Cruise ship to Sants Barcelona

We will be cruising in April/2017 to Barcelona and then to Nimes by train. How easy is it to get to the train, we would like the 9:25, are there lots of taxis? Also is it feasible to get off the ship early?

We will be cruising in April/2017 to Barcelona and then to Nimes by train. How easy is it to get to the train, we would like the 9:25, are there lots of taxis? Also is it feasible to get off the ship early?

Drassenes Tube Station line 3 to Barcelona Sans. The tube station is the final stop of Port Shuttle. Behind Columbus statue at the south beginning of Ramblas.

Or taxi from the port

We will be cruising in April/2017 to Barcelona and then to Nimes by train. How easy is it to get to the train, we would like the 9:25, are there lots of taxis? Also is it feasible to get off the ship early?

According to Google Maps, Sants station is 6.2km from the ship and it takes 16 minutes by car without traffic. But there is often traffic on Av. Paral·lel.

Most cruises arrive early and want you off the ship ASAP, and there should be plenty of taxis right outside the terminal (assuming you are arriving at one of the Moll Adossat terminals). But there will likely also be lots of people disembarking at the same time as you (again, depends on your ship). If the line is really long, it may be faster to take the port bus to Drassanes, and then take the metro, as keltic suggested. But you have to deal with all your luggage on and off the bus, and up and down the stairs in the metro.

Keep in mind that Sants is a big station with lots of tracks, so you will probably need some time to find where your train is. And for long distance trains you have to go through security (not very cumbersome, but it takes a couple of extra minutes). So plan to get there early, like half an hour before departure.

We will be cruising in April/2017 to Barcelona and then to Nimes by train. How easy is it to get to the train, we would like the 9:25, are there lots of taxis? Also is it feasible to get off the ship early?

I am not sure what time your ship docks - or what day of the week, but I would not think it would be difficult. We have done this several times. Last time we were on a ship that had an eta in BCN of 6 am. We had coffee and snacks in our room so that we did not waste time at breakfast. We were off the ship by 6.40 and at the station by 7 am. At this time there was no queue for the taxi - and it was a Sunday. We waited for 1 hour for our train.

I would certainly choose this timing again and I would be wary of waiting any longer to leave the ship. It is easy to say - since we waited an hour for the train, we could have 30 minutes more sleep and leave at 7.10 am - but the danger is that as the minutes tick by the number of people leaving the ship and wanting taxis will increase - as will the traffic in Barcelona. Thus if you have a train to catch, get off early. You can always read a book or listen to a Rick Steves podcast whilst sitting at the train station.

When you get to the station, you do have to search for where your train departs, the station is really organised and they board you somewhat like a plane. You have an initial luggage screen onto the long distance area and then you wait for them to announce your train. Then you board. It was easy and efficient. I really do love the Spanish trains, it is cheaper to fly, but I prefer to travel by train.