Day 21 ·
Back to Houston
Barcelona · Spain · 3 min read
A day of flights: a taxi at 3:25 and three planes, from Barcelona to Frankfurt, Chicago and Houston, with Schengen exit control in Frankfurt and US customs in Chicago.
- 1
Barcelona-El Prat Airport, Terminal 1
Taxi from the Gothic Quarter at 3:25: about 30 minutes and €35–45 with the night rate. Lufthansa flies out of T1. It is a flight within Schengen, so there is only a security check here.
- 2
Frankfurt Airport
The 6:40 flight, 2 hours 15 minutes and no time change. This is where you do Schengen exit control: a 20 to 45 minute line. Go straight there, without stopping.
- 3
Chicago O'Hare Airport
A nine-hour-and-fifteen-minute flight from 12:40; Chicago is seven hours behind Frankfurt. Customs in Terminal 5, pick up the bags, check them in again and take the ATS train to the domestic terminal.
- 4
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (Houston)
Last flight at 18:40, almost three hours. Home.
The last day had no sightseeing. It was a day of airports: alarm at 3:00, taxi at 3:25 and three flights to reach Houston at 9:36 at night, Texas time.
Why we planned it this way
Leaving the hotel three and a quarter hours before a European flight seems like a lot, but at that hour any delay with the taxi leaves you with no margin. Both layovers were 3 hours 45 minutes, and not for fun. In Frankfurt you have to go through Schengen exit control. In Chicago you have US customs, picking up and rechecking the bags, changing terminals and going through security again. With less time, one long line makes you miss the next flight.
The flight from Barcelona to Frankfurt is within Schengen, so in Barcelona we only went through security. There were no restaurants that day: coffee in T1, something in Frankfurt and the meal on the long flight.
A fact for takeoff: since 2018 the Barcelona airport has carried the name of Josep Tarradellas, the Catalan president who returned from exile in 1977 and greeted the crowd with “Ciutadans de Catalunya, ja sóc aquí” (Citizens of Catalonia, I am here).
21 days. 7 cities. 2 countries.
That is how we closed out the trip. We started in Lisbon with Belém, Sintra and fado; went on through Porto and the Douro, Seville and Córdoba, the road through Ronda and Setenil to Granada, Madrid with Segovia and Toledo, Valencia, and finished in Barcelona with Gaudí. Every day has its own page, with what we booked, the times and why we decided the way we did. If you are putting your own trip together, start with the first day or jump straight to the city you need.
What we booked and tasted
Gothic Quarter Barcelona Airport T1
We booked it the night before through Cabify, which is the most reliable option at that hour. If it doesn't show up in 10 minutes, order another right away. Tell the driver "Terminal Uno, Lufthansa".
Barcelona Frankfurt
On Lufthansa. Barcelona and Frankfurt are in the same time zone in summer.
Frankfurt Chicago
On United. A 3 h 45 min layover in Frankfurt, which includes Schengen exit passport control and another security check.
Chicago Houston
On United. A 3 h 45 min layover at O'Hare for customs, the bags, the train between terminals and domestic security.
What we learned
Tips
- If you fly from Barcelona to the US with a layover in another European city, Schengen exit control is at the layover, not in Barcelona. Factor that line into your connection.
- At your first US airport you have to pick up your bags, clear customs and check them in again, even if they are tagged through to your final destination.
- If you have Global Entry, use the kiosks at O'Hare: customs drops from 30–60 minutes to about 5.
- In the early hours nothing is open between the hotel and the airport. The cafés in T1 open around 4:00; if you want something before that, set it aside the night before.
Do
- Have your bags closed the night before and your passport on top in your carry-on.
- Set two alarms. We had one at 3:00 and a backup at 3:05.
- Sleep on the long flight: it is nine hours and fifteen minutes.
Don’t
- Don't leave later to sleep a bit more: three hours before a 6:40 flight is not too much if the taxi falls through.
- Don't pack fresh fruit, meat or plants from Europe in your suitcase: US customs won't let them through.