My 77 year old dad, my 20 year old son and I will be flying in and out of Barcelona in May... We usually prefer to take public transportation when it is good and reliable. We plan to stay our first 5 nights in Barcelona and then take a train to Girona and spend 2 nights there. From there I don't know where the next night will be...but we're headed to Cadaques for 2 nights and on to Tossa de Mar (I have yet to book those two or three nights) and then back to Barcelona (or Girona to return the car?). I'd really love for us to be able to see small towns like Besalu, etc... And we want to visit the Gardens of St. Clotilde, etc... Does anyone recommend we skip renting a car in the Costa Brava region? We want to relax. But we also want to see unique places. If a car rental is recommended for this portion of our trip, do you have recommendations for what company to rent from? And any tips? Do we need a special license?
Posted by
Citizen of the World
3907 posts
I would definitely rent a car once you’re ready to depart Girona. Intercity public transit in the region is very limited and trains do not travel to the coastal towns. There are car rental agencies located near Girona’s train station. www.AutoEurope.com is my go-to company for great European car rental rates.
Once you leave Girona, Besalu is about a 35-minute drive. It’s a fascinating town. You also could see Besalu by bus ( 55 minutes) on a daytrip from Girona and wait until departing for the coast to rent a car.
An alternative to Cadaques that would simplify your itinerary would be to stay in the beachfront town of Cala de Palafrugell or one of its two neighbors—Llafranc and Tamariu. All three are great Spanish seaside towns. The three are only 30 miles from Tossa de Mar.
There are express buses taking 75 to 90-minutes between Tossa de Mar and Barcelona.
A local car rental agency based near Tossa de Mar will deliver cars to your hotel and also pick the car up from you. I rented from them in Tossa de Mar and highly recommend the company. www.Ganxorent.com has current rates.
Each driver of the rental car will need the legally-required International Drivers Permit (IDP). An IDP is a translation of your state drivers license and can be obtained at any American Automobile Association office for about $30.
Have fun in Spain!
Posted by
new york
1508 posts
We (two of us) plan to visit the Costa Brava in September; I plan to rent our car in Girona, from SIXT, the agency who I rent from often in Spain. Many people also like the broker, AutoEurope, recommended, above.
We plan to fly to Barcelona, transfer to Girona; stay there probably for two nights, and rent the car for the remainder of the vacation.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
2307 posts
I would definitely rent a car so that you can see a lot of the Costa Brava and make stops in the lovely villages along the coast and in the Pyrenees. Renting your car in Girona makes sense since you can take the train to Girona. We happened to rent our car in Barcelona because we stayed overnight in Cadaques first, making stops along the way, and then from there we drove to Girona where we spent 2 nights. We also drove from Girona to Besalu, Rupit, Ripoll, and a few other towns/villages from there.
We always use AutoEurope, a broker. This way you will see a list of rental car companies, and you can decide which one has the best prices for you. Through AutoEurope, we have rented cars from SIXT, Europcar, and Hertz.
We always get an IDP from AAA. So far we have never been asked to show our IDP, but my philosophy is that it's better to have it and not need it than to not have it and need it. I've heard that an IDP is good to have in case you are in a car accident, and then the police might ask to see it.