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BARCELONA - Getting around (Bus - Taxi - Limousine - Bicycle)
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PUBLIC
TRANSPORT
With the exception of one metro line, transport in the city
is operated by TMB (tel: (93) 318 70 74; website: www.tmb.net/eng/menu.htm).
There are TMB information offices in the foyer of the Universitat
metro station, open Monday to Friday 0800-2000. There are also
offices at Diagnol, Sants Estacio and Sagrada Familia metro
stations.
Regional rail services and the purple metro line are operated
by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) (tel: (93)
205 1515; website: www.fgc.catalunya.net). The information office,
located in the Catalunya metro station, is open September to
July, Monday to Friday 0700-2100 and in August, Monday to Friday
0800-2000.
Apart from during the rush hour (0730-0930 and 1800-2030) when
it becomes very crowded, the metro (M) is the most efficient
means of transport in the city. Metro lines are all identified
by a number and a colour; the direction is shown by the name
of the line terminus. A single ticket (billet senzill) costs
Pta1 Euro and must be validated in a machine on the platform
before boarding and carried at all times to avoid the Euros
30 penalty. The metro runs from Monday to Thursday 0500-2300,
Friday and Saturday until 0200 and Sunday 0600-2400. The FGC
line is fully integrated with the rest of the TMB-operated metro
system and runs daily until 0130
Buses in the city run from 0530 or 0600 until about
2230. The network is extensive and almost all services run through
Plaça de Catalunya, Plaça Urquinaona or Plaça
de la Universitat. Single tickets cost Pta160 and must be clipped
in machines on boarding. There are 16 night bus routes running
2300-0400 to some destinations, which require separate tickets.
The TombBus is a shopping service that runs between Plaça
de Catalunya and Plaça Pius XII Monday to Friday 0800-2130
and Saturday 0900-2130. A single ticket costs Euros 1,1€
A funicular railway trundles up Montjuïc from the
corner of Carrer Nou de la Rambla and Avinguda Parallel to Avinguda
Miramar 1100-2200 daily in summer and 1100-2015 daily in winter
(€ 1,6 - single; € 2,4
- return). From the amusement park there is a cable car (telefèric)
to Montjuïc Castle summer daily 1200-2000 and winter Saturday
and Sunday 1100-1930, it costs € 3 single and € 4,2
return.
TAXIS
There are 11,000 yellow-and-black registered cabs operating
in the city. As well as being hailed on the street, taxis can
be booked in advance (tel: (93) 358 1111). The basic charge
is € 1.8, which should show on the meter; each kilometre
is charged at € 0.6.
A € 0.6 supplement is charged for each piece of large luggage.
Taxi drivers should be tipped 5-10% of the meter fare. |
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LIMOUSINES
A number of companies offer limousine services with multi-lingual
drivers. These include Barcelona Limousine Service (tel: (93)
247 0699; fax: (93) 265 1484; bcnlimousine@spain-bcnlimo.com;
www.spain-bcnlimo.com), who charge from € 253 for eight
hours and Limousine Rental (tel: (93) 372 0000; fax (93) 473
6077; e-mail: central@limorent.com; website: www.limorent.com),
who charge from € 41for airport transfers and €
180 - € 409
for a full day.. |
CAR
HIRE
Cars can be hired by drivers from overseas aged 21 years and
above on presentation of a passport and a valid driving licence.
A valid international insurance policy is also necessary although
this can be purchased at the time of hire. In addition to companies
at the airport, car hire in Barcelona is provided by Avis, Carrer
Casanovas 209 (tel: (93) 209 9533; website: www.avis.com); and
Hertz, Carrer Tuset 10 (tel: (93) 217 3248; website: www.hertz.com).
Hire of a small car costs from € 56 a day and from €
360 a week
BICYCLE HIRE
Barcelona has a limited network of bicycle lanes and some bicycle
racks. Bicycles can be carried on the public transport system,
although there are some peak hour restrictions. Bicycles can
be hired at Scenic, Carrer Marina 22 (tel: (93) 221 1666; e-mail:
scenic@ctb.es; website: www.scenic.es), Un Coxte Menys, Esparteria
3 (tel: (93) 268 2105) and Biciclot, Sant Joan de Malta 1 (tel:
(93) 307 7475). Hire charges start at around € 18 a day
and additional ID is required.
Photos
Credits
http://www.spain-bcnlimo.com |
Copyright © 2002 Columbus Publishing
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