Air Canada Vacations

Before you leave Canada

Entry requirements

It is your sole responsibility to ensure that you - and any child travelling with you - have all the travel documents necessary to enter or transit through each country on your itinerary. Please ensure you verify the requirements for each country as the required documents for the outbound portion of your travel may differ from those required on the return.

Please refer to Air Canada for complete information on travel requirements and regulations.

Baggage

Please refer to Air Canada for up-to-date baggage allowances.

Airport check-in

Please present yourself at the airport counter or self-service kiosks of the airline indicated on your e-ticket. Web check-in and mobile check-in are also available.
Please refer to Air Canada for recommended check-in times and more details.

Your arrival at destination

Transportation from El Prat Airport to Barcelona

There are various options for travel into Barcelona depending on your budget and flexibility. The Barcelona airport is served by taxi, train and bus. There are two terminals at Barcelona Airport that are organized by carriers and not according to the destination or place of origin.  

By taxi

There are taxi ranks located outside T1 and T2 (T2A,T2B and T2C) at Barcelona Airport. There is a minimum charge on taxis from the airport of €20.00.

By aerobus (A1 and A2)

Bus service departs T1 and T2 every 10 minutes and takes approximately 30 minutes to reach Placa de Catlunya (central Barcelona). 

By train

Renfe (Spanish Rail) departs every 30 minutes, usually from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m.  to Estacio Sants in downtown Barcelona.

The entrance to the train station is in T2B. If you are arriving or departing from T1 you will not be able to walk to or from the train station. It is necessary to catch one of the free shuttle buses that run between the train station and T1.

Bus service

The 46 bus runs between the Terminals 1 and 2 to Plaza de d’Espanya every 30 minutes.  Buses usually run from 5 a.m. until midnight.

Night bus service

The N17 night bus operates between the Barcelona Airport and Plaza Catalunya, stopping at Plaza de d’Espanya, every 30 minutes. 

Hotel check-in

Upon arrival at your hotel, please identify yourself at the front desk with your Air Canada Vacations voucher. You will then be assigned your accommodation. Passport must be presented upon check in.

Hotel check-in times may vary depending on the hotel but is generally 3 p.m.

During your stay

If you need help or assistance with your vacation, please contact Air Canada Vacations Customer Care.

Shopping

One of the best places to shop is the Barcelona Shopping Line, a shopping route that showcases top-quality, leading brands from around the world:

Port Vell - Las Ramblas - El Raval - La Ribera - Plaça de Catalunya - Barri Gòtic - Montjuïc

From Barcelona's historic core take Las Ramblas, the city's busiest, most colourful boulevard, into the El Raval and La Ribera districts and then into the Gothic Quarter. Nearby is Montjuïc, a hill steeped in history and major craft centres.

Eixample - Modernisme - Gaudí

Modernista Barcelona is one of the city's landmark areas where you'll find some of its most unusual shops. The Bulevard Rosa is the area's most representative shopping mall, displaying the popular Made in Barcelona brand.

Diagonal - Pedralbes

Barcelona's business and shopping hub comprises two sections. The first extends from the Passeig de Gràcia to the Plaça de Francesc Macià, and the second, from L'Illa Diagonal to the Pedralbes Centre and El Corte Inglés, which completes the Barcelona Shopping Line.

Tipping

Service is included with the price of the meal or drink. However, tipping is a common practice at bars and restaurants, hotels and taxis. It is usually around five to ten percent of the total price.

Water

Water in Barcelona is safe to drink.

Electricity

Electricity supply in Spain is AC 220 V, 50 Hz. Sockets use the round-pin European system. Most hotels have adaptors.  

Currency

The currency in Spain is the Euro.

Banking

Banking hours are generally Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., with some branches open Saturday, 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. (except from June to September when all banks close on Saturday).

ATM (cajeros automaticos) are now widespread.

All major credit cards are widely accepted.

Long distance calls

Telephone calls from your hotel to Canada can be very expensive and service charges are high.

Prepaid calling cards are readily available.

To call Canada dial 001 and then the number.

Language

Spanish is the official language. However, Catalan is very prevalent in Barcelona, as is a particular variety of Catalan spoken on the Balearic Islands.

Time zone

UTC/GMT +1 hour
Daylight savings time UTC/GMT +2 hours

Emergency

You can ask for a doctor or a dentist through your hotel.  Keep all your receipts. 
Tourists requiring urgent medical care should go to the nearest hospital emergency room (airports and many train stations also have medical teams and first aid facilities).

Getting around

Sightseeing

Air Canada Vacations offers a huge selection of day tours and activities in Barcelona that you can easily add to your shopping cart when you book. Enjoy the Barcelona Hop-on Hop-off Tour; the Tapas Evening Walking Tour of Barcelona.

Rental car

Air Canada Vacations offers convenient short-term and long-term car rentals throughout Europe.

Taxi

Barcelona has a fleet of 11,000 taxis, which can be easily identified by their yellow and black paint. A green light on top of the taxi indicates its availability. There is also a fleet of taxis adapted for people with reduced mobility

Buses

Barcelona has a fleet of more than 1,000 buses, which operate on over 80 routes and connect all the city’s districts. The buses have low floors and are adapted for people with reduced mobility. Transport passes can be used on the metro and city-centre lines of the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat.

The bus network operates an integrated fare system enabling passengers to obtain a free transfer from one means of transport to another within a period of 1 hour and 15 minutes..

Metro

The subway, called the metro, is the quickest, simplest and most convenient way of getting around the city. You can choose from a few different ticket types and travel cards. Barcelona currently has six metro lines that can be identified by the number and colour of the line. It also has an urban rail network, the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat (FGC), run by the Catalan government, which supplements the metro network.

Your departure

Hotel checkout

Hotel checkout times may vary depending on the property, but generally you must vacate the room by noon.

Duty-free exemptions

Please refer to the Canada Border Services Agency for up-to-date information on personal exemptions.

Airport check-in

Please present yourself at the airport counter or self-service kiosks of the airline indicated on your e-ticket. Web check-in and mobile check-in are also available.
Please refer to Air Canada for recommended check-in times and more details.

Customer care

For any inquiries regarding your travel plans, please contact Air Canada Vacations Customer Care.