Are you planning a trip from Seville to Barcelona? Let me guide you through the best travel options!
During our unforgettable 12-night journey across Spain, we explored Madrid, Seville, and Barcelona, traveling seamlessly between these cities by train and plane.
We loved it!
In this post, I’ll be sharing our flight from Seville to Barcelona on Vueling, a budget airline based out of Spain.
Whether you’re looking to save some money, travel comfortably, or just want a hassle-free journey, I’ve got you covered.
From booking our tickets to landing in Barcelona, I’ll provide you with all the essential tips and insights to make your travel smooth and enjoyable.
Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links, meaning that at no cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Looking for the Best of Barcelona?
Getting to Barcelona from Seville: Your Options
Since we planned to start and end in Madrid, we mapped out a route that would take us from Madrid to Seville, then onward to Barcelona, and finally back to Madrid.
The longest leg of our journey based on distance, was from Seville to Barcelona so I used the site Rom2Rio to check out my transportation options:
Flying: This would be the quickest route with the travel time being around 1.5 hours. There were several airlines to choose from, including Vueling, Ryanair, and Iberia.
Fares ranged from €30 to €150 one-way.
High-Speed Train (AVE): The AVE train by Renfe would be around 5.5 hours.
The fares are typically between €60 to €150.
Bus: The most budget-friendly and the slowest, with trips around 14 hours.
Fares ranged from €30 to €60.
Car Rental: This wasn’t an option for us since we did not plan to rent a car at all while in Spain. The drive would take about 9 hours.
Travel times above are only estimates, it could take less or more time.
Based on what we found, we decided to fly—it was simply the fastest way to make the most of our time in Spain.
Plus, when we weighed the costs against taking a high-speed train, flying turned out to be just as economical. Considering that the train would take four times longer, choosing to fly seemed like a no-brainer for us.
Why we chose Vueling
Once we settled on flying, the next task was to pick the best route and airline before booking the flight.
Ryanair and Vueling were by far the top choices, offering the best flights between Seville and Barcelona. I took a closer look and compared both airlines to see which one would best meet our needs for this trip.
Routes and Network: Both airlines have big networks within Spain and offer direct flights from Seville Airport (SVQ) to Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN).
Pricing: I noticed that Ryanair offered lower base fares than Vueling, but they were more stringent on their baggage policies and they had more add-on options when booking.
So although Vueling’s base fares were higher their pricing is much more straightforward forward, making the booking process pretty smooth.
Service and Comfort: From my research, it seemed that Vueling would offer more in terms of flight comfort and service. As someone who highly values comfort and convenience, this appealed to me.
Reliability and Punctuality: Both Ryanair and Vueling are generally reliable, but I read that Ryanair is ranked a smidge higher than Vueling among other European low-cost carriers.
Loyalty Programs: Loyalty programs are a significant factor for me, as I’m a big points and miles enthusiast.
One thing that I liked about Vueling is their codeshare partnership with both Iberia and British Airways, this means that I could earn Avios on my flight.
And since we used Avios to book our roundtrip business class flights from the Miami to Madrid, this was pretty cool!
Also, given that this flight to Barcelona would come after already spending six nights in Spain, I knew that we would likely need to check our bags.
Although we are proudly on team carry-on, having the flexibility to check bags is important for us, especially if we pick up a few souvenirs along the way.
However, if I knew we could be traveling lighter, I would have opted to try Ryanair because it also seemed like a good choice for a short flight from Seville to Barcelona.
The Vueling Booking Process
Then it was time to book!
I booked the flights directly on the Vueling website through Google Flights.
When deciding on the best flight to book, we didn’t have flexibility on the day we could travel, but we did have plenty of choices for departure time.
Which flight did we book? We chose a morning flight because not only do I prefer flying early due to fewer delays and issues, but it also means we could spend more time in Barcelona on our first day.
How far in advance did we book? I set flight alerts on Google Flights six months in advance and ended up booking our flights—about four months in advance.
Seat Selection: For a little extra comfort, we chose the Space Plus seats in the 3rd row for an additional $26 per person.
Was this necessary? No.
However, the price did include priority boarding and checked bags, which came in handy.
In total, we spent about $153 per person, which covered checked bags, access to the overhead locker, priority boarding, and extra legroom.
Booking Tips:
- Timing is everything: Early morning flights, like those at 6 am or 7 am, tended to be more budget-friendly and less delays or cancelations.
- Pack smart: Traveling light could have cut our costs even further, as fares were cheaper without checked bags or the need for overhead locker space.
- Plan ahead: Given our experience, booking last minute doesn’t usually work out cheaper, especially without flexible travel dates. Booking four months in advance was ideal for us.
Getting to Seville Airport
To get to the Seville Airport we opted for the quickest way which is by taxi.
While in Spain I used the FREENOW app exclusively for the very few cars we needed during our 12-night trip. The taxi ride from our hotel to the Seville airport was about $40.
The taxi was not the most budget-friendly option, but since we had our luggage and didn’t need any cars during our 4-night stay we decided that the comfort and convenience were worth it.
The more budget-friendly option would have been the EA (Especial Aeropuerto) bus line which offers direct service between the city center and the airport with stops.
A one-way ticket is €5 and tickets are purchased on the bus.
Vueling Check-In Process
Checking in for our flight was smooth and easy.
Once we booked our flight, we had the option to check in and were given our boarding passes months in advance.
I’m not sure if that’s typical so definitely check to see if you need to check in the day before your flight.
I checked the Vueling app the day before and we were good to go! Our boarding passes were already available.
At the Airport
Once we arrived at the airport, we were happy to see that there was no line at the check-in/bag drop-off counters. One of the perks of having an early morning flight!
We checked our bags and headed for the security checkpoint.
In Spain, the priority service that lets you skip the regular security line is called Fast Track. Fast Track was not an option with our tickets, but we didn’t need it. It took us less than 5 minutes to get through security.
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Lounge Access at Seville Airport
Although we were flying a budget airline, I was able to get access to a Priority Pass lounge at SVQ.
How?
I get complimentary access to Priority Pass Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and Capital One Lounges with my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
Now, Priority Pass lounges can be hit or miss. However, this lounge was not bad!
There were a good amount of food and beverage options and a full bar (not that we needed it so early in the morning).
There was also plenty of seating available (it filled up quickly). And coincidentally the lounge was located directly across from our boarding gate!
Boarding Process and In-Flight Experience
Since our tickets included priority, we were among the first to board the plane.
We found that the boarding process was quick and efficient. Everyone boarded the plane so quickly that they closed the doors in time for an early departure.
Of course, the in-flight experience was no frills as I would expect with a budget airline. However, the seats were comfortable and it was nice to have the extra legroom even just for a short flight.
Food and drinks were available for purchase, but we grabbed complimentary soft drinks from the lounge. Airport lounge access for the win!
If you wanted in-flight entertainment you needed to use your own device and Wi-Fi was available for a fee. The flight was about 1.5 hours so the time went by quickly.
Arriving in Barcelona: How to get to your hotel
After 1.5 hours we arrived in Barcelona for our 4-night itinerary!
The Barcelona-El Prat Airport was quite large so it probably took us about 30 minutes to get off the plane (we were among the first to deplane) and get to baggage claim.
But we needed transportation to our hotel in central Barcelona.
We opted for a taxi which was about $43.
Grabbing a taxi was easy, there was a dedicated line at the airport.
Here are some budget-friendly options from Barcelona-El Prat Airport:
Aerobus: There is an express bus service that runs from both terminals and reaches central locations like Plaça Catalunya in about 35 minutes. Tickets can be purchased in advance online.
Train: The R2 Nord railway connects the airport to central stations such as Passeig de Gràcia and Barcelona Sants. Trains leave roughly every 30 minutes.
Metro: Line L9 Sud of the Barcelona Metro connects the airport to the city. It’s a bit slower but integrates well if you’re staying near a metro line.
If it wasn’t for the amount of luggage that we had, I would have opted to take the metro as we had already purchased a pass online to use during our stay.
Bottom Line
Wrapping up our journey from Seville to Barcelona with Vueling, I can confidently say that the experience exceeded our expectations.
The early morning flight allowed us to maximize our first day in Barcelona and opting for the Space Plus seats provided some extra comfort and convenience that although weren’t necessary helped us arrive in Barcelona refreshed.
If you’re planning a similar route, I highly recommend considering Vueling for a seamless, enjoyable, and efficient flight.
It’s not just about getting from point A to point B; it’s about starting (or continuing) your adventure on a high note!
Wondering how we got to Seville? We took a highspeed train from Madrid to Seville.
Ready for your stay in Barcelona?
Check out these Top 10 Free Things to do in Barcelona!
Planning a Trip to Spain?
If you’re planning a trip to Spain, I have several blog posts to help you plan an amazing and affordable trip!
- Get your VAT Refund
- Things I wish I had known before traveling to Europe
- Flying Iberia Business Class Miami to Madrid
- Take the highspeed train from Madrid to Seville
- Fly from Seville to Barcelona on Vueling
- Iberia Business Class Experience from Madrid to Miami
Want to Travel More for Less?
Become a Budget Traveler! Head over to my start here page and grab my free budget travel cheat sheet – it’s packed with valuable tips to help you create your own winning budget travel strategy.