Julià

Julià is a Spanish business group providing tourism and bus transport services.[1] Founded in Barcelona in 1933, the company operates coach transport, inbound tourism activities, and sightseeing bus services in several cities across Europe, the Americas, and North Africa.

The company has grown from its family-owned origins in Spain into an international corporation with operations in Andorra, the United Kingdom, Italy, Mexico, Argentina, Morocco, and the United States.[2] As of November 2024, the bus company reportedly had a fleet of approximately 450 vehicles.[3]

History

Grupo Julià was founded in Barcelona in 1933 as Autocares Julià, initially providing coach transport services for schools, cultural associations, and football teams.[4]

Operations were suspended during the Spanish Civil War but resumed in the late 1930s. Later, by the 1940s and 1950s the company consolidated as a provider of coach services in Catalonia, operating their first excursions in Barcelona and surroundings, and then spread to other regions in Spain.[5]

In 1968, Julià Tours was created, specializing in long-distance holiday travel. In 1978, Julià Travel was launched to handle inbound tourism in Spain,[6] while operations simultaneously began in Argentina and Mexico.[7][8]

In 2000, the company introduced the City Tour brand for hop-on hop-off sightseeing buses in Barcelona and Madrid. Around the same time, it launched Turibus in Mexico City, one of Latin America's first hop-on hop-off services[9]—and established a joint venture with Alsa to support the development and expansion of its sightseeing activities.[10][11]

In 2014, Grupo Julià expanded to the United States with Gray Line sightseeing services in San Francisco and extended City Tour operations to London (2015), Rome (2016), and Tanger (2018).[12][13][14]

In 2024, a joint venture between Grupo Julià and Moventis was awarded a 12-year concession to continue operating Barcelona's official tourist bus service, Barcelona City Tour, with plans to transition to a fully electric fleet by 2029.[15]

Structure

Grupo Julià is organized into three business divisions: tourism, sightseeing buses and trains and passenger transport.[3]

Initiatives

In November 2024, Grupo Julià partnered with UK-based Zenobē to finance the electrification of its Barcelona fleet. The agreement encompasses the purchase of electric buses, battery leasing, and the installation and operation of charging infrastructure.[3]

References

  1. ^ Arias, Stefania G. (27 February 2015). "Un bus turístico de exportación". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  2. ^ Canalís, Xavier. "Grupo Julià, 90 años como testigo y actor de la historia del turismo". Hosteltur: Toda la información de turismo (in European Spanish). Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Granada, Centro Proceso de Datos Ayuntamiento de. "UN TREN TURÍSTICO ÚNICO EN EUROPA CONECTARÁ GRANADA CON LA ALHAMBRA". Ayuntamiento de Granada (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  4. ^ "julia-travel16-12004-43". www.catalunya.com. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  5. ^ @BarcelonaGlobal (16 July 2020). "Grupo Julià, más de 85 años de servicios de movilidad y turismo". Barcelona Global Blog. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  6. ^ "Grupo Juliá se une a la Mesa del Turismo". Ladevi (in European Spanish). 1 April 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  7. ^ "Grup Julià, on a trip around the world". VIA Empresa (in Catalan). 9 January 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  8. ^ "Grup Julià reconstruye los negocios, ingresa un 37% más y reduce deuda". ON ECONOMIA (in Spanish). 20 October 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  9. ^ "Grup Julià, on a trip around the world". VIA Empresa (in Catalan). 9 January 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  10. ^ Canalís, Xavier. "Grupo Julià y Alsa explotarán el bus turístico de Madrid". Hosteltur: Toda la información de turismo (in European Spanish). Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  11. ^ "Juliá Travel y ALSA gestionarán los autobuses turísticos de Madrid". Telemadrid (in Spanish). 1 April 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  12. ^ "Julia Travel Gray Line Spain | Proveedor de GetYourGuide". GetYourGuide (in European Spanish). Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  13. ^ "Agenttravel.ES – Noticias para el profesional del turismo – Julià Travel gestionará la marca Gray Line en España". www.agenttravel.es. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  14. ^ "Grupo Julià se consolida como tercer operador global de buses turísticos". Hosteltur (in European Spanish). Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  15. ^ Gambini, Janet (27 September 2024). "Grupo Julià and Moventis joint venture wins Barcelona sightseeing bus service contract". Moventia. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
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