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Girona
Girona
Airport.
Girona
has its own modern, expanding airport, the gateway for many
of the package holiday visitors on their way to the Costa
Brava. Situated about 15 kms. from Girona city near a town
called Vilobi d' Onyar. Every time I use this place it
seems there's always something new to see, and the
departures hall has expanded recently with more check-in
desks.
Girona airport has many connections to Europe and the rest
of the world. These are just some of the European airlines
that fly to and from Girona. Iberia, Wizzair, Centralwings,
Spanair and of course the biggest by far is Ryanair.
Within its own website it lists it as 'Barcelona-Girona'
but the reality is that Barcelona is about 90 kms. away to
the south. If you're traveling to Barcelona via Girona
airport read below on how to get there by bus or train.
As far as I know, for transatlantic travel and far-away
destinations if you're living here, you would need to use
Barcelona airport.
Flying to
Girona from the U.K.
Ryanair uses Girona as one of
its main hubs and serves many UK airports with direct
flights to Girona from places like London Stansted, London
Luton, Bristol, Blackpool, Bournemouth, East Midlands,
Liverpool, Doncaster, Durham, Glasgow and Newcastle. For
Ireland it serves Dublin and Shannon from Girona. For a
complete and up-to-date list of destinations go to their
main website.
Need
UK Airport Parking? Click here
Views of Girona airport
building.
Information about
Girona Airport, which bus to take to either Girona or
Barcelona and information on hiring cars.
Car parking is plentiful but now no longer free and
includes a multi-storey block nearby, in walking distance.
The parking charges are reasonable, my short weekend stay
cost me just 18 euros recently. As you enter just push the
button to collect the ticket and choose from either the
open spaces or the multi-storey section which is a bit
further to walk to the main airport building. On your
return just use the automatic pay machines which accept
credit/debit cards, coins and notes. Note, there are two
exit barriers.
The arrivals and check-in areas are on the ground floor
where there's also a tourist information desk, near the
car-hire desks.
Oficina
de Turismo del Aeropuerto. Edificio
Terminal, vestíbulo de llegadas
Teléfono: 972 186 708 Fax: 972 473 090 E- mail:
ot.aeroportgirona@gencat.net
The outdoor terrace
Duty-Free shops upstairs
The departure halls
are upstairs, where you can also find the usual duty-free
shops and cafes. It's quite spacious upstairs, the views
out towards the mountains are very uplifting! There's also
an outdoor terrace area with a small kiosk/cafe where you
can do some last-minute sunbathing!
Getting to
Barcelona or Girona.
If your'e travelling onto Barcelona you need to look out
for the Barcelona Bus desk inside the airport where you can
buy a bus ticket, about 12€, which takes you to
Barcelona's main bus station Estacio del Nord. The bus
timetable is run alongside the Ryanair schedules so you
should'nt have to wait too long. As you walk out the
airport terminal they're usually parked-up just across the
road with Barcelona Bus on the side of the coach.
However, if you want to take the train to Barcelona you'll
have to get to Girona train station (look below) and take
the fast train called the Catalunya Express (journey time
about 1hr.15).
Look for this bus when you
exit the arrivals hall.
But, if you want to
get into Girona city you need to take the other Barcelona
bus that leaves about every 25 mins. This journey takes
about 20 mins and brings you to the main train, bus and
coach station called Estacio de Girona. A single ticket
costs 2.15€ and you have to buy it from the same
Barcelona Bus desk, inside the airport arrivals hall,
before you board.
Please note, the bus stop for
those Girona bound is located just outside the exit of the
arrivals hall so don't cross over the road.. It's not that
obvious and I found this out by first walking across to
where the Barcelona buses were parked for Barcelona (these
go to Estacio
d'Autobusos Barcelona Nord ), only to be told that they
were all going to Barcelona, and that the Girona bus leaves
from a Bus stop just opposite, so its worth asking if
your'e unsure (donde esta el autobus a Girona?).
Check for up-to-date timetables and prices at their
website www.barcelonabus.com
they normally
leave every hour on the hour for the bus to Girona
airport and then leave on the half-hour, coming back
into Girona. It just goes to Girona's main train and bus
station and doesn't make any other stops. I came back
once late at night and caught the 11.30pm bus to Girona
station and was told it was the last one. Miss that one
and the only option left is catching a taxi, which could
cost between 20-25€.
The bizzare thing is that when you travel on this bus from
Girona city to the airport you can't buy the ticket from
inside the bus station but have to pay as you enter the
bus. We've also noticed that when you travel on local buses
that serve the towns and villages around Girona the ticket
desk won't sell you a ticket until about 15 mins before the
bus leaves?. It's also the same for train tickets, I tried
to buy a ticket to travel the next day and was told it's
not possible.
Here's another informative Girona Airport
Guide
Here's an informative guide to Barcelona
Airport
View at ground
level 
Girona station platform.
There are currently
no train connections from the airport to Girona city.
Girona train station (Estacio de Girona) is near the centre
and the Bus and Coach station is also there. One building
is for the trains and the one opposite is for the buses and
coaches. The track runs above ground (above left pic.) so
it's easy to spot the trains but poorly signposted when
trying to find it by car, as I discovered. Inside the Bus
terminal there's a cafe, various shops, car-hire offices
and toilets.
There's lots of construction work going on around here due
to the fast rail link that's being built, and will take 2-3
years.
For ciggie-lovers, just outside the train station and part
of the building, there's a Tabac shop, open 8am-10pm
Mondays to Saturdays, closed Sundays and on official Bank
holidays.
From Girona you can also get
trains to other places in Catalonia, Spain and beyond, but
there's little that actually runs to or along the coast
itself (except to Llanca ,45 mins. and further on to places
like Port Bou near the French border) so for coastal
destinations you'd have to take the buses.
Girona's train station
& taxi rank.
Apparently what used to be the railway track along the
coast is now a cycle track. Here's a link to the RENFE
(Spanish rail operator) site that has train info in
English www.renfe.es
Update Oct.08. The work on the AVE or fast train line from
France down into Spain has started in earnest and there are
building sites and road diversions all around the station.
Construction time is estimated at 2-3 years, but who knows!
What used to be the station car park has now been
transformed as the new site for the Bus station, so they
are now arriving and departing from here.
Taxis into Girona City should cost about 30 € from
the airport, the taxi rank is outside the arrivals hall and
there's always plenty. For anyone looking for a Co. that
offers a shuttle service from Girona airport to Barcelona
or the coastal resorts.
Click
here
Car hire in
Spain,
try:
CarDelMar
Car Hire in
Girona
Car
Hire in Girona is available from within the Airport or at
Girona station. The car hire desks are easy to find on the
ground floor of the arrivals terminal at Girona airport. To
collect your car tho' you need to exit the building and
collect your keys from a location outside. Update spring
09. Because of new terminal buildings going up, this has
now changed, but the car hire reps will advise.
The Girona train station also has car hire offices inside.
Search
eBookers for Hotels, Car Hire and
Flights.
If your'e planning on staying in Girona City itself and
your hotel doesn't have parking, it can be difficult to
find a parking space. Look out for the underground parking
signs, same as in the UK, a large P on a blue background as
there's plenty of them. Street parking is mostly free but
some central areas do have bays that require pre-payment
using roadside machines.
If you do find a parking space in the streets then mind
your bumpers, as I've never seen people park their cars so
close to each other that I wonder sometimes how they ever
get out!
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