Barcelona Airport – terminals A, B and C

by David | Barcelona flights

Barcelona Airport currently consists of three passenger terminals (A, B and C), with a new “south” terminal currently under construction and due for completion some time in 2009. The airport is approximately 12 km from Barcelona Airport, which can be reached by taxi, the Aerobus, regular bus or train and there are car hire facilities if you prefer to rent a car.

When I flew into Barcelona Airport for the first time in 1972 I was eight years old, but there have certainly seen a few changes in the time since. The last big upgrade occurred for the 1992 Olympics, but it seems that since then nothing has stood still. Terminals A and C have been expanded to cater for the ever growing number of passengers and over time the facilities have gradually changed.

Facilities

In the arrivals hall of Terminal A there was once a bar, where you could get a sandwich and a coffee or beer for a few Euros, but as the terminal expanded that was replaced by a rather bland motorway service station style cafeteria serving overpriced sandwiches, but otherwise you find the expected Bureau de Change, ATMs and car hire offices and Wi-Fi access is available in several designated areas on both sides of security.

Airside, there are a variety of shops and restaurants, although if you’re used to the scale of shopping in UK airports there really isn’t much at all. Food is quite limited to sandwiches, tapas and fast food, which is good enough and there are the usual shops selling produce of Spain, wine, cheeses and tobacco.

One thing to note is that the departure area of all three terminals connects while your check-in may be in Terminal C you may find you actually depart from Terminal B!

The departure lounges all have large TVs, which is good if you speak Spanish or Catalan, but otherwise you’ll have to provide your own entertainment. They aren’t particularly comfortable, which can be a nuisance if your flight is delayed.

Car hire

You can hire a car upon arrival in your terminal, for collection in the area opposite Terminal B. The following companies operate from Barcelona airport:

Avis
Atesa
Europcar
Hertz
Solmar

Check car hire availability with Holiday Autos

Parking

If you’re flying out of Barcelona and need to leave your car at the airport then there are nearly 12,000 parking places at Barcelona Airport. Parking spaces are located in two multi-storey car parks adjacent to terminals A and C accounting for 5,600 places, with the remainder in a large uncovered area next to terminal B. Entry to the car parks is controlled by a ticket machine, and you can either pay inside the terminals or at machines located within the car parks – there are machines close to the main exit where you can stop and pay if you haven’t already done so. The cost of the car parks is up to €0.034/minute, or €18 per day.

At busy times it can be difficult to find a free space, on one occasion I was departing from terminal C and had to leave the car at the end of the car park beyond the terminal A multi-storey. It was so full that many cars were parked on the kerb, but eventually we found a free space and unloaded our luggage. It only takes ten minutes to walk the entire length of the car park, but when you’re flying every little inconvenience is magnified.

There is also VIP Parking which can be pre-reserved. This is located just in front of each terminal and while at €65 per day it is much more expensive than the standard car park fee, they offer complementary car wash, oil change and boarding pass management. We haven’t tried it, so can’t comment on whether the service is worth the price or not.