Barcelona may welcome as many as 32 million tourists in a year, but the permanent population is only 1.6 million, so it is actually a fairly compact town. Add to this the fact that most tourist attractions are in the old town or near the waterfront, and you have a city that is ideal for walking.
The plus side is that if you get around on foot in the charming Ciutat Vella – old town – you’re going to make discoveries that you wouldn’t otherwise. The only downside is that sometimes it seems there are too many tourists on foot, particularly on Las Ramblas, and the nearby Barri Gòtic. It can get busy.
Barcelona’s Metro (excellent interactive map here) is a surprisingly extensive underground rail system, and easily the best solution for when your feet have had enough. There are touchscreen ticket vending machines at all stations. If you’re planning to use the system lash out on a T10 ticket, that gives you 10 rides anywhere on the system in a 30 day period for €10.20. Single trip tickets cost €2.20.
There are taxi stands in busy areas, and you can usually hail one on the street with ease.
Uber addicts have to learn to live without – the service is not available in Barcelona, but then the system wasn’t broken like so many other taxi regimes, so no loss.