Spain is heading into a week of strike action that lands on travel days in Barcelona. It runs from Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 November 2026, with a further strike day on Tuesday 17 November, and it reaches flights, Renfe trains and city transport across the whole Spanish rail network.
The arrival plan matters because the ride most visitors plan first is the one the strikes target: the airport train is a rail service. This post sets out what is called, what still runs, and which road options sit outside the rail network.
Update, 9 November: the 17 November strike now covers every operator, not just Adif and Renfe. CCOO has extended it to Iryo and Ouigo, and SEMAF has called drivers at eight operators, so the private high speed trains are in the strike zone too. Minimum services for the strike week are also published: in Catalonia, Rodalies and regional trains run at 66 percent in the peaks and 33 percent off peak on Tuesday 10 and Thursday 12 November, and Renfe high speed and long distance trains run at 72 percent of normal.
What is happening
On Wednesday 11 November the CCOO and UGT unions have called a 24 hour general strike, the first joint general strike in the country since 2012. It reaches flights, Renfe trains and city transport, with minimum service levels set by government order, so some services run and many do not. In Barcelona, the metro and TMB buses are expected to run at about 25 percent of normal in the peak windows that day.
Around it sit the rail strikes. Renfe drivers, represented by SEMAF, strike in full on Tuesday 10 November and partially on Thursday 12 November. A further sector wide strike across Adif and Renfe is set for Tuesday 17 November, and the update above widens it to every operator, private high speed trains included.
Check your train or flight with the operator on the morning you travel, not the week before, because the minimum service lists decide which specific trains actually run. Build a spare hour into any airport run on 10, 11, 12 and 17 November. If your dates are flexible, traveling on Monday 9 or Friday 13 November avoids the worst of the week entirely.
Getting there after you land
Fly into Barcelona El Prat, about 15 km southwest of the center, with two terminals 4 km apart. The R2 Nord train leaves from Terminal 2 only, so Terminal 1 arrivals start with the free shuttle to Terminal 2, or take the Aerobus or a taxi from their own terminal. On strike days, expect the train to be reduced or suspended.
R2 Nord trainFastest
Terminal 2 to Sants and Passeig de Gracia. Free shuttle from Terminal 1.
Bus 46Cheapest
City bus to Placa Espanya. The T-Casual works on it.
Aerobus A1/A2
Both terminals to Placa de Catalunya, day and night.
Taxi
Black and yellow cabs from the official rank, door to door.
Two options sit outside the rail network: Bus 46 and the taxi. On the general strike day, city buses are also cut back in the peaks, so the taxi rank and a ride booked ahead are the safest bets, and both will be busy. Every airport option, with prices and journey times compared, is in our Barcelona airport to city center guide.
The full first hour: Barcelona guide
The ride in, the first ticket, the first meal and the traps to skip, priced and checked.
Where to stay, and getting around
The Splurge pick is Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona, on Passeig de Gracia: the R2 Nord stops at Passeig de Gracia station when trains run, as do metro lines L2, L3 and L4, then a short walk. The Sweet spot pick is Hotel Brummell, a boutique hotel in Poble Sec near Montjuic and the Paral·lel metro, with an outdoor pool, a garden and calm rooms.
The Budget pick is Casa Gracia Hostel, a social hostel in a modernist building on Passeig de Gracia, by Diagonal station on metro lines L3 and L5. For getting around: the old town around Placa de Catalunya is walkable, the center stacks uphill from the sea, and the metro reaches everything else when it runs at strength.
The first hour, sorted
The T-Casual gives one person 10 journeys for €13.00, or €14.00 first time with the €1 T-Mobilitat card, and it is valid on Bus 46. It does not work at the airport metro stations, where the airport ticket is €5.90. A single ride is €2.90: on buses, tap a contactless card by the driver for that bus only; at metro gates a bank card does not tap through, so buy at the machines.
Get connected on landing. The guide’s eSIM pick is Airalo, with cheap Spain plans installed in minutes, handy for checking the morning’s service lists. Cards work almost everywhere; keep €20 to €30 in cash for market stalls, churro stands and small bars.
Then eat something Catalan: the guide’s first meal is a bocadillo de jamon or pan con tomate at a bar counter, ideally with a vermut de grifo, the house vermouth on tap.
Plan around the strike days, and the trip still works. Browse the events calendar for what else is on, and use plan your trip to line up the rest.
The seafront, the Gothic Quarter and Montserrat.
Get the Barcelona first hour checklist by email
The ride in, the first ticket and the first meal, in the Barcelona guide PDF you can read on the plane.
The checklist, free, from After You Land.
What else is on
The events calendar tracks every guided city, strikes and stoppages included.
Events calendarLine up the rest
Plan your trip pulls the guide, the stays and the bookings for this trip into one place.
Plan your trip