitan area.
A metropolitan fare rule stretches that further: integrated 1-zone tickets (except the T-16) work between all 36 municipalities of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. It breaks if any leg passes through a town outside that area; ATM's own example is a trip changing trains at Martorell. Day trips such as Montserrat need a multi-zone ticket.
One "journey" on a multi-journey ticket can include up to 3 transfers between different modes. ATM's system page (updated 14 January 2026) sets the limit at 1 hour 15 minutes from first to last validation for a 1-zone ticket, rising by 15 minutes per extra zone up to 2 hours 30 minutes for 6 zones, and 3 hours 30 minutes for 7. Unlimited passes such as the T-usual do not need transfers. Validate at the start of a metro-bus chain and keep moving: a long stop in between starts a second journey.
Which ticket is cheapest for a 4-day visit
The worked totals below assume a 1-zone trip, one ride per "journey" (a transfer within 75 minutes counts as one), and the T-mobilitat card cost added once. ATM lists the cardboard card and the phone wallet at €1 each and the personalised plastic card at €4.50. Airport metro trips are left out here and handled in the next section. Prices checked 12 October 2026.
One person
| Rides a day | Single tickets | T-casual | T-dia × 4 | T-usual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (4 total) | €11.60 | €14.00 | €49.00 | €23.80–€27.30 |
| 2 (8 total) | €23.20 | €14.00 | €49.00 | €23.80–€27.30 |
| 3 (12 total) | €34.80 | €27.00 | €49.00 | €23.80–€27.30 |
| 4 (16 total) | €46.40 | €27.00 | €49.00 | €23.80–€27.30 |
| 6 (24 total) | €69.60 | €40.00 | €49.00 | €23.80–€27.30 |
For 4 rides or fewer in the whole stay, tapping a bank card for single fares is cheapest. From 5 to 10 journeys, one T-casual wins. The switch point is the 11th journey: once you need a second T-casual (€27.00 for two with the card), the T-usual at €22.80 for 30 unlimited days costs less with the €1 phone wallet and about the same with the €4.50 plastic card, and it keeps paying off with every extra ride.
The T-dia rarely pays off over several days. At €1.30 per journey on a T-casual, a €12.00 T-dia only wins on a day with 10 or more separate journeys.
Two people travelling together
The T-familiar is the only ordinary title that both people can validate for the same ride. A T-casual cannot be used by more than one person at a time, so a couple needs two.
| Rides a day, each | T-familiar, shared | 2 × T-casual | 2 × T-usual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (8 journeys) | €12.50 | €28.00 | €47.60–€54.60 |
| 2 (16 journeys) | €24.00 | €28.00 | €47.60–€54.60 |
| 3 (24 journeys) | €35.50 | €54.00 | €47.60–€54.60 |
| 4 (32 journeys) | €47.00 | €54.00 | €47.60–€54.60 |
| 5 (40 journeys) | €58.50 | €54.00 | €47.60–€54.60 |
Per journey, the T-familiar (about €1.44) is dearer than the T-casual (€1.30). It wins for couples because it comes in blocks of 8 that you share, so you do not overbuy. At about 4 rides each a day, two T-usuals catch up; above that, they win.
The airport exception on L9 Sud
The two airport metro stations, Aeroport T1 and Aeroport T2 on line L9 Sud, are where the cheapest tickets stop working. ATM states that the T-casual, T-familiar and T-grup are not valid there. The T-dia allows at most one journey to and one from those stations, and the T-usual is valid there without that limit. Ordinary single tickets do not cover them either; TMB sells an airport ticket at €5.90 for one metro ride including those stations (TMB fare list, checked 12 October 2026).
Add the airport and the solo table shifts. One person making 2 rides a day spends €14.00 on a T-casual plus €11.80 on two airport tickets, €25.80 in all, against €23.80–€27.30 for a T-usual that already covers the airport. A couple using the airport metro both ways adds €23.60 in airport tickets to the T-familiar or T-casual totals, which tips them towards two T-usuals from about 3 rides each a day.
The other way to keep a T-casual or T-familiar is to skip the metro. The ATM T-casual page says you can still reach the airport by Rodalies train or bus, and TMB's zone map lists El Prat de Llobregat in zone 1 (it does not name the airport's zone, so check the machine for a 1-zone fare). The El Prat to the centre guide compares those routes.
Where the Hola Barcelona card fits
The Hola Barcelona Travel Card is TMB's tourist pass: unlimited travel for 24, 48, 72, 96 or 120 hours from first validation, on TMB metro and bus, NitBus, the Montjuïc funicular, tram, and FGC and Rodalies within zone 1, plus one outbound and one return airport metro trip. The Montjuïc cable car is not included (see our Montjuïc cable car and funicular guide). Hola Barcelona describes the card as non-transferable and TMB as personal (Hola Barcelona and TMB, checked 12 October 2026).
Neither page showed a price per duration in its readable text on 12 October 2026. Hola Barcelona shows "from €12.50", or €11.25 with the online discount, without naming the duration; TMB says online purchases get 10% off. Online buyers receive a code to exchange at a metro ticket machine; Hola Barcelona says the reservation is valid for 180 calendar days from purchase and no later than the end of February of the following year.
Paying with a contactless bank card
TMB buses have a bank-card reader at the front door, and some metro entrances have one too, but TMB's bank-card page does not list which. Each tap buys and validates one single ticket at the current single fare for one person, so a couple taps twice. Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards are accepted as a card, phone or watch. No paper ticket is issued; inspectors ask for the last four digits of the card you paid with.
Tapping suits a visitor with only a few rides. Because each tap is a single ticket, a metro-plus-bus trip costs two fares, and from the fifth ride a T-casual is already cheaper.
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