When does the Barcelona taxi night tariff apply?
The metropolitan tariff has two bands, and which one you pay is decided entirely by the clock and the calendar — not by the driver. Here is exactly when the higher one applies.
Two bands, set by the calendar
Barcelona taxi fares run on two official bands, usually written T-1 and T-2. T-1 is the daytime rate. T-2 is higher and covers nights, weekends and public holidays.
The rule is simple enough to check yourself. T-1 applies on weekdays between 08:00 and 20:00. Everything else is T-2: weekday evenings and nights, all day Saturday, all day Sunday, and every public holiday.
That is set by the metropolitan authority and is identical in every licensed taxi in the city. No driver can move you from one band to the other, in either direction.
Which holidays count
Public holidays are charged at the night band for the whole day, including the middle of the afternoon. Barcelona observes the Spanish national holidays, the Catalan ones such as Sant Joan and the Diada on 11 September, and two local days — La Mercè in September and Sant Esteve on 26 December.
It catches people out around Easter, where Good Friday and Easter Monday are both holidays in Catalonia, and in early December, where the Constitution and the Immaculate Conception fall a couple of days apart.
The calculator on this site holds the full holiday list. Put in a date and it applies the right band without you having to check anything.
What the difference actually costs
The night band raises the price per kilometre rather than doubling the fare. On a short city trip the difference is small change; on a long run out to the airport it is more noticeable but still nothing like a surge multiplier.
This is the part worth understanding if you have used ride-hailing elsewhere: a regulated night band is a fixed, published step, not a live price that climbs because it is raining or because a concert has just finished. It is the same number at 3am on a quiet Tuesday as it is at 3am on New Year, and you can look it up in advance.
Planning around it
If a trip is genuinely flexible, moving a weekday departure to after 08:00 puts you on the day band. For most travel it is not worth reorganising a flight over.
The more useful move is simply to see the number before you commit. Enter your date and time and you get the figure for that exact moment, night band or not, with everything included.
Current prices on these trips
Questions and answers
What time does the night tariff start in Barcelona?
At 20:00 on weekdays. It runs until 08:00 the next morning. Weekends and public holidays are on the night band all day.
Is Saturday charged at the night rate?
Yes. Saturdays and Sundays are on the higher band for the whole day, not only in the evening.
Do drivers choose which tariff to charge?
No. The band is fixed by the metropolitan authority according to the day and time, and it is the same in every licensed taxi in Barcelona.
How much more expensive is the night tariff?
It raises the rate per kilometre by a set amount rather than multiplying the fare. Enter your date and time in the calculator and you will see the exact figure for that moment.