Barcelona tourist bus FAQ

Two. Barcelona Bus Turístic is run by Transports de Barcelona (TMB) with Turisme de Barcelona and has City Sightseeing as its international partner. Barcelona City Tour is run by Grupo Julià. Other websites that sell hop-on hop-off tickets in Barcelona resell one of these two services. See the side-by-side comparison.

Both operators charge the same official fares: €33 for a 24-hour adult ticket and €44 for 48 hours. Children aged 4–12 pay €18 or €23, and seniors (65+) and people with a disability over 33% pay €28 or €39. Both operators advertise 10% off when you buy on their own websites. Compare all tickets.

No. A Barcelona Bus Turístic ticket is valid on its Blue and Red routes, and a Barcelona City Tour ticket on its Green and Orange routes. They are separate companies.

Each route takes about 2 hours (City Tour: 2 h 10 and 2 h 30), so riding both routes of one operator takes 4–5 hours before you get off anywhere. If you want to visit monuments along the way, 48 hours costs €11 more for an adult (€22 per day instead of €33). Validity counts from first use.

Yes. Bus Turístic stops at Sagrada Família on the Red Route and at Park Güell on the Blue Route. City Tour stops at Sagrada Família on the Orange Route and at Park Güell on the Green Route. See which bus stops at each attraction.

No. Neither operator lists monument entry among what the hop-on hop-off ticket includes. Book Sagrada Família, Park Güell or Casa Batlló separately.

Both run from 9:00, with the last departure at 19:00 from Plaça de Catalunya. Bus Turístic runs every 10–25 minutes. City Tour runs every 7–10 minutes in high season and every 15–20 minutes in low season. Neither runs on 1 January or 25 December.

Yes. Bus Turístic says all its buses have an access ramp and a wheelchair space. City Tour has a ramp at the rear door and a dedicated space on every bus, and its audio system is adapted for hearing aids.

Children aged 4–12 pay the child fare. On Bus Turístic, under-4s ride free. City Tour's rates page does not list an infant fare for hop-on hop-off tickets, so check when booking; its night and Christmas tours are free for ages 0–3.

It depends on where you book. City Tour's official store offers free cancellation until the day of the tour. Bus Turístic does not state a cancellation policy on the pages we checked, but its tickets can be used within 180 days of purchase. If you book through another platform, its own conditions apply.

Both offer a recorded audio guide in 16 languages. Bus Turístic lists: Catalan, Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Dutch, Norwegian, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish. Night and Christmas tours have a live guide in Spanish, English and Catalan instead.

On Bus Turístic there are no luggage racks: suitcases go in the central space on the lower deck and must not be left unattended, and pushchairs should be folded and stored on the lower deck. City Tour does not state a luggage policy on the pages we checked.

No. They are single panoramic loops with a live guide and no stops along the way.

No. We compare the options. Booking buttons take you to the operator's official website or to a booking platform, which handles payment and customer service. Read our affiliate disclosure.