Good transport links, lots of shops and restaurants
Disadvantages:
Long walks between gates
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Having just spent a lovely week in the Mallorca, I thought I'd better put my experience to good use in a review of Barcelona airport. No, you didn't read wrong! I actually got an in direct flight after deciding to spend a couple days in Barcelona first!
For some, airports are just a thorn in their side, a mere obstacle in getting from A to B. They hate the thought of waiting around for their flight, or the queues of checking in, baggage hassles. It can be very stressful. For me however, I still get incredibly excited about the 'airport' leg of my journey, the shopping, and the excitement about getting on the plane. It's a huge part of the overall holiday experience.
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain, situated on the south coast. It is becoming a huge tourist destination, in particular as Mediterranean cruises become more popular. I booked our flight independently with Iberia for £80 each return. We flew with BA outwards, and then caught an Iberia plane to Mallorca. It was the cheapest option and a bargain for June!
The airport itself consists of three terminals named A, B and C. From what I could make out terminal A is for long haul and European destinations, terminal B for EU flights and Terminal C for domestic services although I caught a domestic flight with Iberia from terminal B. All of the terminals are interlocked, and if you need to get from one to another (if realising you were in the wrong gate like us) it is a long walk! But let me start from the beginning….
A R R I V A L
-+-+-Arrival-+-+- As soon as we touched down I had butterflies in my stomach. The sun was shining, and I couldn't wait to start sight seeingl! Luckily, within 5 minutes of parking up, the little trucks were rushing around to offload the baggage, and the doors were open for us to get going. I was very impressed!
So off we trotted down the gateway into the arrivals terminal with a refreshing breeze of aircon. A huge queue emerged and only 1 person checking passports. I really don't know why they bother to show up because as we walked thorough, the guy didn't bother to look up from reading his magazine! I don't know whether that's a good or bad thing!
-+-+-Baggage reclaim-+-+- Once through passport control, you either turn right to baggage reclaim, or left to other terminals for interconnecting flights. It is very well sign posted in French, Spanish and English, and around a 10 minute walk. It was very efficient (probably due to the long walk!) We were the first to arrive from our flight and had already been assigned a conveyor belt. Luckily it wasn't too chaotic. There is no charge/deposit for trolleys and they are plentiful. They can be picked up just before the first conveyor belt so it was very easy to find a trolley while my other half picked his perfect spot for grabbing the cases!
Within 5 minutes of waiting, luggage was whizzing round, and 5 minutes on we had both pieces of our luggage and were heading for the shuttle, which is a short walk from the baggage reclaim. Barcelona has a very good transportation system from the airport. If you're on a budget, it is easy to catch the shuttle (located outside each of the terminals clearly signposted) to/from the airport. A single journey is around 3 Euros (£2) for a 30 minute journey. Alternatively a taxi is around 30 euros (£20) to town.
D E P A R T U R E
-+-+-Check in and landside-+-+- After a fabulous few days it was time to go to Mallorca! The trolleys were plentiful, and conveniently located directly opposite where the shuttle parked. The check in area itself is reasonably sized and easy to navigate which area is yours. The staff didn't seem to care that my hand luggage was 1kg over limit. So we had 1 hour to look around, as you have to be at the gate 1 hour prior to departure (bearing in mind it can take 15 minutes to walk there also). Not much to do here so we went straight through to airside
-+-+-Security & Departure Gate-+-+- Once you've done your shopping, it's time to make your way to the gate. The number of your gate is printed on the boarding ticket, and there are screens around the terminal to say when the plane is boarding. It is best to leave around 15 minutes to get to the gate, as it is a very long walk (especially as we were one of the furthest away!) As I mentioned earlier, security seems to be lacking in substance. However, when going through the gate, all the necessary checks took place; bags through the machine, and then through the metal detector device. As there were only a few guards on hand, there was a small queue of around 5 minutes, which moved very quickly.
Once at the gate there is a sufficient seating area, which was very useful as due to check-in opening late, the flight departed 30 minutes late. The lounge is airy and open spaced with plenty of comfortable seats if you want to relax.
-+-+-Shopping-+-+- Between the departure gate and check-in is the shopping area. There are TONS of shops including Zara, a chocolate shop, lots of duty free outlets, music, books, newsagents, wine & food, Etam. I could have spent hours here! The duty free was very reasonable. It has the usual perfume makeup, wine and spirits. Plus it had the usual sweets, Tolblerone, and even olives! I stocked up on some olives (75p for a jar) and chocolate as these are my two vices in life. You need your boarding card to purchase goods (even chocolate and olives!)
-+-+-Food and Drink-+-+- Once you've checked-in and stocked up on duty free, it's time to grab a drink and a bite to eat. There's a huge choice of places to eat anything from a sandwich shop to burger places. The baguettes were around 3.50 Euro (£2) and the drinks, which are quite reasonably, priced at 1.20 -3 Euro. (£1-£2)
-+-+-Décor & Cleanliness-+-+- The airport itself was spotless, with plenty of toilets with baby changing areas scattered around. It is bright and airy, but what more can you say about an airport?!
-+-+-Conclusion-+-+- I was extremely impressed with the airport and its facilities it is clean, spacious and runs smoothly. The décor is OK, very clean and simple, and there is a light, airy feel about the building. There are excellent shopping and restaurant facilities, and plenty of toilets dotted around. Definitely one of the best airports I've been to!
-+-+-Airlines that fly to Barcelona-+-+-
Ryan Air www.ryanair.co.uk
Britannia www.thomascook.co.uk
BMI Baby www.bmibaby.com
Easy Jet www.easyjet.com
British Airways www.ba.com*** Additional information ***
www.barcelona-airport.com/
More details
Is it worth visiting?
Good
Family Friendly
Good
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