The streets you will have to avoid during the Pope's visit to Barcelona
The presence of Leo XIV will cause various cuts and restrictions of mobility and parking
BarcelonaL'Eixample and Ciutat Vella will be the two districts most affected by the visit of Pope Leo XIV this week in Barcelona. The pontiff will land this Tuesday at El Prat airport and an extraordinary security operation will begin, with up to 7,000 police officers. The Pope's passage will also involve closures that will last for days in some parts of the city and various impacts on transport.
As soon as he lands, Leo XIV will head towards the Barcelona Cathedral and the Episcopal Palace. In the surroundings, there will be traffic and parking restrictions from Monday, June 8th, to Thursday, June 11th, as the Episcopal Palace will also be the center of operations for the visit. This security cordon will include Banys Nous street, Call street, Llibreteria street, Tapineria street, Cathedral Avenue, and Palla street. From Monday at 7 am to Thursday at 10 am, it will not be possible to drive or park there (nor motorcycles, mopeds, and bicycles on sidewalks).
The first closures, in Ciutat Vella and Montjuïc
On Tuesday afternoon, Leo XIV will travel to Montjuïc to headline the large-scale event at the Lluís Companys Stadium, which will start at 5 p.m., and therefore, restrictions will also reach the magical mountain. Specifically, there will be road closures and parking will be prohibited from Monday at 7 a.m. until Wednesday at 2 p.m. on the various roads surrounding the Olympic Ring, such as some sections of Passeig del Migdia, Avinguda de l'Estadi, Passeig de Santa Madrona, or Carrer Jocs del 92.
Within the security perimeter will remain the INEFC of the University of Barcelona, the Bernat Picornell Swimming Pools, the Palau Sant Jordi, the stadium, and the entire Olympic Ring area. In addition, as it is a large-scale event, there will be several access controls at the lower part of Montjuïc mountain.
On Wednesday, June 10, the Pope will visit Brians 1 prison and will also go up to the monastery of Montserrat. At the sanctuary there will be thousands of people who will only be able to access it by special coaches or public transport, with the rack railway of Ferrocarrils or by cable car. In both cases, it is necessary to book the ticket.
The impact in El Raval
After passing through Brians and Montserrat, Leo XIV will return to Barcelona to visit the church of Sant Agustí. Once again, Ciutat Vella will be the most affected district. The streets surrounding this church and the Plaça de la Gardunya will suffer total traffic closures on June 9 and 10, with access controls and pedestrian regulation during peak times. From Tuesday at 7 a.m. until Wednesday at 11:59 p.m., parking will be prohibited and the following streets will be closed to traffic: Carrer Hospital, from La Rambla to the Rambla del Raval, Plaça de la Gardunya, Carrer Jerusalem, Arc de Sant Agustí and, obviously, the entire Plaça de l'església de Sant Agustí.
Restrictions in the Eixample
The highlight of the day, however, will be Wednesday afternoon. The Pope will travel through Barcelona's Eixample district in the popemobile to the Sagrada Família, where he will bless the Jesus tower. The popemobile's route will be along Rosselló street, from Diagonal avenue to the Sagrada Família, covering up to eight blocks of the Eixample. This route will be surrounded by security capsules with police vehicles and on-foot officers, at a human pace so that spectators on the street can see him well.
All this will cause road closures and restrictions in this area. Parking will be prohibited and traffic will be cut off from Wednesday at 7 a.m. to Thursday at 2 a.m. (including junctions, motorcycles and mopeds on sidewalks) at seventeen points.
Specifically, on Diagonal Avenue (from Plaça del Cinc d'Oros to El Bruc); on Rosselló street (from Pau Claris to Lepant); on Pau Claris street (from Còrsega to Rosselló); Roger de Llúria (from Còrsega to Provença); El Bruc (from Còrsega to Diagonal); Girona (from Còrsega to Provença); Bailèn (from Còrsega to Provença); Passeig de Sant Joan (from Còrsega to Provença); Roger de Flor (from Còrsega to Provença); Nàpols (from Còrsega to Provença); Sicília (from Còrsega to València); Sardenya (from Còrsega to València); Marina (from Rosselló to València); Lepant (from Rosselló to València); Provença (from Sicília to Lepant); Mallorca (from Sicília to Lepant), and València (from Sicília to Lepant).
However, there will also be access controls in the preceding hours and residents will have to prove in some situations that they live there.
Public transport
Getting around the city by public transport during these days will not be easy and the City Council recommends using the metro. On June 9, TMB will reinforce the metro service from the afternoon onwards by incorporating more trains on lines 1, 3, and 5, which are the closest to Montjuïc. This reinforcement, depending on the time slot, will mean an increase of more than 50% on line L1 and close to 30% on line L3 compared to the usual service.
Also, to facilitate travel to Montjuïc, a shuttle bus service will be launched between Plaça d'Espanya and the Olympic Stadium, with nine articulated buses, and the frequency of the funicular will be increased, running every four minutes in the afternoon. In parallel, several bus lines that cross the mountain will have their routes shortened or diverted, such as lines 13, 55, 125, and 150, as well as the southern route of the Tourist Bus. Lines X3 and 23 will maintain their usual routes as long as crowd conditions allow.
On June 10, coinciding with the event at Sagrada Família, the metro service will be increased by approximately 23%. In certain time slots, increases may reach 65% on L2, 50% on L4, and between 30% and 35% on L3 and L5. The Sagrada Família metro station, however, will be closed all day and trains on lines L2 and L5 will run without stopping there. At the Verdaguer station on line L4, and due to works at the interchange and the planned flow management, passengers will only be allowed to exit for a few hours in the afternoon.
The bus network will also be particularly affected, with diversions and route modifications for up to 15 lines. Bicing stations at points closest to the events will also be closed.
