Home / Barcelona /El Prat / Metro L9 Sud vs Bus 46

BCN → Barcelona · head to head

Metro L9 SudorBus 46?

The short answer

For one traveler the Bus 46 is cheaper by €3. That does not change up to 8 travelers.

The Metro L9 Sud is quicker: 32 min against 35 min. The Bus 46 varies between 31 and 43 minutes.

Metro L9 Sud: 05:00–00:00. Bus 46: 05:30–23:50.

Priced against each other

Whole-party totals · adult fares
What each costs for the whole party, in EUR. The cheaper of the two is marked on every row.
TravelersMetro L9 SudBus 46Difference
1€5.90€2.90€3
2€11.80€5.80€6
3€17.70€8.70€9
4€23.60€11.50€12.10
5€29.50€11.50€18
6€35.40€11.50€23.90
7€41.30€11.50€29.80
8€47.20€11.50€35.70

Side by side

Where each one leaves you
metro · TMBMetro L9 Sud
From
Aeroport T1 station, Terminal 1 floor 0, and Aeroport T2 station, Terminal 2 floor 0
To
Zona Universitària, the end of the line, with changes to L3 there, L5 at Collblanc and L1 at Torrassa — none of the L9 Sud stations is central
Luggage
A driverless metro with open cars; no limit is published.
Runs
05:00–00:00
Journey
32 min

Your T-casual does not work here, nor does a T-familiar, T-grup or the EUR 2.90 single. Buy the EUR 5.90 Airport ticket at the gate instead. The train at Terminal 2 takes the card you already hold.

It does not go to the center. The line ends at Zona Universitària: change to L3 there for Catalunya and Passeig de Gràcia, to L5 at Collblanc for Diagonal and Sagrada Família, or to L1 at Torrassa. The change is included in the Airport ticket.

TMB's own page gives two figures for the ride, "only 30 minutes" and "32 minutes"; either way it is longer than the train to Sants, at more than twice the per-head cost of a T-familiar.

Every 7 minutes, serving both terminals directly — the one thing it does that the train does not.

The T-dia at EUR 12.00 includes one ride each way through the airport gates and unlimited travel for 24 hours, which beats two Airport tickets for anyone staying a day.

Metro L9 Sud: price for every party size →

The Airport ticket, from TMB
bus · TMBBus 46
From
Terminal 1 arrivals, level 0; Terminal 2B and T2C; also the long-stay car park
To
Plaça Espanya, via El Prat de Llobregat, Bellvitge and the Gran Via through L'Hospitalet
Luggage
An ordinary city bus with no racks and no luggage rule.
Runs
05:30–23:50
Journey
31–43 min

The cheapest way off the airport for one person, at EUR 2.90, and the slowest: 31 to 43 minutes to Plaça Espanya on TMB's own scheduled times between the two stops, then a metro to the center.

Accepts every ticket the airport metro refuses, including a shared T-familiar; the TMB single works here and not on the L9 Sud from the airport.

It serves both terminals directly and does not need the shuttle.

TMB does not publish a journey time for it; the range here is its scheduled departure at Aeroport T1 against its scheduled passing time at Paral·lel – Plaça Espanya on the same day.

After 23:50 there is no bus 46 until 05:30. The night buses N17 and N18 take over from T1, but AMB does not publish their fare.

Bus 46: price for every party size →

See TMB's 2026 fares

This compares two of 5 options. See all of them ranked for your party size →

The other comparisons at El Prat