How to get to Costa Brava, Spain?

Situated on the northeastern coast of Spain and belonging to the region of Catalonia, the Costa Brava is one of the selected summer vacation destinations of Europe. You can get there easily using Spain's train network or by bus with rates starting at 5€ and 12€. Moving around is also affordable once you get used to local buses with fares starting at 1€. Girona Costa Brava Airport Transfers start at $43.

Costa Brava Key Information

The Costa Brava extends from Blanes all the way to Portbou, right next to the French border. From largest to smallest, the main cities and towns are Girona, situated more inland and about 30km away from the coastline; Blanes, on the coast and about 60 km away from Barcelona; Lloret de Mar, about 5km away from Blanes; and Roses, about 25km away from the French border and 50km away from Girona.

The tricky part

Renfe, the national railway company in Spain, is notorious for being difficult to use when using foreign credit cards. Please note, the site does not have a version in English. You may need to book your train tickets through a 3rd party website.

Storm damage caused the bridge over the Tordera river to collapse so the train service towards Blanes and, consequently, towards Lloret de Mar, has been affected.

Spanish people usually have limited abilities in English, especially in smaller cities and towns. It is recommended to at least make an effort in knowing the basics of politeness in Spanish, this will go a long way in obtaining assistance or even just starting a conversation. Also bear in mind that people speak a mix of Spanish (Castillan) and Catalan. Most of the information will be written in both languages, though.

Uber is banned in Spain, as well as all the other ride-hailing companies.

Getting to Costa Brava

The Costa Brava is a major tourist destination and it is as such very well connected in terms of transportation, to the exception of the smaller towns in the middle of the coastline.

The nearest airports to the Costa Brava are the Girona-Costa Brava airport, about 40km from the coastline, and the Barcelona airport which is about 70km away from the first city on the Costa Brava, Blanes.

Railways connect Barcelona and Blanes all the way up to the French border, in Portbou.

From Barcelona, you can take the train to Blanes if you wish to stay on the Maresme coast. You can either take the bus or a taxi to go from Blanes to Lloret de Mar.

If you're planning on getting to a smaller town in the middle of the coastline, such as Sant Feliu de Guíxols the best option will be to land in Girona and take ground transportation from there. Bear in mind that some of those smaller towns are not well connected and public transportation may be very sparse/unavailable, taking the taxi or renting a car for the smallest towns and villages may prove most comfortable and easy.

The Frugal Option

From Girona

• Getting to Blanes is quite straightforward. The train operated by Rodalies ticket costs about 5€ and runs every hour or so from 6 am to 5:30 pm, on lines R1-RG1. The journey time is 45 minutes.

You can also choose to travel by bus for 12€ booked through Mozio.

• Getting to Lloret de Mar is as easy as going to Blanes, you will only need to take the bus or a taxi when arriving in Blanes to reach Lloret de Mar. The bus ticket costs 2€ and buses make the connection several times an hour. You can also choose to take a taxi in Blanes, which costs ~15€. Official timetable for the buses from Blanes to Lloret de Mar

• Getting to Roses can prove a bit trickier than the first 2 destinations. You will first need to reach Figueres by train and then take the bus to Roses, which is about 20 kilometers away. The train ticket costs about 5€ and runs every hour or so from 7:30 am to 20:30 pm, on line R11. Once you arrive in Figueres, you will need to take the bus from the bus station which is right beside the train. Direct buses making the connection approximately every 30 or 60 minutes, with Sarfa. Taking the taxi from Figueres to Roses may be the easiest and most comfortable way to reach the town, despite being more expensive for 35€.

Taxis are widely available and will get you wherever you want the fastest, for a more expensive yet reasonable cost. From Girona Airport to:

• Blanes ~ 50€.
• Lloret de Mar ~ 50€.
• Roses ~ 100€.

From Barcelona El Prat Airport to:

• Blanes ~ 130€.
• Lloret de Mar ~ 130€.

Private Transfer Options

From Girona

• To Blanes: Private options to Blanes start at 55€ in a private van, 70€ in a private sedan, 225€ in a private bus (12 passengers) / 335€ (24 passengers) / 460€ (60 passengers).
• To Lloret de Mar: a private van will cost 55€, 70€ in a private sedan, 215€ in a private bus (12 passengers) / 330€ (24 passengers) / 450€ (60 passengers).
• To Roses: our prices start at 135€ in either a private van or a sedan, 340€ in a private bus (12 passengers) / 425€ (24 passengers) / 555€ (60 passengers).

From Barcelona

• To Blanes: 165€ in a private sedan, 190€ in a private van, 310€ in a private bus (12 passengers) / 445€ (24 passengers) / 575€ (60 passengers).
• To Lloret de Mar: 170€ in a private sedan, 200€ in a private van, 320€ in a private bus (12 passengers) / 450€ (24 passengers) / 585€ (60 passengers).

Girona Costa Brava Airport Transfers start at $43.

The Mozio Recommendation

To reach the bigger towns and cities, taking the train is recommended since they are fairly cheap, fast and the cities are well connected.

As for the smaller towns, since it can sometimes prove trickier, taking the taxi is recommended in order to avoid too much hassle, for a fair price.

Moving AROUND Costa Brava

Getting around in each city is easy. Each city offers extensive and regular public transportation services and taxis are widely available everywhere.

The Frugal Option

Girona: Getting around in Girona is easy thanks to the well developed public transportation system. A bus ticket costs about 1.50€ and they can be bought from the bus driver.

The main lines operate from early in the morning from 6am until the evening at around 10pm. Buses stop every 15 to 30 minutes or so. You'll find more information on Girona's public transportation on this interactive map.

Blanes Buses in Blanes connect the major areas of the town as well as Lloret de Mar and Tossa de Mar. They normally operate from early in the morning, from 8am until early in the evening at 8pm they stop every 50 minutes or so. You can find detailed Timetables and more information on Lines & stops.

Lloret del Mar Buses in Lloret de Mar cover the whole town. A bus ticket costs less than 1.50€. Buses operate from early in the morning at 7am until the evening at 8:30pm. Buses stop every 30 minutes.

Roses Buses in Roses cover the whole town as well. During the high season, the main lines operate from early in the morning at 8:30am until the evening at 11:30pm. Buses stop every 30 minutes. During the low season, the main lines operate from early in the morning at 9am until the evening at 7pm (until 1pm during the weekend). Buses stop every hour.

Are Rideshare & TaxiApps Readily Available In Costa Brava?

Rideshare and Taxi Pickup Instructions

Local regulation prohibits On-Demand apps in most Spaniard cities.

Car Rental Options

Car rental options in Blanes are virtually non-existent. It is recommended to rent a car directly at the airport. There are many car rental options in Lloret de Mar. Europcar is present as well as other companies, mopeds are also available for rent. A few car rental companies are present in Roses. The airport in Girona hosts many car rental companies. Europcar, Avis, Sixt, and many other are present at the airport. Barcelona airport hosts many car rental companies as well. These include but are not limited to Hertz, Avis, Europcar, and Sixt.

Day Trips Around Costa Brava

Perpignan

On the south of France close to the Spanish border, you'll find the ancient capital of the kingdom of Mallorca, Perpignan. With it's medieval center and highly influenced by Catalunia, it's one of the best places to visit within Costa Brava.

From Girona, around 10 trains make the journey in a day. The 1st one leaves early in the morning and the last one leaves around 7pm. The fare is about 25€, it can go as low as 15€ if booked well in advance (a month or so before). It is recommended to book as early as possible in order to get the best prices. Tickets can be purchased through Renfe or directly with SNCF or through RailEurope.

Buses also make the connection a few times a day, the fare is about 10€. It is recommended to book through Flixbus, a popular company that operates in Europe and in both Spain and France.

Argeles-sur-Mer & Collioure

Argeles-sur-Mer is a popular holiday resort and is mainly renowned for its long beaches of sand. The town is about 20km away from Perpignan and 20km away from the border with Spain. Collioure, only a few kilometers away from Argeles-sur-Mer, is famous and is a must-see travel plan for its colorful landscapes and laidback mood.

Argeles-sur-Mer and Collioure have their own train stations and are directly linked to Perpignan, making them very easy to get to.

From Girona, fares start at 20€ and trains make the connection at least a few times a day (with a connection in Perpignan).

From Perpignan, the TER (the public inter-regional train service) by SNCF will get you to both Argeles-sur-Mer and Collioure for just 1€.

From Perpignan, taking the bus to reach both towns is also an option, with the liO public transportation services on line 540 and also for just 1€ (one of the bus stops is located right in the train station).

Banyoles

Banyoles is especially known for its beautiful lake, simply named the Lake of Banyoles (Estany de Banyoles). The town is located less than 20km away from Girona and can be accessed by bus and taxi.

The company TEISA bus connects Banyoles to Girona, Olot, Figueres and Barcelona. From Girona, buses make the connection several times a day.