Read my personal experience traveling from Valencia to Barcelona Airport using the ALSA bus service. From tips and what to expect to make your journey as seamless as possible.
After securing my plane ticket from Barcelona to the Philippines, the next puzzle piece was figuring out how to reach Barcelona airport from Valencia. Honestly, ALSA wasn’t even on my radar until I started exploring options for the journey. There are many public transport options in Valencia, but I have never explored a trip to Barcelona using that method. On long distance drives, my husband and I usually drive, so ALSA buses were somewhat of a mystery to me.
While briefly contemplating the car or train option, the prospect of lugging around a bunch of luggage and the relatively steep price, especially during the festive season nudged me towards a more budget-friendly and practical choice: the bus.
Valencia To Barcelona Airport
Going by their timetable, ALSA buses have frequent departures and arrivals from Valencia to Barcelona. As for the logistics, I planned ahead by booking my Valencia to Barcelona tickets a month in advance. If you’re more spontaneous, don’t worry – you can easily grab your ticket directly from the bus station kiosk. After finalising my ticket, a confirmation email was sent for printing. An alternative option is available to download an e-ticket for my smartphone wallet. You can book your tickets directly at ALSA’s website here.
Convenience
The bus terminal is located at Estación de Autobús de Valencia, right next to the Turia shopping centre. Upon arrival at the station, I came across ticket kiosks, cafes, and restroom facilities. The buses are conveniently stationed on the designated platforms situated on the ground floor. Just refer to your ticket for the specific platform number from which your bus will depart. Our bus was on-time and left Valencia exactly at 07:00am. So I would suggest to get there 15 minutes early, especially if you have a few luggages to bring.
Experience
On my first coach trip from Valencia to Barcelona, the 3.45-hour journey matched the time it would take by car. Carrying 37kg of luggage (1 large and 2 small suitcases) posed no problem as there was ample space. Opting for a double-decker bus, we paid a little extra (€1.00) to sit at the top front, which delighted my son for the panoramic view. The seats were comfortable and equipped with TV screens, USB and plug ports, along with free but occasionally spotty wifi. Although the top view was fantastic, we quickly dozed off and missed the scenic sights. Overall, it was a positive experience.
Spending 3 hours on a bus is fine if it’s comfortable, and Alsa met that expectation for us. It was especially convenient that the bus platform stopped right at our terminal, Terminal 1, since our flight was departing from there. No need to lug around our heavy luggage; conveniently, there were trolleys available right there. Navigating to the departures area, situated upstairs, was a breeze, thanks to the convenient elevator access.
Value for money
The round trip from Valencia to Barcelona only set us back around €33, and signing up for Alsa Plus gets you a 15% discount. We looked into other options like taking the train or driving, but they turned out to be pricier. Train travel involves extra steps to get to Barcelona airport, and driving means shelling out more than €33 for fuel and dealing with long-term parking costs. Alsa was definitely the budget-friendly and hassle-free choice for us!
Final Thoughts on Valencia To Barcelona Airport using Alsa bus
I had a truly positive experience taking the ALSA bus between Valencia and Barcelona Airport. The convenience of the journey, with comfortable seating, amenities like TV screens, USB and plug ports, and occasional but OK Wi-Fi connectivity made the trip enjoyable. The fact that the bus stops right at the airport terminal, along with the availability of trolleys and elevator access, added to the overall ease of the whole stressful experience of getting to the airport.
Having experienced this cost-effective travel option, I would definitely recommend the ALSA bus for the Valencia-Barcelona Airport route. Whether for its affordability, comfort, or hassle-free terminal access, it’s a choice I wouldn’t hesitate to make again in the future.
Feel free to share your experiences with long bus trips in the comments! Do you travel to Valencia to Barcelona often using the Spanish public transport? How was the experience, and what are your thoughts on bus travel in Spain? Or do you prefer catching the train? Your insights could be valuable for others considering similar trips.
3 comments
Hey Maria, really nice article, thanks for sharing! I’ve got a question regarding the journey: how much time did it actually take? was it actually faster than the scheduled 4 hours 15min? Because I’ve got kind of a dilemma, I will need to take the exact same bus, my flight leaves at 6:30 am from Barcelona airport terminal 2, and I don’t know whether I should take the last one the day before at 8pm and arrive at midnight (far too early) or take the risk and take the first one which leaves at 1 am and arrive at 5:15 am, according to the scheduled plan, which would of course be a bit tight…what o you suggest? Was the journey faster than planned? Thanks for sharing again!
Hi Joe, thanks for the comment. The whole trip itself took just under 4 hours, I would say about 3.45. I would suggest to take the earliest one, Barcelona airport is quite big and if youre not familiar with it then it might take you a while to get to your Terminal. The problem I had was trying to find how to get out of the bus station, there were lifts (though I cant remember now where it was), but I think it took me about 30 mins to figure out where I was, but thats just me! Im not good at directions ha! I think it’s better to be safe than sorry, and also consider the queue that might be at the check in (if youre using it). I hope that helps a bit. 🙂