General Information
Barcelona is a beautiful city, surrounded by a breathtaking landscape. The top of the Montjuic hill is an ideal place to enjoy this unforgettable view. Furthermore, the area of the mountain is full of nice attractions (for additional information – Attractions and Tours near Montjuic). If this is not enough for you, you can enhance the experience by an exciting journey on a cable car.
Of course, you can climb the mountain on foot, but using the cable car is easier and more interesting. You will glide over the main landmarks of the city, such as Sagrada Familia and Torre Agbar.
Actually, there are two cable cars that operate in the area of Montjuic. One is Transbordador Aeri del Port, which connects the beach area of Barcelona with Montjuic hill. The other is Montjuïc Cable Car, which starts from Avinguda Miramar, and goes up to the Montjuic Castle. Both of them have more than one name, which may cause some confusion.
Both of them offer an enjoyable experience, nevertheless each one of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. In the following paragraphs you can read a brief comparison between the two vehicles.
Transbordador Aeri del Port
Transbordador Aeri del Port, also known as Barcelona Port Cable Car, Port Cable Car, Port Vell Aerial Tramway or Telefèric Aeri del Port is a relatively old vehicle, it was built for the Second Barcelona Universal Exposition organized in 1929 (for additional information – History of Barcelona). It is more expensive than the other cable car but the duration of the experience is longer and the view is more beautiful than in case of Montjuïc Cable Car. It travels over the harbour of Barcelona touching also the wonderful Mediterranean Sea. Due to these, it is very popular which results in quite long queues during the high season (for additional information – Summer Vacation in Barcelona and Purchasing Tickets for Cable Cars to the Montjuic).
Moreover, it is not closed and because of this, journeys are strongly influenced by the weather and during the winter it is quite frequent that rides are cancelled (for additional information – Weather in Barcelona, Winter Vacation in Barcelona and Trip with Cable Cars to the Montjuic during Winter and Purchasing Tickets for Cable Cars to the Montjuic).
Another disadvantage is its position. It is situated a bit far from the center of the city, more exactly inside Port Vell. If you arrive there by metro, you need to walk approximately 5 minutes between the metro station and the cable car (for additional information – Public Transportation in Barcelona). In our map you can take a look at the exact route.
In addition to these, Transbordador Aeri del Port is not accessible by wheelchair (for additional information – Accessibility of Montjuïc Cable Car and Accessibility in Barcelona).
Montjuïc Cable Car
Montjuïc Cable Car or Telefèric de Montjuïc has a shorter and less spectacular route. Nonetheless, it is cheaper than Transbordador Aeri del Port. Moreover, it is easily approachable, you just need to take the funicular at Paral.lel metro station and you will be taken to the first station of the cable car. Besides these, you can arrive there easily by bus, car, taxi or by the Hop-on Hop-off Bus (for additional information – Public Transportation in Barcelona, Car Rental in Barcelona and Car Rental in Spain).
Since it is an outdoor activity, the weather conditions influence this car too. Nevertheless it is closed so less affected by rain and wind than the other cable car (for additional information – Weather in Barcelona, Winter Vacation in Barcelona and Trip with Cable Cars to the Montjuic in Winter).
Another advantage is the accessibility of the vehicle, and it is recommended for disabled tourists too (for additional information – Accessibility of Montjuïc Cable Car and Accessibility in Barcelona).
Moreover, it is very easy to buy tickets for Telefèric de Montjuïc in advance. You can do it here or here. Both options offer quite favorable prices. Furthermore, you can use a special coupon that can be found at many places in Barcelona (for additional information – Purchasing Tickets for Cable Cars to the Montjuic).
In fact, you can combine the two cable cars together without any problem because Transbordador Aeri del Port‘s final station (Estación de Miramar) is just a five-minute walk from the first station of Telefèric de Montjuïc.