It’s the question you ask me most before coming: should I get the Hola Barcelona or the Barcelona Card? The short answer is that it comes down to one thing: whether you’re going into paid museums or not. One is transport only and the other is transport plus museums, and over three days the price difference is about 30 euros.
Here they are compared with 2026 prices, together with the other options worth a look: Go City, Articket, the T-casual and the T-dia. At the end, the best-value way to get from the airport to the city centre.
The comparison in 10 seconds
| Hola Barcelona | Barcelona Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited transport | ✅ | ✅ |
| Metro to the airport | ✅ Return trip | ✅ |
| Free museums | ❌ | ✅ 28 museums |
| Discounts on attractions | ❌ | ✅ Over 45 |
| 72-hour price | About €27 | €59 (€53.10 online) |
| Buy it if… | You want cheap transport | You’re doing a museum trail |
Neither includes the Sagrada Família, Park Güell, Casa Batlló or La Pedrera. Those are paid separately, and I cover them below.
Hola Barcelona: just transport, done well
The Hola Barcelona Travel Card is TMB’s tourist card. It gives unlimited travel for 24, 48, 72, 96 or 120 consecutive hours, counted from your first validation.
What’s included:
- Metro, bus, tram, NitBus and the Montjuïc funicular.
- FGC and Rodalies in zone 1, which includes the R2 Nord train to the airport.
- One outbound and one return trip on the metro to the airport (L9 Sud, terminals T1 and T2).
- Children under 4 travel free.
Not included: the Aerobús and the Montjuïc cable car.
On the official website it starts from €12.50 (24 hours), with a 10% discount when you buy online. The 72-hour card is about €27. You buy it at holabarcelona.com, get a code by email and redeem it at any metro ticket machine, including the one at the airport. It’s personal and non-transferable.
My tip: if you’re flying in and out, the two airport trips alone are worth almost €12, so the card pays off from day one.
Barcelona Card: transport plus museums
The Barcelona Card is from Turisme de Barcelona. It has the same unlimited transport (including the metro and train to the airport, but not the Aerobús or NitBus) and adds free entry to 28 museums and over 45 discounts.
| Version | Adult | Child (4-12) |
|---|---|---|
| Express 48 h | €39 | €27 |
| 72 h | €59 | €37 |
| 96 h | €69 | €46 |
| 120 h | €79 | €54 |
Online it’s 10% cheaper: the 72-hour card comes down to €53.10.
The free museums include the Museu Picasso, MNAC, Fundació Miró, MACBA, CaixaForum, CosmoCaixa and Montjuïc Castle. Discounts include Casa Batlló, the Palau de la Música, Sant Pau, the Aquarium and Tibidabo.
When is it worth it? The difference from the 72-hour Hola Barcelona is about €28 if you buy both online. If you’re going into two or three paid museums in those three days, you make it back. If you’re only seeing Gaudí and walking around, you don’t.
Articket: six museums for a year
Articket BCN costs €38 and gets you into six art museums, permanent and temporary exhibitions included:
- Museu Picasso
- MNAC
- Fundació Joan Miró
- MACBA
- CCCB
- Fundació Antoni Tàpies
It’s valid for 12 months, so there’s no rush. It’s the best option if you’re into art and don’t need unlimited transport: pair it with a T-casual and it works out cheaper than the Barcelona Card. Buy it at articketbcn.org or at the museums themselves.
Go City: for people who want to see everything
Go City Barcelona is something else: an attractions pass, with no transport. It’s the only one of these options that includes the Sagrada Família and Park Güell (as guided visits).
| Pass | From | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | €89 | One big attraction (Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló…) plus 2 from the top 10 |
| Explorer | €114 | Choose up to 7 attractions within 30 days |
| All-Inclusive | €189 (2 days) | Over 55 attractions for the days you choose |
Do the maths before you buy. Single tickets for Gaudí’s big four add up to about €102:
| Sight | Adult ticket 2026 |
|---|---|
| Sagrada Família | €26 (with audio guide) |
| Park Güell | €18 |
| Casa Batlló | From €29 online |
| Casa Milà – La Pedrera | From €29 |
If those four are all you’re seeing, buying them individually on their own websites is better value. Go City pays off if you’re cramming lots of attractions into a few days. The website is gocity.com.
If you don’t need a card: T-casual and T-dia
For short trips, or if you walk a lot, regular TMB tickets are better value. These are the 2026 prices, in force since 15 January:
| Ticket | Price | What for |
|---|---|---|
| Single ticket | €2.90 | One trip |
| T-casual | €13 | 10 trips in zone 1, €1.30 a trip |
| T-dia | €12 | Unlimited travel for 24 hours |
| T-familiar | €11.50 | 8 trips in 30 days, shareable |
| Airport ticket | €5.90 | One trip on the L9 Sud metro to the terminals |
Watch out: the T-casual is not valid at the airport stations on the L9 Sud. To reach the airport with a T-casual, take the R2 Nord train.
Airport to city centre: the best value
| How | Price | The good | The bad |
|---|---|---|---|
| R2 Nord train | €2.90 (€1.30 with T-casual) | Cheapest | Only leaves from T2 |
| L9 Sud metro | €5.90 | Reaches T1 and T2 | You have to change lines for the centre |
| Aerobús | About €7.75 one way | Direct to Plaça de Catalunya | Not included in any card |
| Taxi | €21 minimum | Door to door | More expensive at night and on holidays |
| Uber | About €35 on a normal day | Price fixed when you book | Can go up a lot at peak times |
Taxi prices are the official AMB fares for 2026. From the airport the minimum fare is €21 with the supplement included, and there’s a fixed €46 fare from the airport to the cruise port. An Uber, from what I usually pay, comes to about €35 on a normal day.
My summary:
- If you have Hola Barcelona or the Barcelona Card, the metro and train to the airport are already included.
- With big suitcases and a group of three or four, a taxi is worth it.
- Travelling solo and light, the R2 Nord train with a T-casual.
Free museums without any card
Before paying for a card for the museums, check whether the free days fit your trip:
- Every Sunday from 15:00: the municipal museums, such as MUHBA, the Museu del Disseny, the Frederic Marès and the Museu de la Música, plus the CCCB and the Maritime Museum.
- First Sunday of the month: MNAC (10:00 to 15:00), Museu Picasso (booking required), Montjuïc Castle and the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion.
- Saturday afternoons: MNAC from 15:00 and MACBA from 16:00 to 20:00.
The full list is in free museums in Barcelona.
Which card suits your trip
Hola Barcelona if…
- You’ll be using the metro and bus a lot
- You’re flying in and out
- Museums aren’t your priority
- You’ll buy single tickets for Gaudí
Barcelona Card if…
- You’ll visit two or three paid museums or more
- You want transport and museums on one card
- You’ll use its discounts (Casa Batlló, Sant Pau…)
- You’re staying at least three days
And if you’re only here for a weekend and walk a lot, neither: a T-casual and single tickets.
Not sure about your trip? Message me on Instagram @barcelonainspira with your dates and what you want to see, and I’ll tell you which card is worth it.
Keep discovering Barcelona with me
More to help plan your trip: free museums, the best time to visit, where to eat well for less and all my places on the Barcelona Map.
Which is better, Hola Barcelona or the Barcelona Card
It depends on what you plan to do. Hola Barcelona is unlimited public transport only, including the metro to the airport, and the 72-hour card is around 27 euros. The Barcelona Card adds free entry to 28 museums and discounts, and the 72-hour card costs 59 euros, or 53.10 online. If you are not going into paid museums, Hola Barcelona is cheaper.
Does Hola Barcelona include the metro to the airport
Yes. It includes one outbound and one return trip on the L9 Sud metro line to terminals T1 and T2, plus the R2 Nord train, which is Rodalies zone 1. It does not include the Aerobús.
How much is the T-casual in 2026
13 euros for 10 trips in zone 1, about 1.30 euros a trip. It works on the metro, bus, tram, FGC and Rodalies within zone 1, but not at the L9 Sud airport stations, which require the 5.90-euro airport ticket.
How much does it cost to get from Barcelona airport to the city centre
The cheapest option is the R2 Nord train, from 1.30 euros with a T-casual. The L9 Sud metro costs 5.90 euros, the Aerobús about 7.75 euros one way, and taxis have a minimum fare of 21 euros from the airport. An Uber on a normal day usually costs about 35 euros.
Which sights are not included in the Barcelona Card
Neither the Barcelona Card nor Hola Barcelona includes entry to the Sagrada Família, Park Güell, Casa Batlló or Casa Milà. The Barcelona Card gives a discount on some of them, such as Casa Batlló. To have them included you need a pass like Go City or the All-In Barcelona Card.
