Driving from Llafranc to BCN for 3 p.m. flight: Need Insight/Recommendations

Looking at google map estimate of 1.5-2.0 hrs on a weekday morning, I would be planning to have wheels turning no later than 9AM. I am factoring in time to refuel before dropping off everyone at the airport with the luggage and then drop the car and make myself to the airport unencumbered with any bags.

Depending on what the composition of the 'family' is leaving a bit earlier may be prudent.

No personal experience on the route.

Comments above presumes you are on a flight to a non-Schengen destination and plans to have you in the terminal by Noon.

What date would that be?

Monday, June 22.

We did that route a few years ago and didn’t have any issues. It’s pretty straightforward.

June 22nd is a Sunday. Anyway, that weekend is the Sant Joan long weekend and many locals, especially from Barcelona, will be in their summer apartments, especially along the coast. Sant Joan, or the Summer Solstice, is a beloved festivity here in Catalonia and a lot of people celebrate it.

Also, quite a few fellow Europeans, especially French, do visit that area in June. THEREFORE there'll be more transit than normal. This long weekend affects mobility from late Friday 20th to late Tuesday 24th (Sant Joan's Day).

You might find traffic along the C-31 and C-66 in and out of Palafrugell until you reach the AP-7 motorway, also known as E-15 if using European-standard naming system -which is the route I'd take. "C" stands for "comarcal", sort of your county roads. We're not talking about deadlock, but slow traffic at times can happen.

So, if you need to be at the BCN airport for a 3pm flight, you ought to arrive say 1pm, or earlier. The journey should take under 2h from Llafranc to the airport, but I'd accommodate a bit of traffic here and there, therefore I'd estimate -just in case- an extra hour. Therefore, and including dropping your car etc, you ought to be leaving Llafranc say by 10 at latest, more like 9ish for my taste. Again, it might be a smooth sail but...

That'd be my take anyway, but again, I can't predict traffic and, from Llafranc to Vidreres, if you get stuck it can be difficult to find an alternative path.

You can monitor live transit along any route in Catalonia through this service from the Catalan National Transportation Service from the Government of Catalonia here: https://mct.gencat.cat/

Enric would you arrive at BCN that late for a transatlantic flight, just 2 hours? The OP is "heading home".

June 22, 2025 = Sunday

June 22, 2026 = Monday

Aimee, care to clarify?

Like Nigel, I have misgivings about the 2 hour advice being too little time.

Sorry for the confusion. I meant to type Monday, June 23rd. I actually ended up moving my flight one day to 6:50 a.m. June 24th. I will stay the last night closer to BCN so that I don't have to worry about travel the morning of my flight. But that now leads me to two new questions, if you don't mind giving some input:

1. If I fly out at 6:50 a.m., how early should I arrive at the airport? Do the gates open before 5:00 a.m.?
2. If it's the weekend of Sant Joan, is Llafranc still a good place to stay, or will it be too busy? We have two nights we can stay anywhere in the region. We will already have stayed in BCN for 4 nights and are staying in a rental south of Girona (Llagostera) for 5 nights--visiting places in the Costa Brava area and also Montserrat. I figured 2 nights on the coast in Llafranc would be a relaxing way to end our vacation--but maybe you have other suggestions?