Parking at Barcelona-El Prat Airport: the Aena car parks at T1 and T2, the Express drop-off and how to pay

Which car park?

Every Aena car park at T1 and T2

All the official car parks at Barcelona-El Prat are run by Aena and booked through Aena Parking. The General, Long-stay, Low-cost, VIP and motorbike car parks are open 24 hours. T1 has six car parks; T2 has four, with no long-stay or low-cost option of its own.

Entering, paying and leaving: how the barriers work

The Aena car parks on both sides of the airport use number-plate cameras at the barriers, and the routine is the same everywhere:

1. At the entrance the camera reads your plate. Without plate payment, a ticket comes out by itself, with no button to press; with plate payment, the barrier just lifts and you get no ticket.
2. With a booking, do not press for a ticket either: the machine issues it when the car stops at the barrier.
3. Park in any free space.
4. Coming back without plate payment, pay at an automatic pay station first, then drive to the exit, where the barrier opens on its own.
5. With plate payment, drive straight to the exit: the amount is charged automatically.

One rule overrides the plate: when a stay comes to more than €100, it has to be paid at a pay station, for security reasons.

You can also pay at the car-park office (T1 General on Floor 1, T2 General on Floor 0 of building C), in the Aena app, or with a Via-T tag in the marked lanes of the two General car parks. Bookings can be made with or without paying in advance, and some car parks also take cars that arrive without one.

Express car parks at T1 and T2: dropping off and picking up

Each terminal has an Express car park, the kiss-and-fly area for quick drop-offs and pick-ups. At T1 it is on the road up to departures; at T2 it sits on the road that serves departures and arrivals at T2A, T2B and T2C. Both give immediate access to departures, take vehicles up to 3.5 m and have spaces for reduced mobility and EV chargers.

The first 10 minutes are free. Stay longer and the charge covers the whole time since you drove in, and no car may stay more than 2 hours: an overstay is billed at the maximum daily rate and the car can be towed, with the towing cost added to the full stay.

General car parks: the T1 building and the T2 buildings PA and PC

T1 General

The T1 General car park is a building connected directly to Terminal 1, with more than 9,000 spaces. It charges by the minute and suits trips of under 4 days and picking people up. Headroom is 2.2 m; taller vehicles have a surface car park of their own on the T1 side, car park G, kept for vehicles over 2.2 m. The office is on Floor 1, and the car park has reduced-mobility spaces, EV chargers, Via-T lanes and CCTV around the clock.

T2 General

At T2 the General car park is made up of two buildings, PA and PC, and an open-air car park, a few metres from the terminal, with spaces opposite T2A, T2B and T2C and more than 8,000 in all. It too is meant for stays of under 4 days and for meeting arrivals. It takes vehicles up to 4.3 m and has reduced-mobility spaces, Via-T lanes and CCTV; the office is on Floor 0 of building C. Chargers are not on its feature list, while Aena lists them at the T2 Express and VIP car parks; check on arrival if you need to charge.

Long-stay and Low-cost: booked trips from T1 only

These two car parks sit a few minutes from the terminals and admit only cars with a prior booking and a flight departing from T1. Arrive without both and you will be sent to a General car park, at T1 or T2.

Long-stay

Almost 1,000 spaces, a 4.3 m height limit, reduced-mobility spaces, EV chargers and CCTV, open 24 hours. You pay at the counter, by phone or by number plate.

Low-cost

Aena's cheapest official parking at the airport, open 24 hours with a 2.2 m height limit; the barrier only lets in cars with a booking.

Between the two, Low-cost wins on price, and Long-stay is the one for a van or a tall vehicle. Aena lists EV chargers at Long-stay; at Low-cost, ask before you count on one.

The free shuttle from Long-stay and Low-cost

One free shuttle bus serves both car parks and runs to both terminals, 24 hours a day. In its main hours it leaves every 20 minutes; outside them it runs on request, by phone to the Long-stay control room on +34 932 596 372. The hours change with the season, and the current times are posted at the shuttle stop.

VIP valet parking at T1 and T2

The VIP car park is a valet service: you hand the car over at the terminal and find it waiting there when you return, so you walk straight from the car into the terminal. Both T1 and T2 have one, open 24 hours, with a staffed hand-over, CCTV and EV chargers; at T2 the VIP service has an information office in the terminal.

Motorbikes and bicycles

At T1 motorbikes have their own paid car park, open 24 hours with CCTV. Passengers can arrive with or without a booking (in Aena Parking the option is "T1 MOTOS") and can pay by phone. At T2 there are several motorbike areas that are free and unguarded, also open 24 hours.

Coming by bike, there is a cycle lane around the airport, a Bicibox module at T1 and bike areas at T2B and T2C.

Reduced mobility: adapted spaces and Barrier Free call points

Spaces for people with reduced mobility are provided at T1 General, T1 Express, T1 Long-stay, T2 General and T2 Express.

Aena's free Barrier Free assistance can start in the car park. Its call points include one at the T1 surface car park G and two at the T2B surface car parks No. 4 and No. 7; the one at the T2C surface car park No. 2 is out of service, so use the nearest point or the intercom there. Request the service at least 48 hours ahead through your airline or with Aena, and be at the meeting point 2 hours before the flight.

Prices, booking and Aena Club discounts

There is no fixed public tariff for the Barcelona car parks: Aena shows the price when you book, in the Aena Parking booking engine on its website, and the rates change often. In the engine you pick "Barcelona-El Prat T1", "T1 MOTOS" or "T2", then the dates and the car park, and you can pay now or later. Bookings are changed under "Manage my reservations"; the deadlines for changes and cancellations are shown in the booking engine. If you want to drive in and out without stopping at a pay station, activate plate payment as you book.

Aena Club, Aena's free membership programme, may bring a discount depending on the plan, and the price you are offered shows it.

Which car park suits your trip

Check the terminal on your boarding pass before you book. If you end up parked on the wrong side, Aena's free shuttle links T1 and T2 24 hours a day; allow 15 to 20 minutes door to door, and see getting between the terminals for stops and frequencies.

Petrol station, information and lost property

The airport's petrol station is at T2, Floor 0, open from 06:00 to 22:00, with petrol, diesel and LPG, a tunnel car wash and a shop.

Aena's information line answers 24 hours on +34 913 211 000. Anything lost in a car park or on the shuttle goes to Aena's lost property office on Floor 1 of T1, which serves both terminals: [email protected] or +34 932 596 440, Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 18:00, closed on Sundays and public holidays.