Residents and visitors in Barcelona should prepare for significant travel disruptions as the city hosts the 2026 Marathon on Sunday, 15 March. Barcelona City Council has announced a comprehensive plan of road closures, parking prohibitions, and public transport alterations that will be rolled out progressively from Friday, 13 March, to accommodate one of the city’s largest annual sporting events.

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The race is set to begin at 8:30 AM on Sunday from the prestigious Passeig de Gràcia, a boulevard famed for its high-end retail and architecture which also hosts popular events like the Passeig de Gourmets food festival. Runners will start between Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes and Plaça de Catalunya, traversing a 42-kilometre course that winds through major districts before finishing at Passeig de Lluís Companys, near the Arc de Triomf.

Race Day Road Closures

According to a mobility report released by the City Council and cited by El Periódico, traffic restrictions will start early Sunday morning to prepare the route. Closures begin at 5:00 AM in the city centre, affecting:

  • Plaça de Catalunya (mountain, Besòs, and Llobregat sides)
  • Ronda de la Universitat (between Rambla de Catalunya and Carrer de Balmes)
  • Plaça d’Urquinaona (central and mountain-side lanes)
  • Ronda de Sant Pere (between Carrer de Pau Claris and Plaça de Catalunya)

From 7:30 AM, the entire marathon circuit will close to all unauthorised vehicles. The City Council confirms these streets will remain closed until the last runner passes, with most restrictions lifting by 3:30 PM. Key thoroughfares, including sections of Avinguda Diagonal, Carrer d’Aragó, and Avinguda del Paral·lel, will be impassable for several hours, significantly impacting mobility across the Eixample and Sant Martí districts.

Parking Prohibitions from Friday Evening

To facilitate event infrastructure setup, parking bans will begin well before the race. Restrictions will be phased in across the weekend, and drivers are warned: vehicles left in prohibited zones may be removed by municipal tow trucks.

From 9:00 PM on Friday, 13 March, until 3:30 PM on Sunday, 15 March, parking will be forbidden on stretches of several key streets, including Carrer de Viladomat, Carrer de Mallorca, Carrer de Sepúlveda, Avinguda Diagonal, and Carrer de Llull.

From 10:00 PM on Friday, 13 March, until 12:00 PM on Sunday, 15 March, a complete parking ban will apply along the entire length of Passeig de Gràcia, covering both side lanes and the central roadway between Plaça de Catalunya and Gran Via.

From 7:00 AM on Saturday, 14 March, until 3:30 PM on Sunday, 15 March, prohibitions will extend to numerous other streets within the Eixample, Ciutat Vella, the area around Parc de la Ciutadella, and coastal parts of Sant Martí. This will affect streets such as Carrer de València, Carrer de Calàbria, and Carrer de Pujades. This expansion reflects ongoing efforts to manage large-scale events in the city’s historic core, an area also central to the council’s long-term renewal plan.

Officials also note that legally parked vehicles on streets along the race route may be temporarily immobilised with tape to prevent movement during the event.

Given the scale of the surface-level disruptions, the City Council strongly recommends that residents and visitors use the Metro for travel between 6:30 AM and 3:00 PM on race day. The underground network will operate as normal and remains the most reliable way to navigate the city.

Bus services will face heavy impacts, with numerous Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) lines diverted or shortened. Passengers should check the official TMB website for real-time updates on their specific line.

The Trambesòs network will also experience significant service interruptions on Sunday morning:

  • From 7:45 AM: Total service suspension for lines T4, T5, and T6 between Glòries and Ciutadella.
  • 12:00 PM: Partial restoration of the T4 line between Glòries and Verdaguer.
  • 2:45 PM: Full service is restored on the T4 line.
  • 3:30 PM: Full service is restored on the T5 and T6 lines.

Access to several major car parks will also be modified, including those at Estació de Barcelona Nord, Plaça de Catalunya, Port Olímpic, and Estació de França. Additionally, the council has established special itineraries to guarantee access to essential facilities like the Blood and Tissue Bank on Passeig de Taulat and the Women’s Penitentiary Centre, primarily via the B-10 Ronda Litoral ring road.