A small station on the line from Barcelona to Blanes, with suburban trains (Cercanías in Spanish,…read moreRodalies in Catalan) roughly every half hour in each direction off-peak. The journey to Barcelona Sants takes about an hour. The station is a passing place on the otherwise single-track stretch north of Arenys de Mar; Barcelona-bound trains always use the main platform next to the building, but train to Blanes use either platform, so check which your train will leave from (or follow the locals). The handsome traditional station building has a small cafe-bar serving drinks and snacks which also doubles up as a ticket office. There are no automatic ticket machines, so leave time to buy your ticket in case there's a queue. There is a level crossing with warning lights to cross between the two platforms. At the Blanes end of the station, the line disappears dramatically into a tunnel under the outcrop, atop which sits the hermitage (chapel) of Sant Pau (St Paul).

I rolled into Barcelona Sants Estació from Paris to begin the second leg of my trip in Barcelona…read more Train stations tend to be chaotic, and they're prime spots for people to get pickpocketed, so I like to spend at little time in them as possible, and constantly be moving while there. This is the main train station in the city, and as such it's quite large with several different areas and connections. I was a little confused once we arrived as I needed to find the Metro, but after orienting myself it was no issue. Besides that, Barcelona Sants Estació is really no frills. It got me where I needed to go, and at the end of the day that's all that matters.

The main train station in Barcelona, therefore the busiest almost all the time…read more Currently there is a lot of construction work going on inside and out. So paths are a bit constricted and not clearly marked. I recently took the inOui from Paris to BCN, a 7 hour trip that was nicer than the bustle of air travel. Arriving at 10 pm BCN Sants was quite busy, but was able to pop up easily and get out of the station. I would have liked to have grabbed a sandwich to take to the hotel, but construction made it impossible to find a vendor. The outside construction and some rain made areas a muddy and rough mess. Bummer, it has been a great station in the past. Just be aware of pick pockets here.

Yelp asks if I rate a train station. Normally I don't review train stations unless they are of…read morehistorical interest but here's an exception as there's lots of shops and a great cafe serving darn good coffee and sandwiches. My wife's go to is Ale Hop and lo and behold there's one here. What is also worth noting is that the stations are staffed by people not devoid of staff the way countries like England and Wales have gone.

Easy to navigate and accessible. It's about a 15 minute walk from Barri Vell and you have multiple…read moreoptions for snacks and food in the surrounding area. Also, the bus station is located in the same station, so you can easily purchase or transfer to different destinations from the station.

One of my favorite train stations. Nice art Inside, and when you exit look up to notice the amazing…read morebuildings by Gaudi.

Eclipsed for the past thirty years as Barcelona's main station by the subterranean sprawl of…read moreBarcelona Sants, the França terminus station is nevertheless the much more attractive of the city's two main stations, and worth a look in its own right as a piece of early 20th-century architecture. Built in the 19th century as the main terminus for trains arriving from France (as the name suggests), it was rebuilt and reopened in 1929 for the International Exhibition held in Barcelona that year. With two huge, curving train sheds covering 12 platforms and a grand vaulted concourse with a polished marble floor, the whole project was conceived on a grand scale in a restrained fusion of the art nouveau and classical styles (although the external façade is a little too restrained for my taste). The construction of the east - west line through the centre of Barcelona via the modern Sants station in the 1970's rendered França somewhat redundant. Although it is close to Cuitadella Park and the trendy Barceloneta sea-front quarter, it is rather further from the current commercial centre of the city, although it is more convenient for the old Gothic Quarter. It isn't even connected to Barcelona's metro system Barceloneta station is a good five minute walk away, via the back streets to the west of the station - but the half hourly airport shuttle (line C10) will also take you into the centre. To-day, the station is the starting point for express trains to Madrid, Valencia and other Spanish cities, medium-distance services to other parts of Catalonia, the half-hourly train to Barcelona Airport (all which also pass through Sants) and a few overnight trains to and from France. The main concourse contains the ticket office, information centre, left luggage facilities and an incongruously huge cafeteria. The platform concourse also contains a quaint scale model of the station, complete with toy trains. Although beautifully maintained, the small number of passengers who use the station seem completely lost in its vast, echoing public spaces. But that also makes it easier to appreciate as a piece of public architecture, and the absence of crowds and queues makes arriving or departing by train a rare and pleasurable experience.

Arriving at this station early on a recent Thursday morning on my way to Primavera Sound festival…read morewas a highly confusing experience, entirely because I thought we were going to arrive at Estació de Sants (a station further north). Imagine my concern when I picked up a map from the information desk, found Estació de Sants on it, went out on to the street and couldn't make head nor tail of where I was! Thankfully after 10 minutes of confused wandering I asked a passerby for help and was surprised and very pleased to discover I was already near the guesthouse. Perfect! Estació de Franca was very convenient for my trip - just a few minutes walk away from Barceloneta Metro station, close to where I was staying and not far from the Barri Gothic and La Ramblas either. It's not a massive station either so finding my train home was easyhandy when there's only one overnight train per day to Paris - missing it would have been a calamity!