Getting from BCN to apt near Gracia metro at night, with baby!
 

We need to get from BCN to a rented apt near Gracia metro station (just off Avenida Augusta) around 2200 (in October). We will be two adults and a one-year old, and will have two carry-ons and a hold case, plus a buggy, and probably a ton of assorted baby paraphernalia.

We are not planning on bringing a car seat.

Can anyone recommend a taxi company that can supply a baby car seat? We've googled and made enquiries, and the best I can find is a company who charge approx €45 each way, inc baby seat, but can't actually 100% guarantee that their driver will turn up with a baby seat...which seems to miss the point by there we are.

Alternatively, would it be foolish to attempt public transport at that time of night with a hopefully asleep but probably grumpy baby, and luggage?

Any help gratefully received!

Can't your rental agency or landlord make this arrangement for you?

Thanks very much both.

I'd already googled quite a bit and read that article, Debit, and similar. I was hoping to hear from someone who'd successfully made the same journey under similar circumstances and had either used a reliable taxi company who could guarantee a car seat, or could tell me first-hand how easy it would be, or not, to take public transport with a baby, buggy and luggage.

Sandraslist, so far they've come up with the same taxi company - the ones who can't actually guarantee a baby seat!

I'm having trouble understanding why you would plan such a thing (to arrive with a baby and tons of luggage and paraphernalia at 10 pm at night). Are you sure you can even arrive at a rental apt that late at night? 45 euro actually isn't that bad given the time of night and what you want to transport. I don't know what that fare would be daytime, but I paid about 25 euro to get to Eixemple near Universitat and that is a lot closer to BCN than where you are going (and taxi fares are higher at night). So I'm guessing daytime the fare would be 30-35 euro, which means at night maybe 35-40 euro. And there are fares for airport pickup and 1 euro for piece of luggage. So 45 euro isn't an extraordinary cost.

I think public transport would be foolish and maybe impossible. Do you think that would be safer than a taxi without a baby carseat? I can't imagine how you could possibly do it -- one will have the baby, and the other must handle a carriage, a large suitcase and two carryons by himself? Metros do crash also, occasionally, anyway (although not as much as cars, sure). But you will have to deal with lots of stairs. The doors don't stay open that long to the cars, either. Even without a baby carseat, I'd take the taxi rather than do that as you aren't gaining anything by public transportation and that fare sounds about right to me.

there is no metro at the airport, so what were you planning? YOu can take the Aerbus to Catalunya and then get on the metro, but that bus won't have a baby carseat, either, so what's the point. No bus will. You can take line 6 or 7 from place Catalunya direct to Gracia metro stop, though (it's two stops away). The airport train goes to Passeig de Gracia light rain station which is not the same as the Gracia you are looking for (and not on the same metro line). That rail station is very large and it's easy to get lost in it, also.

I think if you really want to be sure of a baby carseat, you need to book a private car service. Here is a link to one:
http://partner.city-discovery.com/ai...ivate_Transfer

It is 60 euro minimum, rates are higher after 8 pm (68 euro for 3), but it says infants are REQUIRED to be in a car seat, so they must have them. Arriving so late at night with all that stuff, I wouldn't do anything else myself.

Many thanks for your reply, Christina.

We're arriving at that time of night for various reasons and because it's the best of the limited options available to us. Our flights and apartment are already booked and we checked before we booked that we'd be able to check in at that time.

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear - my point wasn't that I thought €45 each way to be an extraordinary price, but that I wasn't very happy about booking it if they couldn't actually guarantee a car seat.

If we were to get public transport, one of us would would carry our baby in our sling, with a carry-on rucksack on the back, holding the (umbrella-fold) buggy. The other would carry the other carry-on bag and the hold case. We were looking at getting the bus to Plaza Catalunya and then the metro to Gracia. The point of getting the bus would be that it's not illegal for a baby to travel on a bus without a car seat, whereas it usually is illegal to do so in a car.

Thank you for the link to the car service - the fact that they don't have an option for booking a car seat, and say that they can only try their best to accommodate special requests, makes me wonder if they require you to bring your own car seat, but I'll call them to see.

I would just go to the taxi stand and aks for a taxi with a child safety seat. There will be large numbers of taxis in line, and at lest some of those will be what you're looking for. A 2007 law made it illegal for Spanish taxi drivers to go with small children without proper safety seats, so many of the regular taxis will most likely have one ready for you: http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.c...fety-seat.html

I think I would arrange for the service, and if they show up without a child seat, refuse to get in and then go look for the taxi queue and let's hope kimhe is right.

Nix on public transportation. You could end up arriving later, and in a driving rainstorm, etc. You need a driver who will wait for you at the gate and help with the luggage.

If you are not fluent (and unaccented) speakers of Catalan or Spanish, I would again ask your landlord for help in booking the service. I actually have no trouble understanding why you might have found few other options for landing in Barcelona except at that time. But I am having a hard time understanding why a taxi service cannot guarantee a child seat at that hour. I know kids in Barcelona stay up late, but hard to believe they are pre-booking all the taxis with child seats. Might help if your local landlord insisted on some straight answers and guarantees.

Google gave this result:
http://taxiaeropuertobarcelona.blogspot.de
Obviously I cannot say anything about this company. The "website" looks a bit homemade, but they seem to specialize in this specific "problem".
The website says they wait for you at the Customs exit/ arrivals hall at both Terminals 1 or 2. And have a flat rate of € 40 to any destination in central Barcelona.

OK - first - taxis are exempt from rule about baby seats - so if that's your concern - it needn't be.

Second, given the rate of petty crime in Barcelona you - two tourists late in the evening WITH A BABY - and a whole bunch of stuff would be prime targets for pickpockets etc.

I think anything other than a taxi would be foolhardy. Why not just get from the atxi line at the airport?

Pickpockets are not the great threat in Barcelona today, it's the aggressive thieves who don't care about anything except taking a shot at you.

Thanks very much all for your responses - much appreciated