Arriving by boat or cruiser or basic information you should know about the Port of Barcelona

The Barcelona Port has been an important part of the city since the 12th century, when Barcelona first became a maritime capital.  In the 13th and 14th century the Royal Shipyard, Drassanes Reials, was built and from then on Barcelona dominated the Mediterranean, although the port suffered many problems because the shipyards were exposed to storms, which caused wrecks and sunk vessels.  It also made it difficult to construct a harbor where cargo could be easily loaded and unloaded.

In the 15th century work began to combat these problems, starting with the construction of a dock.  In the 19th century the breakwater was extended and the dyke was enlarged, both of which have been considered definitive solutions to the port´s ongoing problems.  Since then the port has continued to grow and is now divided into three zones: Port Vell (the Old Port), the commercial port, and the logistics port, and connects with over 800 ports worldwide. 

Both Maremagnum and the World Trade Center are located in the old port.  Maremagnum is a large shopping center which includes stores, movie theatres, restaurants and several bars and nightclubs.  The World Trade Center is a building that has established itself as a business center in Barcelona and has more than 100 businesses, 25 shops and service companies, a large congress and convention center, and a luxury hotel.

- The port has 9 terminals in total, seven of which are cruise terminals.  Terminals A, B, C, and D (also known as Palacruceros) are located at the Adossat Quay, which is the farthest away from the city center.  

- In the World Trade Centre (WTC) pier there are three terminals known as the North, South, and East terminals, and a terminal called Terminal T, or the Sant Bertrand Terminal. 

-  The final terminal is Maremagnum Port Vell, located at the Maremagnum port, which is generally used for large ships.  

Most of the cruise lines leave from the terminals in Adossat Quay or in the World Trade Center.  For ferries between Barcelona and the Balearic Islands the Sant Bertrand terminal is generally used.

When planning your trip it´s very important that you know which port you are leaving from.  This information can  be found in the information given to you by your cruise line or on your ticket if you are going by ferry.  If you come by car you should be aware that there is no parking at the terminals themselves, only passenger loading and unloading zones.  For long term parking the nearest car park is located at the World Trade Center.  

Arriving to the port from the city center 

The nearest metro to the port is Drassanes - Green Line L3, which is located at the bottom of Las Ramblas, but this is still between a 10 and 20 minute walk, depending on which terminal you need to go to, so is generally not recommended, especially if you are carrying luggage. 

A better option is the bus, called the Cruise Port Shuttle Bus, which starts at the Columbus monument at the bottom of Las Ramblas, right next to the Drassanes metro, and goes to all the port terminals and back.  It is a blue bus with the words T3 Cruiser written on the front, and a ticket costs 2 euros (you cannot use a metro pass).  There is no fixed timetable but they normally run every 30 minutes. 

The other option is to take a taxi, which from the city center should cost around 8 euros.  If you are in a group, this is the best option as a standard taxi can hold up to 4 passengers, depending on the amount of luggage they have, although they may charge you an additional supplement if you have large pieces of luggage.  If you take a taxi, make sure to specify that you want to go to the cruise terminals, or tell them that you want to go to the port, because if you tell them only “Terminal A” or “Terminal B” they may misunderstand and take you to the airport, which has terminals with the same names.

Arriving to the port from the airport

If you are determined to take public transportation you can take the Aerobus (the airport bus) to Plaza Catalunya, which costs 4.25 euros from Terminal 2 and 5 euros from Terminal 1, and then take the green metro line to Drassanes, and from there catch the cruise port shuttle. 

You could also take the train to the Sants station and from there take the green metro line to Drassanes and then the shuttle.  Keep in mind that both of these options  involve two transfers, which can be quite inconvenient with luggage, so the best option is to take a taxi, which normally costs between 25 and 30 euros, although you will have to pay two supplements (one for the airport and one for the port) and possibly a third for luggage.
For more information on the port check the official website at www.portdebarcelona.es