1. By plane
Barcelona’s airport (El Prat, IATA code BCN) has two main terminals: Terminal 1 (newest and used by most major airlines) and Terminal 2 (older, used mostly by low-cost airlines). The terminals are connected by a free shuttle bus that takes about 10 minutes. Especially when traveling from BCN, make sure to check from what terminal your flight departs.
Up-to-date information about flights leaving from and arriving at Barcelona can be found in the website of the airport at AENA.
Connection between Barcelona Airport (BCN) and the city:
The connection between the airport and the city is made by metro, bus, train or taxi:
Metro:
Starting February 12, 2016 the new metro line 9 Sud directly connects both airport terminals with the university campus (station: Zona Universitària).
On Terminal 1, the subway station is located in level 0.
On Terminal 2, the subway station is located outside the terminal.
Trains work from 5:00 to 24:00 Sun-Thu (5:00 to 2:00 on Friday, all night on Saturday), and there is a train every 7 minutes. The ride between Terminal 1 and Zona Universitària takes 32 minutes.
Please be aware that regular subway tickets or a 1-zone 10-trip card (T-10) are not valid when entering or exiting the subway through the airport stations. You need to buy a special airport ticket (4,50 €) at any of the machines located in the station.
More information at the TMB website.
Bus:
The Aerobus is a direct shuttle bus that connects both airport terminals with Pl. Catalunya. For more information see Aerobus.
In addition, there is the regular bus line #46 that connects both airport terminals with Pl. Espanya (where you can connect with the metro). More information at the TMB website.
During the whole night there is also a night bus (nitbus N17) that connects the city with the airport, although is considerably slower than bus 46 or the Aerobus. More information can be found here (currently not in English).
Train:
Connects Terminal 2 of the airport with the main railroad station Barcelona Sants and also with Pg. de Gràcia station (even more centric) every 30 minutes. The trip is 15-20 minutes long. Keep in mind that if your flight leaves or arrives at Terminal 1, you will need to take a free shuttle bus between Terminal 1 and the train station at Terminal 2. The train schedule and other details can be found here. The single trip costs around €2, or you can also use a 10-trip, 1 zone card (T10).
Taxi:
There are plenty of them. Look for the line at your arrival terminal arrival. Any trip to the city center should take about 15-30 minutes, depending on the traffic conditions, and cost around € 30-35. You can find official information about taxis in Barcelona here.
2. By train
Stations: The main station is Barcelona Sants. Its location is centric and is well connected by metro (Sants Estació, on lines 3 and 5) to any other point of the city. Some trains get to the more exclusive station of Barcelona Estació de França, also centrically located. Its closest subway station is Barceloneta (line 4).
More information: For more information, you can contact RENFE, the spanish railroad company.