Barcelona cruise port to the city centre: the Cruise Bus, the metro, a taxi or a transfer

💡 The Short Version: From the terminals on the Adossat quay, take the Cruise Bus: €3.50 one way or €5 for a day ticket, next to La Rambla, close to Plaça de Catalunya. It runs only on days when ships are in port, between 8:00 and 20:30. The World Trade Center terminals are by the Drassanes metro (L3), so you can take the metro. A taxi is metered: €2.80 to start, €1.35 a kilometre on weekdays in the day, with a €4.60 supplement from the Moll Adossat; the fixed fare between the Moll Adossat and the airport is €46. Cruise Bus tickets are sold online for a set date. Or book a transfer: a private transfer from the cruise port to a hotelad is from £34.28, and the return to the portad from £30.00.

The options, compared

Fares from each operator’s own page, 29 and 30 September 2026. Euros are converted at the ECB rate of 29 September 2026 (€1 = £0.857).

Which terminal your ship uses

The Port of Barcelona’s international passenger terminals are on the Adossat quay and the Barcelona quay: terminals A, B, C, D (Palacruceros) and E (Helix), the MSC terminal and the World Trade Center terminal, WTCB (portdebarcelona.cat, 30 September 2026). The port says the World Trade Center terminals are a step away from public transport, and that the Adossat quay has a shuttle bus into the centre. Check your ship’s terminal on your boarding card, then read the matching section below.

A cruise ship alongside a quay in the Port of Barcelona, with Montjuïc behind. Photo: Ank Kumar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Cruise Bus

€3.50 single, €5 day ticket · 8:00 to 20:30 · Adossat terminals to La Rambla

The Cruise Bus is a shuttle run by Transports Ciutat Comtal, part of the Moventis group. It connects the Adossat terminals and the area in front of the World Trade Center, on a circular route that stops at the disembarkation points. It runs only when cruise ships are in port, and only for the hours they are there, between 8:00 and 20:30 (moventis.es, 30 September 2026). From terminals A, B, C, D and E it drops you next to La Rambla, close to Plaça de Catalunya, where the Aerobús for the airport also leaves. The operator’s figure for the journey is 5 minutes.

A cruise terminal on the Moll Adossat. Photo: Jorge Franganillo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.

• Tickets: buy on cruisebus.barcelona: a single is €3.50 and a day ticket, for several journeys, €5. Tickets go to your email as a PDF and are valid only on the date you choose.
• A day ticket is worth it if you plan to ride both ways, since two singles cost €7.

From the World Trade Center terminals

Metro Drassanes (L3) and Paral·lel (L2, L3) · buses V11, 91, D20, H14 and V13

The World Trade Center on the Moll de Barcelona lists Drassanes (L3) and Paral·lel (L2, L3) as the nearest metro stations, and buses V11, 91, D20, H14 and V13 by day and N0 and N6 at night (wtcbarcelona.com, 30 September 2026). A single metro ticket is €2.90; Barcelona metro tickets compares the T-casual with the Hola Barcelona card.

The World Trade Center Barcelona on its pier, seen from Montjuïc. Photo: Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Taxis

Metered · €2.80 minimum · €1.35 a kilometre on weekdays 8:00–20:00 · €4.60 supplement from the Moll Adossat

Barcelona’s taxis are metered. The fare is a €2.80 start plus €1.35 a kilometre on weekdays from 8:00 to 20:00 (fare T-1), or €1.66 a kilometre in the evenings, on Saturdays and on public holidays (fare T-2). A journey that starts or ends at the Moll Adossat cruise dock adds a €4.60 supplement, and five to eight passengers pay another €4.60 (taxi.amb.cat, 30 September 2026).

• To the airport: a fixed €46 (about £39.43) between the Moll Adossat and Barcelona–El Prat, all surcharges included. Journeys from the other terminals are metered.
• Fixed prices in advance are available only through approved taxi apps, which must tell you the price before you book.

Private transfers

A car booked ahead is worth it with luggage, on the day your cruise begins or ends. On GetYourGuide on 30 September 2026:

Cruise port to a hotel

From £34.28 · 4.8 stars from 24 reviews

Arrival Cruise Port to Barcelona City Private Transferad takes you from the cruise port to a hotel in the city. The return, Barcelona Private Transfers from City Centre to Cruise Portad, is from £30.00 (4.8 stars from 20 reviews).

Cruise port to the airport

From £34.28 · 4.3 stars from 26 reviews

Private Transfer from Cruise Port to Barcelona Airportad is a private car; the fixed-fare taxi is €46 (about £39.43).

Cruise port to the city centre for a group

From £68.56 · 4.2 stars from 20 reviews · a van for 7

Barcelona: Private Transfer from the PORT to the City Centre by Van (7 pax)ad is a van for up to seven passengers; a taxi adds a €4.60 supplement for five to eight.

With a day in the city

With a day to fill, one day in Barcelona puts the Sagrada Família at 9:00 and works back towards the sea; book its slot before you sail, since tickets go on sale roughly two months ahead and late arrivals are turned away (Sagrada Família tickets). From the foot of La Rambla the Aerobús runs to the airport if you finish your cruise here, and boat tours compared leave from the Moll de Drassanes beside the Columbus Monument. For the rest of what to book, see what to book before you go in Barcelona.