Trip Report
This summer, we decided to visit Spain for the third time. However, this trip was a little different, as we chose to visit Madrid in addition to Barcelona. As it turned out, the journey was quite eventful, with plenty of interesting and, at times, questionable experiences along the way.
Our original plan was to spend the summer near Barcelona, but we eventually decided to include a short visit to Madrid as well. We bought our flights during Air Serbia’s promotional week, when tickets were available at discounted prices. At the time, we had not really thought through the entire trip and immediately rushed to book our tickets to Barcelona.
Later, we agreed that we also wanted to visit Madrid, although we still had not decided exactly when. Eventually, we booked Iberia tickets from Barcelona to Madrid, while for the return journey we chose the low-cost train operator Ouigo. We bought all of these tickets sometime in February for travel in August.
Our flight to Spain was scheduled for August 3, with the return to Serbia on August 12. We decided to travel onward to Madrid on the same day we arrived in Barcelona.
Then came the morning of August 3. Since we had decided to use public transport to get to Belgrade Airport, the journey there turned out to be more difficult than expected. Night-time public transport in Belgrade is far from ideal, and since we live in Karaburma, there is only one night bus nearby, the 32N, which runs roughly once an hour between midnight and 03:00.
We therefore had to catch the second departure, leaving Višnjica at 01:45, in order to make the 02:30 bus to the airport.
Our flight was scheduled for 06:30, which meant that, according to the usual recommendation of arriving two hours before departure, we needed to be at the airport by 04:30. Since Belgrade is Air Serbia’s main hub, check-in opened earlier, which worked perfectly for us as we arrived at the airport around three hours before departure.
We decided to try the self-service check-in machines, which were very easy to use.
After that, we headed through passport control and security. The whole process took only around five minutes because there were very few passengers at the airport at that hour. Most people tend to arrive around 04:00 for the wave of flights departing between 06:00 and 07:00, while we reached the terminal at around 03:30, allowing us to avoid the large crowds.
Our flight was operated by an Airbus A320, registered YU-APT, which still featured seats from its previous operator, Wizz Air.
Boarding started around ten minutes later than expected, but we still departed relatively on time, with a delay of only around 10–15 minutes. During the flight, each passenger received a sandwich and a bottle of water, which was more than enough for a flight lasting around two hours.
We landed in Barcelona on time at 09:15, giving us plenty of time to catch our second flight to Madrid. We were seated in the fourth row, which allowed us to leave the aircraft among the first passengers and quickly make our way to passport control. Barcelona Airport can sometimes get very crowded at passport control, but we were lucky and passed through in around five minutes.
Afterwards, we left the terminal and caught the free shuttle bus that runs between the airport’s two terminals every five to seven minutes. Our Iberia flight was departing from Terminal 2, which is also used by several other airlines. The journey between the terminals took around 10-15 minutes.
During online check-in, a message had appeared suggesting that we should check in our cabin bags at the counter because the flight was full. However, when we went to the counter, nobody mentioned anything about our bags, so we simply continued towards security.
I had expected long queues, but we passed through security in around 20 minutes without any problems. Once we entered the duty-free area, it felt more like a huge shopping centre than an airport terminal. Since we had arrived quite early, we still had around an hour and a half before our flight, so we passed the time watching aircraft.
One thing I would improve at Barcelona Airport, in both terminals, is the Wi-Fi.
We had chosen Iberia’s 13:35 flight to Madrid. There are numerous daily flights between Barcelona and Madrid, mainly operated by Iberia and Air Europa. Air Europa even operates some services with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, while Iberia mainly uses aircraft from the Airbus A320 family.
Our aircraft was an older Airbus A321, but one thing that impressed us was that it still featured relatively modern seats with USB charging ports.
Boarding started exactly on time and the entire process was so efficient that we actually departed around five minutes ahead of schedule. The flight to Madrid lasted approximately one hour and 30 minutes, with good weather throughout.
We landed in Madrid on time. Since the crew allowed passengers to visit the cockpit, I decided to ask whether I could take some photos, and they happily allowed me to do so. Unfortunately, Air Serbia has not allowed this on my flights since the beginning of 2025, although I am not sure why.
Since we arrived on schedule, we immediately headed towards the city. Madrid Airport is enormous, and we even had to take an internal shuttle train between terminals before reaching the railway station.
Our accommodation was located right next to Madrid’s main Atocha railway station, so we bought tickets for the Cercanías regional train network. We first travelled to Chamartín station and then changed to Line C4 towards Atocha.
During our stay in Madrid, we managed to see quite a lot of the city, including the Prado Museum, Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the Royal Palace of Madrid, the Reina Sofía Museum, Plaza Mayor and Retiro Park.
We also tried Madrid’s famous calamari sandwich. We had ours at Bar El Brillante, located right next to Atocha station. It was very good and cost around nine euros.
We stayed in Madrid until August 5, when it was time to return to Barcelona. Since our accommodation was located right next to the station, there was no need to rush. Nevertheless, we arrived around one hour and 15 minutes before departure because I had read online that the station can become very crowded during the summer season.
In reality, we passed through the security check in only around five minutes. I would not recommend arriving more than an hour and a half before departure, especially because passengers are generally not allowed through security until around 60 minutes before their train departs.
About 30 minutes before departure, we joined the boarding queue while staff checked everyone’s tickets. Our train was around 20 minutes late leaving the depot, meaning that we would also depart late.
Everything seemed normal until our tickets were scanned. Everyone else passed without any problems, but when it was our turn, the system said that both of our tickets were invalid. We opened the files containing the tickets again and tried once more, but the same thing happened.
Both we and the staff were confused. Eventually, they checked our reservation manually, confirmed that everything was in order and allowed us to board.
We had booked the OUIGO Plus package, which is effectively their premium product. It included seat selection, free Wi-Fi and a larger baggage allowance. The total price was around €50 for both of us, which I thought was quite reasonable for a journey lasting approximately three hours, especially since Wi-Fi is not included in the standard fare.
OUIGO operates older double-deck TGV Duplex trains on the route. Their operating speed is around 300 km/h, which we reached on several sections of the journey.
The ride itself was very comfortable, although once again there was one thing that could be improved: the Wi-Fi.
We arrived in Barcelona around 15 minutes late. This was not a problem for us because we were not actually staying in Barcelona. Instead, we continued north along the Costa Brava coast by train to Calella.
We spent the following seven days in Calella. Since my father mainly wanted to relax, I used some of the time to visit Barcelona again and, of course, to go planespotting at El Prat Airport.
We also spent quite a lot of time in Lloret de Mar because of its beach and the viewpoint overlooking the sea and surrounding coastline.
In Calella and nearby Sant Pol de Mar, I also spent plenty of time trainspotting.
Overall, this part of the trip was very enjoyable. I managed to relax while also visiting a number of places I had not seen during my previous two visits to Barcelona.
The day before our flight home, we checked in online, downloaded our boarding passes to our phones and went to sleep.
On our final day, we left the hotel at around 08:00. My father went to the beach, while I stayed a little longer to photograph some passing trains. At around midday, we headed towards Barcelona so that we would still have some time to explore the city before going to the airport.
We walked around Plaça de Catalunya and visited several shops. As usual, we also stopped at Primark, where there are plenty of reasonably priced things to buy, and later went to Five Guys to get something to eat.
We also visited Spotify Camp Nou and the official FC Barcelona store, where we bought a few souvenirs.
Afterwards, we headed to Collblanc station and took the L9S metro line towards the airport. Since we already had our boarding passes, we were able to go directly to security.
Our flight that evening was originally supposed to be operated by an airBaltic Airbus A220. It would have been our first flight on the A220, so we had been looking forward to it. Unfortunately, there was an aircraft change and an Airbus A319 was sent instead.
This also resulted in our seats being changed, something we only discovered at the gate. Hopefully, we will get another opportunity to fly on the A220 in the future.
Security and passport control both went smoothly, although there was one thing in particular that impressed me about Spain.
When we reached passport control, we initially headed towards the regular counters where police officers manually check passports. However, airport staff asked us which passports we had. When we said Serbian passports, they directed us towards the automated e-gates.
We explained that I was only 13 and assumed that I would not be able to use them, even though my father could. However, the staff told us that in Spain children aged 12 and above are allowed to use the e-gates. I thought this was fantastic, especially as it made the entire process much quicker.
We eventually reached our gate, where the aircraft was already waiting. Unfortunately, boarding did not begin as planned.
Because of strike-related disruption, boarding was delayed by around 40 minutes. At one point, the captain even came out and told passengers that we could sit down because we would be waiting for some time.
Eventually, boarding began. When it was our turn to scan our boarding passes, the machines rejected them. I had actually expected this because the boarding passes still showed our seats from the originally scheduled Airbus A220.
The staff simply printed new boarding passes showing our seats on the A319 and we continued onto the aircraft.
Once onboard, however, there was another lengthy delay. We waited for around an hour and a half before departure. During the wait, the crew handed out water to passengers, which was very welcome because we were thirsty and I had forgotten to refill my bottle after passing through security.
We finally took off at around 23:20, approximately two and a half hours behind schedule.
We landed in Belgrade at around 01:20 in the morning.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable and interesting trip. I would especially like to praise the Air Serbia crew on our return flight, including the captain and the cabin crew, for keeping passengers informed and distributing water during the long delay.
Visiting two major cities in ten days was certainly tiring at times, especially with all the travelling involved, but it was also a very enjoyable experience. We managed to combine sightseeing, aviation, trains and some time to relax on the coast.
Thanks for reading. My next report will cover our flight to Bucharest and our visit to the Bucharest International Air Show.
Share your travel experience by submitting a trip report to exyu@exyuaviation.com
What a brilliantly written report. Only 13!? My gosh you write so well. Thanks for that. Interesting and enjoyable read.
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DeleteWith 13 you take things so relaxed and easy. Something I should learn again. Thank you for sharing your exciting trip and looking forward to your Bucharest Air Show trip.
An excellent report! You should do this for living!
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DeleteNice trip report. Sad that airSerbia use wizzair seats still, they could refurbish the cabin as Iberia and other legacy carriers do with their old planes
ReplyDeleteIts not as if BA or Lufthansa seats are very comfy tbh
DeleteThanks Marko for the great trip report. I envoy you on that cockpit pic. I am really surprised that JU is still haven't changed seats from the Wizz Air, that couldn't recline at all, and are far more uncomfortable than those on the NEO's. On the other side W6 is their biggest competitor on BEG market.
ReplyDeleteInteresantno je da su delili besplatne sendviče za let ispod 2.5h. Odličan izveštaj.
ReplyDeleteSendvič, voda i vlažna maramica su standard na letovima dužim od 2-2,5h već godinama kod Air Serbije.
DeleteJa sam leteo za Stockholm i platio sam sendvič
DeletePre godinu i po dana, BEG-BCN nije bilo besplatnih sendviča
DeleteLeteo sam pre 2 godine BEG-BCN I deljeni su besplatni sendvici kao na svim letovima za Spaniju.
DeleteZvanično, besplatne sendviče dele na letovima koji su duži od 2,5 sata.Lepo je što ima izuzetaka.
DeleteGreat trip report, thanks Marko. It's unfortune not to fly A220 but A319 instead. What were the loads on your Air Serbia flights?
ReplyDeleteGreat report, thanks
ReplyDeleteGreat report and thanks for all the efforts and details you've shared. I hope you make the next report on your next trip as it's such a pleasure to read it.
ReplyDeleteJust small correction, Sant Pol and Calella are in Costa Maresme actually. Costa Maresme stretch from Barcelona to Blanes (same as the train line) and it's known for its beautiful long and wide sand beaches and rather flat inside. For those who prefer a bit calmer ambience, I recommend Pineda de Mar. It also has beautiful nudist beach in the town itself.
From Blanes to the north the coast is mare rocky, beaches are smaller and squeezed between cliffs and rocks, that's why it's called Costa Brava! Lloret de Mar is the most famous place there. Better than the main beach of Lloret is Boadella (clothing optional beach). I recommend visiting Tossa de Mar, not far from Lloret.
Fantastic report, thank you and @13 you write so well. Also, as I frequently go to Madrid, your bocadillo de calamares in El Brilliante was spot on, it's one of the best places in Madrid to have it. Good choice. Keep writing and flying.
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