Barcelona to Girona by car is about 102 km (63 mi) from Passeig de Gràcia, roughly 1 hour 20 minutes on a clear road via the AP-7 motorway, according to our routing on the public road network. Girona's own tourist office puts the city 100 km from Barcelona and 65 km from the French border. From El Prat airport the drive is longer, about 115 km (71 mi) and an hour and a half.
The train is quick and Girona station is in the city centre, so for a visit to Girona alone it is a fair choice. A car becomes the better tool when you want to add a second or third place to the day: the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, the medieval town of Besalú, the castle at Púbol or a village on the Costa Brava. With Elly8.net, a full day with a chauffeur costs from US$630 per vehicle in a business sedan to US$1,255 in an Executive Sprinter, fixed and all-in.
How long is the drive from Barcelona to Girona?
About 1 hour 20 minutes on a clear road: roughly 102 km (63 mi) from Passeig de Gràcia via the AP-7, a routed estimate. Allow more when leaving the city at the weekday morning peak. From El Prat it is about 115 km (71 mi) and 1 hour 30 minutes. An Elly8.net full-day chauffeur is from US$630 per vehicle.
The main roads into Girona are the AP-7 motorway from Barcelona to France, the N-II and the C-25, as listed on the Girona tourist office's road page. The AP-7 is the route our routing uses for the times below. Any tolls on the route chosen are billed at cost.
Rides in Barcelona are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk.
See Barcelona prices and reserve
Routed distances for a Girona day
| Leg | Distance | Clear-road time (routed) |
|---|---|---|
| Passeig de Gràcia to Girona | 102 km / 63 mi | about 1 hr 20 min |
| El Prat (BCN) to Girona | 115 km / 71 mi | about 1 hr 30 min |
| Girona to Figueres | 42 km / 26 mi | about 40 min |
| Girona to Besalú | 32 km / 20 mi | about 35 min |
| Girona to Pals | 39 km / 24 mi | about 45 min |
| Girona to Tossa de Mar | 40 km / 25 mi | about 45 min |
| Figueres to Passeig de Gràcia | 139 km / 86 mi | about 1 hr 40 min |
| Besalú to Passeig de Gràcia | 130 km / 81 mi | about 1 hr 40 min |
All times are routed estimates on the public road network without traffic. They are useful for planning the shape of the day; the chauffeur will adjust for the real traffic on the morning.
What to see in Girona
Girona's historic centre is compact and best seen on foot. The tourist office's historic city guide traces more than 2,000 years through two fortified enclosures: the Força Vella, dating from the Roman foundation, and the medieval extension of the walls in the 14th and 15th centuries. The highlights it lists include the Cathedral, the Arab Baths, the Basilica of Sant Feliu, the Jewish Quarter or Call, Sant Pere de Galligants, the walk along the walls and the coloured houses on the River Onyar.
A comfortable visit is three to four hours: the Cathedral and its steps, the Jewish Quarter's narrow lanes, a section of the walls for the view, and lunch around the Plaça de la Independència or the Rambla de la Llibertat. The chauffeur drops you at the edge of the old town and collects you at an agreed point; much of the centre is pedestrian.
Girona's biggest festival, the Fires de Sant Narcís, usually takes over the city in the second half of October, with concerts, fairs and human towers. It is a lively time to visit and a busy one, so plan the drop-off point with the desk.
Stop 1: Figueres and the Dalí Theatre-Museum
Figueres, about 42 km (26 mi) north of Girona, is home to the Dalí Theatre-Museum, which the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation describes as the world's largest surrealist object. Inaugurated in 1974 in the former municipal theatre, it holds the largest collection of the artist's work, and it is best seen early. Book tickets online through the foundation, then plan the car around your entry.
A Dalí-focused day combines Figueres in the morning with Girona in the afternoon, then about 1 hour 20 minutes back to Barcelona. The foundation also runs the Gala Dalí Castle in Púbol and the Salvador Dalí House-Museum in Portlligat, near Cadaqués; together the three make up what the foundation calls the Dalinian Triangle. Púbol fits easily into a Girona day. Portlligat is further out on the coast and is better as a day of its own or an overnight stay.
Stop 2: Besalú
Besalú is a small medieval town about 32 km (20 mi) north-west of Girona, around 35 minutes routed. Its old centre takes an hour or two to walk and pairs naturally with Girona, giving a day of two medieval towns with very different scales. The return from Besalú to Barcelona is about 130 km (81 mi), roughly 1 hour 40 minutes.
Stop 3: The Costa Brava
Girona sits close to the coast. Pals, a medieval village inland from the coast, is about 39 km (24 mi) from Girona; Tossa de Mar, with its walled old town above the sea, about 40 km (25 mi). In summer, many visitors spend the morning in Girona and the afternoon by the sea. The Costa Brava tourism board lists beaches, villages and seasonal events across the coast.
Three ways to shape the day
Girona only, relaxed. Leave Barcelona at 9:30, arrive around 11:00, walk the old town and have a long lunch, start back at 16:00. If this is the whole plan, compare the car with the train honestly: two travellers on the high-speed train will pay less, and the station is central.
Girona and Figueres. Leave at 8:00, Dalí museum at opening, lunch in Girona, afternoon in the old town, back by 19:00. This is where the car earns its place, because Figueres and Girona are separate stops and the museum entry time is fixed.
Girona, Besalú and Púbol. A full countryside day with a medieval town, a castle and the city, impossible to link efficiently by public transport.
What a driver costs, and how it compares
Girona is not on the fixed airport price list, so there are two ways to book it.
The full-day chauffeur. The car and chauffeur stay with you for the day, wait at every stop and drive you back. It costs US$630 in a business sedan, US$810 in a business SUV, US$960 in a First Class SUV, US$1,035 in a First Class Sedan and US$1,255 in an Executive Sprinter, per vehicle, including standard gratuity. Tolls and parking are billed at cost.
A one-way or point-to-point transfer. If you are moving on to a hotel in Girona or on the Costa Brava, or flying out of Girona-Costa Brava Airport, the web booker quotes a one-way ride. See city to city car service.
| Option | What you pay | Flexibility | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed train | Per-person ticket from Renfe | Fixed timetable; central station | Girona only, one or two travellers |
| Rental car | Rental, fuel, tolls, parking | Your own, but you drive and park | Confident drivers on a multi-day trip |
| Elly8.net full-day chauffeur | From US$630 per vehicle | Door to door, multiple stops | Figueres or Besalú added, families, groups |
| Elly8.net one-way transfer | Quoted in the web booker | Door to door | Moving on to Girona or the coast |
For a group the per-vehicle price changes the picture. A business SUV at US$810 for six people is about US$135 each, and an Executive Sprinter at US$1,255 for twelve is about US$105 each, purely as arithmetic for comparison; the prices are for the vehicle, not per person. Six train tickets plus taxis to Figueres and Besalú add up quickly, and nobody has to drive or navigate the narrow access roads. See chauffeur vs car rental for the general comparison.
Practical details for the drive
Low-emission zones. Barcelona's ZBE Rondes restricts the most polluting vehicles inside the ring roads on weekdays from 7:00 to 20:00, and Girona also operates a low-emission zone, flagged on its tourist office site. In a chauffeured car the partner handles compliance; with a rental you need to check your vehicle.
Parking in Girona. The city has free zones, blue paid zones and private car parks, according to the tourist office's getting around page, and it regulates coach parking for tourist groups. With a chauffeur you do not need to find a space; the car waits nearby and comes back when called.
Vehicles. A business sedan carries three passengers and two bags; a business SUV or First Class SUV six and six; an Executive Sprinter twelve and twelve. For a day trip, luggage is light, so a sedan suits a couple and an SUV a family. The classes are on the fleet page.
Wine on the way. If you add a winery visit to the day, the chauffeur drives, so the group can taste; the chauffeur follows local rules in the vehicle itself. See wine tours.
Girona on the way north
Girona sits on the main road from Barcelona to France, which makes it a natural stop on a longer journey rather than only a day out. Travellers heading to the French Riviera often break the drive with lunch in Girona's old town and a walk on the walls, then continue north. Elly8.net also books cars at the other end, with fixed fares on the Nice, Cannes and Monaco city pages, so a Barcelona-to-Riviera week can run on one account. Long point-to-point rides with a stop are quoted in the web booker as a single booking.
Groups, weddings and company days
Girona's old town and the countryside around it are popular for destination weddings and company outings. For those days, an Executive Sprinter with twelve seats keeps guests together between the ceremony, the venue and the hotel, and a First Class Sedan carries the couple. See wedding transportation and group transportation. Tell the desk the venue and timings when you book; access roads to rural venues can be narrow, and the partner chooses the vehicle size to suit.
Other day trips to compare
If Girona feels too far for a single day, Montserrat is about an hour from the city and has its own fixed 6-hour package from US$470 per vehicle; see Barcelona to Montserrat: is a private driver worth it over the train? Our overview of Barcelona day trips with a private driver compares six routes, including the Penedès and Sitges.
How to book
- Choose the full-day chauffeur on the Barcelona city page, or enter Girona and your stops in the web booker.
- Pick the vehicle by passengers.
- Press Reserve now to pay in US$; confirmation arrives by email.
Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show. Refunds go to the original card.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Girona from Barcelona?
About 102 km (63 mi) from Passeig de Gràcia by road, roughly 1 hour 20 minutes on a clear road via the AP-7, as a routed estimate. Girona's tourist office gives 100 km. From El Prat airport the drive is about 115 km (71 mi) and an hour and a half.
How much does a driver from Barcelona to Girona cost?
A full day with an Elly8.net chauffeur, waiting at every stop, costs from US$630 in a business sedan, US$810 in a business SUV and US$1,035 in a First Class Sedan to US$1,255 in an Executive Sprinter, per vehicle. A one-way transfer is quoted in the web booker. Tolls and parking are billed at cost.
Is it better to take the train to Girona?
For one or two people visiting only Girona, the high-speed train is good value and the station is in the city centre. A car is better when you add Figueres, Besalú, Púbol or the coast, travel as a family or group, or want to leave and return on your own schedule.
Can we see Girona and the Dalí museum in one day?
Yes. Figueres is about 42 km (26 mi) from Girona, around 40 minutes routed. Visit the Dalí Theatre-Museum in the morning with tickets booked online, then spend the afternoon in Girona's old town. Expect a long day, roughly 8:00 to 19:00 from Barcelona.
Can the car drive into Girona's old town?
Not far. Much of the historic centre is pedestrian, so the chauffeur drops you at the edge of the old town and collects you at an agreed point. The city regulates coach parking for groups, and the desk plans drop-off points for Sprinter groups in advance.
Can you take us from Barcelona to a hotel on the Costa Brava via Girona?
Yes. Enter the hotel as the destination and Girona as a stop in the web booker, and the ride is quoted as a one-way transfer with a stop. A business SUV takes six passengers and six bags for a family moving on with luggage.
