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Barcelona is one of the most popular travel destinations not only in Spain but in the whole of Europe. I have travelled to Barcelona and I can confirm that this is one of the most exciting places I have ever been to and it is definitely worth coming to this stunning city one day. As I see it, Barcelona has a mixture of various attractions, plus the city can offer a developed tourist infrastructure, be it accommodation, transport or numerous activities and entertainment.
For sure, one of the first questions which comes to tourists’ minds is how to get to Barcelona from the airport. Most often tourists come to El Prat Airport which is located about 15 km from Barcelona. But some tourists come to Girona Airport which is located in the neighbouring town of Girona as some European airlines use this airport for arrival. Let’s check out the possible options for getting to Barcelona from Girona Airport.
Table of contents:
How to get to Barcelona from Girona Airport by bus
How to get to Barcelona from Girona Airport by train
How to get to Barcelona from Girona Airport by taxi/transfer
How to get to Barcelona from Girona Airport by rented car
Where do you fly into to get to Barcelona? The international airport in Barcelona is called El Prat, but you can also land at Girona Airport, and it depends on the airline company that you chose. There are mostly direct flights to Girona Airport from various European cities. The current flight timetable can be checked via specialized online services such as Aviasales and others. I regularly use Aviasales when planning upcoming trips. It has a convenient search with a lot of filters which helps me to choose the best available option in terms of duration of a flight, number of changes, departure and arrival points, price, etc. I can definitely recommend this online service.
Flying to Girona is a great alternative to getting to Barcelona. Girona Airport is quite small, and only a few European airlines fly here (including the low-cost airline Ryanair). The advantage of small airports is that often your flight is the only one at the time, and passport control and baggage reclaim are much faster than at large airports, where many flights are handled at the same time.
♦Girona is located 100 km north of Barcelona, but don’t let the distance scare you, as the transport infrastructure here is excellent, and in just over an hour after arrival you will most likely be in Barcelona.
For reference: Barcelona El Prat International Airport is located just 14 km from the city, but taking into account passport control and baggage reclaim, you spend about the same amount of time getting to Barcelona.
♦If you plan to use public transport, there are direct buses from Girona Airport to Barcelona Bus Station. You can also use a taxi/private transfer if necessary. For travelers, who prefer to travel on their own, car rental is also an option. Despite the fact that Girona Airport is small, there are offices of several international rental companies.
♦Alternatively, if other options do not suit you for some reason, you can take a bus from the airport to the Girona train station, and then take a train directly to Barcelona. As for me, I have flown to Girona Airport and travelled to Barcelona by direct bus. Based on my experience, it is a very fast and convenient way to reach the main Catalan city.
How to get to Barcelona from Girona Airport by bus
After passing through passport control and baggage reclaim, you need to go straight to the airport exit and turn right. There you will see a kiosk and most likely several buses waiting for tourists. The kiosk sells tickets for direct buses to Barcelona. There was no queue when I came to the kiosk, so I bought a ticket quite fast.
Then, after buying a ticket, you can get on the bus. You should focus on buses No. 602 or 604, going to the Barcelona Bus Station. The average travel time is 75 minutes, as stated in the booklet issued with the ticket.
There are two options for which tickets to buy. The first option is a one-way ticket. If you are not only arriving but also departing from Girona Airport, it makes sense to buy a round-trip ticket, and this is the second option. It does not matter when you return, tickets are not sold for specific dates. You can use a return ticket any day within 30 days from the date of validation. I bought a round-trip ticket as I should`ve departed from Girona Airport as well.
♦When boarding the bus, you show the ticket to the driver, and he marks one trip on the device. Attention! If you buy a round-trip ticket, you must keep the ticket until the return trip, since you will also need to show it to the driver to mark the second trip.
♦If you have not purchased a round-trip ticket right away, but need to go to Girona airport, you can buy a ticket at the Barcelona Bus Station in window C-0. At the Barcelona Bus Station, buses to Girona airport stop at platforms 28-29.
♦Barcelona Bus Station is located almost in the city center. There are many hotels nearby and perhaps you can even walk to your hotel, as was the case with me. I just got on foot to my hotel within 10 minutes! However, if your hotel is located in another part of Barcelona, you can always get there by metro as the Arc de Triomf and Tetuan Metro Stations are located nearby.
The photo of the bus schedule from/to Girona Airport to/from Barcelona is below. However, to avoid misunderstandings, I would recommend checking the current timetable on the website of the bus carrier called Sagales (available in English), since the schedule may change depending on the season. For instance, in summer buses run more often than in winter.
Sagales is a company specializing in passenger transportation around Catalonia.
How to get to Barcelona from Girona Airport by train
There is no train station at Girona airport, but if for some reason you missed the direct bus to Barcelona, you can take a bus to Girona Bus Station, which is opposite the train station. And from the train station, take a direct train to Barcelona. In fact, this option is not very long in time, however, if you are traveling with a lot of luggage, it may be inconvenient.
Tickets for the bus to Girona Bus Station must be purchased at the same kiosk when exiting the airport and turning right. Buses No. 601, 605, 607 run between the airport and the bus station. The travel time by bus is 25 minutes. The carrier is still the same and called Sagales. Upon arrival at Girona Bus Station, you need to cross the road where the local Railway Station is located (directly opposite).
The schedule of electric trains from Girona to Barcelona can be found on the website of the Spanish railway called Renfe. Both regional and high-speed electric trains run between the cities. The cost of travel on a regional electric train is 8-9 euros, on high-speed trains the price reaches 20-30 euros one way, but the duration of a trip is much faster. The travel time on a regional electric train is 1 hour 15 minutes, and on a high-speed train it is 40 minutes. Electric trains run 3-4 times an hour, which is quite convenient.
Sagales is a company specializing in passenger transportation around Catalonia.
Renfe is the national railway company operating throughout Spain.
How to get to Barcelona from Girona Airport by taxi/transfer
If necessary, you can get from Girona airport to Barcelona by taxi or private transfer. This service is not cheap, however, if, for example, you are traveling with a group of friends or family and split the cost between everyone, then the fare is not much more expensive than public transport, and is also much more comfortable and faster.
Finding a car at Girona airport is not that difficult. There is a separate area with the sign “Taxi”. If there is no free car, you can call a taxi by the free phone, right here in the parking lot.
We recommend booking transfer services in advance. This is a more reliable way that will help you avoid markups from local taxi drivers. By booking a transfer in advance via international services, you won`t need to search for a car on the spot. A driver with a sign with your name will already be waiting for you at the time of arrival and help you with luggage. In addition, if you are traveling with children, you can also order a child seat/booster in advance.
Kiwitaxi is a system for ordering taxi transfers from airports, train stations and hotels around the world;
Intui.Travel is a system for self-booking tourist transfers to/from hotels and motels via the Internet.
The travel time by transfer or taxi is about 1 hour, depending on the location of your hotel. The cost of taxi and transfer services is approximately the same, while the transfer is considered to be a more reliable and comfortable way to get there. The cars are usually equipped with air conditioning, bottled water, and the driver will already be waiting for you at the time of arrival.
I use both online services mentioned above to check out available options when planning my upcoming trips in advance. If I travel with someone else, we can share our expenses on the transfer services and reach our travel destination faster than by public transport.
How to get to Barcelona from Girona Airport by rented car
If you plan to explore not only Barcelona, but also travel around Catalonia, for example, go to the sea or mountains, then a good alternative to public transport is car rental.
In the terminal of Girona airport, you can find the points of rental offices. You can find them immediately on the left when exiting. There are no queues in the off-season; in the summer there may be some queues. In any case, we recommend booking a car in advance to rent at the most advantageous prices.
To register a car, you only need to have a passport, an international driver’s license and a bank card to pay for services. At Girona Airport, you can find offices of various rental companies, such as Firefly, InterRent, Goldcar, Rhodium, Dollar and others. Popular car booking services, which I usually use, are:
Discover Cars is a service for searching, comparing and saving on car rentals;
Economybookings is a service for finding cheap car rentals around the world.
Girona Airport and Barcelona are connected by the AP-7 highway. The distance is approximately 97 km. The travel time is about 1 hour. Alternative routes are also available. They are #C-33 and #C-32. Please note that highways in Spain are toll roads, so keep this information in mind when planning your car trip.
I have travelled by car around Europe a lot, and, based on my experience, it is a very convenient and often the fastest way to reach the desired travel destination. I would recommend a car rental as an option in case you prefer travelling on your own with some stops along the way.
You can do your own search of a car for renting, if you wish:
As you can see, there are quite a few alternatives to get from Girona Airport to Barcelona, including public transport, taxi, transfer service and car rental. Below you can see a table of the available means of transport that you can use to get from Girona Airport to Barcelona:
| Type of transport | Travel time | Opening hours | Some additional information |
| Bus | 75 minutes | Daytime hours, strictly according to schedule | Departs strictly on schedule. Outside the schedule, you will have to look for an alternative option |
| Electric train | From 40 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes from Girona train station | Daytime hours, strictly according to schedule | You must first get from the airport to the Girona train station |
| Taxi/transfer | 1 hour | 24/7 | Taxi – by meter, transfer – fixed fee |
| Car rental | 1 hour | 24/7 | The deposit on the card is blocked for the duration of the rental. |
In my opinion, getting from Girona Airport to Barcelona is very easy. As I personally used this option, I can confirm that the logistics at the airport is excellent. Right after arrival I bought a round-trip ticket to the bus and here I was. The other options, such as trains, taxis, transfer services or car rental are also nice and very useful as they let you choose your own type of travelling.
Take a note! When going on a trip to Italy, do not forget to take out travel insurance, which is useful for receiving a tourist visa and for solving emerging medical problems when travelling in another country. You can purchase insurance via online services, for example, via EKTA and others. You can choose from different modes, including quiet, active or extreme rest.
Photo credit: all photos are taken by me during my visit to Barcelona ©Julia Mam
Julia is an experienced traveller, BA in International Relations and Languages and true lover of planning trips in advance. Learn more about the author…