How to get to Barcelona from London by train, bus, flight or ferry.
The best way to travel from London to Barcelona is by taking a flight because it’s the best combination of price and speed.
Find all the dates and times for this journey by train, bus, flight, and ferry .
706 miles | |
Coach | |
FlixBus |
Take a coach to travel 706 miles from London to Barcelona. FlixBus is the main travel provider operating this trip. Travellers can even take a direct coach from London to Barcelona.
Located approximately 950 kilometres apart, the journey from London to Barcelona is generally most convenient by air travel. Direct flights offer the quickest journey option, with departures from London Gatwick and Stansted airports taking around just over 2 hours to arrive at Barcelona airport. Flights are operated by several airlines, with departures commencing early morning and running regularly throughout the day. Longer train journeys departing London St. Pancras via Eurostar connections are available, totalling over 36 hours total journey time. Coach and bus services operate daily from London Victoria Coach Station, offering similar journey times to rail options.
Travel from London to Barcelona runs frequently with an option of either trains, coaches, or flights. Depending on your choice of travel, your arriving and departing locations, as well as your duration of travel will differ. Expect a coach to take approximately 25h 45min, a train to take 10h 9min, and a flight to take 2h 10min. Direct options are only available with flights and any coaches or trains will require changes. All travel is easy to find and each provider offers great services, as well as good onboard facilities.
Barcelona is a great and easy choice of destination, especially for those travelling from the UK or any destination in Europe. The city will always accept euros with very few places accepting other currencies like lbs When planning to visit Barcelona, the best months that provide good weather is May through June. People will see an average temperature of the mid-70s.
If you want to experience the typical Barcelona cuisine, then expect most leading restaurants to be open from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. before it closes for a few hours. Restaurants will then typically open at around 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. Just some of the must-eat foods include paella, bombas, esqueixada, escalivada, and more.
There are a variety of public transport options around Barcelona. If you are departing from your flight from Joseph Tarradellas El-Prat Airport (BCN), you can find a selection of applicable car rental companies and taxi ranks located directly outside of the arrival’s terminal. Alternatively, either the Metro, FGC, or the tram and the quickest and simplest ways for visitors, tourists, and residents, wanting to get around Barcelona.
london in Green. Source: Shutterstock
Arrival bus, train, flight station, airport: Depending on your type of transport, you’ll have different arrival and departing locations. When travelling via train, your train will commonly depart from London St Pancras and will eventually reach Barcelona-Sants Station. This station is just 1.8 miles (3 km) from Barcelona’s city centre. Alternatively, if you plan to travel via coach then your coach will commonly depart from locations like London Victoria Coach Station and reach Barcelona Nord – Bus Station. However, your flight will have a selection of departing locations. Popular departing airports include London Stansted Airport (STN), London Heathrow Airport (LHR), London Gatwick Airport (LGW), London Luton Airport (LTN), and more. Your arrival airport will always be Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN).
There are multiple companies and providers that travel to Barcelona, including airlines, coach companies, train providers, and more. Flights are the most common option of travel and the most popular airlines include Vueling, easyJet, RyanAir, British Airways, Iberia, Air Europa, KLM, Air France, LuxAir, as well as much more. Some of the most popular coaches include MegaBus, ALSA, FlixBus, BlaBlaCar Bus, Union lvkoni, among others. Your other destination could also be by train where you’ll find leading providers like the Eurostar, Renfe SNCR, Renfe Ave, Renfe Viajeros, and more. Routes via train will not always offer direct routes from London to Barcelona but instead routes that require multiple changes. Almost all routes via train will feature the use of the Eurostar. A flight= will always be the quickest form of transport to Barcelona from London with a train coming in at second quickest and travel via bus being the longest form of travel.
There are multiple coach and bus providers that will travel from London to Barcelona but one of the leading providers is ALSA. There are no direct bus routes to Barcelona from London but instead routes that include the use of a ferry or a train in correlation with your bus transport. Using the provider, ALSA, will mean that you won’t require to change coach along your trip, but you will instead need to disembark at Zaragoza and take the train directly to Barcelona-Sants. Before you disembark the coach to catch a train, expect an approximate journey to take 25h 45min. This bus runs twice daily.
Union lvkoni is one of the leading coach providers that travels part of the journey from London to Barcelona. Whilst there is no coaching direct route to Barcelona but instead routes that require multiple changes. This provider is most commonly accompanying you on your route from London to Lille where you'll then change provider. The journey to Lille from London takes approximately 4h 19min and runs twice a week.
Although you can travel to Barcelona from London solely by train, without the additional use of taking trains or coaches, you will still require a few stopovers during your trip. You will always travel from London St Pancras to Paris Nord by Eurostar. This journey takes approximately 2h 22min and a passenger can find that the train runs twice daily. This is also applicable on your return to London.
The train provider, Renfe SNCF, is most common to take you on the last leg of your journey to Barcelona since there are no direct routes with one single provider. Passengers will most likely find that Renfe SNCF will take you to your final destination in Barcelona from departing locations, mid-journey, like Paris Gare De Lyon. The journey from this location to Barcelona-Sants is approximately 6h 34min.
British Airways are one of the leading providers that fly the route to Barcelona from London. British Airways can be found departing popular locations like London Stansted Airport (STN), London Heathrow Airport (LHR), London Gatwick Airport (LGW), London Luton Airport (LTN), and more. The average duration for a direct route is 2h 10min if you travel from airports like London Stansted. Your flight will then reach Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN).
A couple of happiness in London. Source: Shutterstock
The budget-friendly airline, Air France, offers frequent travel to Barcelona from London. A passenger can choose from either direct flights or flights that offer stopovers along their journey. Expect the duration of a journey via the location of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to take approximately 4h 25min. These flights run daily.
Barcelona is a great city with lots of exciting attractions, leading retailers for shopping, and a great offering of art and architecture. Intriguing to those travelling with families and children but also those looking to travel with their friends or in a couple, there’s something to keep everyone entertained. If you’re planning on travelling with children, then consider visiting some of the top and family-friendly attractions like Camp Nou, Aquarium Barcelona, Tibidabo Amusement Park, Barcelona Zoo, FC Barcelona Museum, as well as much more.
Alternatively, if you’re looking to enjoy the history of the city and then visit attractions like Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, La Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, Casa Milà, Picasso Museum, Cathedral of Barcelona, Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, as well as much more. Or perhaps, you’re looking to visit some of the leading venues like bars, clubs, and restaurants. Just some of the top clubs in Barcelona include Macarena Club, Moog, Opium Barcelona Restaurant and Club, Sutton Club Barcelona, Hyde Club, Boulevard Culture Club, and more.
The legal drinking age in Barcelona is 18 and anyone looking to consume any alcoholic beverage should bring proof of legitimate identification like a valid passport or driving licence. Barcelona also has a good option of beaches for visitors, tourists, and residents to enjoy. These include Bogatell Beach, Playa de La Barceloneta, Nova Mar Bella Beach, Playa de la Mar bella, Platja de la Nova Icaria, and more.
Finding cheap tickets to Barcelona is easy. Certain forms of transport might also be cheaper than others. There are many budget-friendly providers that travel from London to Barcelona. There is also a selection of money-saving techniques that could make your flight even more affordable. By booking far in advance, you’re promised to be a customer of the most affordable flights, buses, and trains. Alternatively, you can alter your dates. By altering your dates, even by just a few days, you can find more affordable transport. Flight prices can even increase on certain days of the week like Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Otherwise, your chosen transport could increase in price at certain times of the year, like school holidays. Passengers will usually find that direct routes, most specifically flights, will be the cheaper option of travel, more so than buses and trains.
Buses from London to Barcelona | Flights from London to Barcelona
London to Barcelona Travel Comparison
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Travel Time |
Cheapest Time to Book |
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£41 |
24:25 h |
1 Day Before |
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£30 |
2:15 h |
2 Months Before |
Some bus connections between London and Barcelona run a limited schedule daily, buses are run by Eurolines and Megabus. Departing London Victoria Coach Station, journey times take anywhere between 1 day and 12 hours with connections
The fastest way to travel from London to Barcelona is by flying. Flights depart daily from London Stansted and London Gatwick airport, direct to Barcelona. Flights begin at around 6:40 a.m. each day and run at least once every two hours during morning and peak times.Flights continue to run until the late evening, before commencing again early morning. Flights are operated by a variety of operators, including British Airways Ryanair, Vueling Airlines and Iberia. Total flight times across all airlines and routes takes no longer than 2 hours 15 minutes on average.
The most popular way to get from London to Barcelona is by taking a flight. Millions of passengers fly from the UK to Barcelona every year, with the majority coming from London Gatwick & London Heathrow.
You can travel by train, coach or flight for as low as £41 (€45). When you search for schedules and tickets, Omio will show you the best journey.
Renfe-SNCF is a joint venture between Spain's Renfe and France's SNCF, offering high-speed rail services between the two countries. The trains run at speeds of up to 300 km/h, with departures every two hours. Renfe-SNCF offers three types of trains: the AVE, the TGV and the EuroMed. The AVE is the fastest, with a journey time of just over three hours between Madrid and Paris. The TGV is slightly slower, but still offers a comfortable journey. The EuroMed is the slowest, but is the most affordable option. Renfe-SNCF offers a range of ticket types, including single, return and group tickets. Onboard facilities include comfortable seating, free Wi-Fi, power sockets and a selection of snacks and drinks. The most popular routes for Renfe-SNCF are Madrid to Paris, Barcelona to Marseille and Madrid to Lyon.
BlaBlaCar Bus (formerly known as Ouibus or iDBUS) is a popular French travel provider from France operating long-distance services in 10 countries in Europe and connecting over 300 destinations. It is a subsidiary of the French car sharing service, BlaBlaCar. Standard amenities on BlaBlaCar Bus include toilets, air conditioning, USB and power outlets for charging phones, tablets and laptops during long travel journeys, extra legroom and adjustable seats. There is also free Wi-Fi available on select routes. The only ticket type from BlaBlaCar Bus is the Standard ticket, which allows each traveler to bring one cabin bag and up to two hold bags.
Ryanair is one of the biggest and most popular low-cost airlines in Europe, headquartered in Ireland. Hopping on a travel and flying to popular European destinations quickly and affordably is made easy with Ryanair. This budget airline is known for operating direct travel to smaller or secondary airports usually outside major cities to keep costs down. A Ryanair travel ticket to Barcelona from London includes allowance of one small personal bag; additional fees tend to apply for cabin baggage and checked baggage.
Travel London to Barcelona by coach.
The fastest way to travel to Barcelona from London is by flight, which requires on average 13 h 30 min of travel time.
Barcelona is approximately 706 miles away from London.
These are the most popular departure and arrival points when travelling from London to Barcelona:
Let Omio help you find the best company to travel with from London to Barcelona:
Yes, there is a direct service from London to Barcelona:
Direct services to Barcelona tend to save you time and add more convenience as you won't need to transfer at another stop in between, so it's worth paying attention to before booking tickets for your journey.
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