Do you need a car in Girona?
Yes — a car turns Girona from a compact walkable city into a base for exploring Costa Brava and the volcanic Garrotxa region. Girona's old town, the Barri Vell, is small enough to cover entirely on foot, and if your trip stays inside the city walls you can skip renting altogether. But the moment you want the hidden coves along Costa Brava like Sa Caleta and Cala Pola, or the volcanic landscapes of La Garrotxa, public transport falls short — trains only reach Figueres, Tossa de Mar and Begur, and everywhere else depends on infrequent SARFA buses. The two real adjustments are that Girona Airport has no direct rail link into the city, and that a brand-new low-emission zone in the historic center carries a real fine for drivers who don't know it exists yet.
- Rent a car in Girona to reach Costa Brava's hidden coves and La Garrotxa's volcanic region — trains only reach Figueres, Tossa de Mar and Begur, everywhere else needs SARFA buses or your own wheels.
- Girona's ZBE (Zona de Baixes Emissions) low-emission zone took effect on 15 September 2025 — cars without an environmental sticker risk a €100–200 fine on weekdays 7:00–20:00, though tourists get a 24-day-per-year exemption.
- Girona Airport (GRO) has no direct train connection — you'll need the Sagalés/Eixbus bus (about €2.80, 25–30 minutes) or a taxi (about €25–30); picking up your rental at the train station in town instead of the airport often means shorter lines.
- Goldcar draws repeated complaints at GRO for a 12% airport surcharge and a "full-to-full" fuel policy that still gets charged extra — read the terms before booking on price alone.
Girona's ZBE low-emission zone is brand new — and the fine is real
Girona introduced a Zona de Baixes Emissions (ZBE) covering its historic center on 15 September 2025, and most driving guides for the city still don't cover it. Enforcement runs Monday to Friday, 7:00 to 20:00 — weekends and holidays are unrestricted. Vehicles without a pre-approved environmental sticker (etiqueta ambiental) driving or parking inside the zone during those hours face a fine of €100–200. There is a practical carve-out for visitors: non-resident vehicles without a sticker are allowed up to 24 days per calendar year inside the ZBE during enforcement hours, which covers most short trips if you plan around it — but it's exactly the kind of rule that catches first-time visitors off guard because the law is less than a year old.
Girona Airport has no direct train — plan the last leg separately
Girona–Costa Brava Airport (GRO) sits about 11km south of the city near Vilobí d'Onyar, roughly 15–30 minutes by road. Unlike some regional airports, GRO has no direct rail connection into Girona itself. The options are the Sagalés line 602 or Eixbus line L-28 bus (about €2.80, 25–30 minutes) or a taxi (about €25–30, around 20 minutes). A tip that comes up repeatedly in local forums: pick up and return your rental at Girona's train station in the city center instead of at the airport counter — queues tend to be shorter, and some companies (Enterprise among them) have closed their airport desk and now operate only from the station.
Parking in the Barri Vell means blue-zone apps, not free spaces
There is no free parking inside Girona's historic center, the Barri Vell. Street parking runs on a paid "blue zone" (espai blava) system, managed through apps like MOT: Aparcar or coin-fed meters. Free parking is available at the edges of the city for anyone willing to walk 5–10 minutes in. Driving into the old town itself is discouraged for reasons beyond parking, too — the streets are narrow and medieval, and the ZBE restrictions layer on top, so most visitors are better off parking outside the walls and walking in.
Goldcar draws the most complaints at GRO — read the fine print
Among the car rental companies operating at Girona Airport, Goldcar shows up repeatedly in traveler complaints, mainly over a 12% airport surcharge and a fuel charge of around €15 that gets applied even under a "full-to-full" policy. Forum advice that comes up often for peak-time pickups: bring both driving licenses if two people will be driving, and split up at the counter — one person handling the rental paperwork while the other manages luggage — to cut down on wait time during busy arrivals.
Costa Brava and La Garrotxa are the reason to rent — the city itself doesn't need one
Girona city is compact enough that most visitors never need a car inside it. The calculation changes as soon as the trip extends outward: the hidden coves along Costa Brava, and the volcanic landscapes of La Garrotxa, are both areas where public transport coverage thins out fast. Rail only reaches a few points — Figueres (home to the Dalí museum), and coastal towns like Tossa de Mar and Begur are reachable via SARFA buses, but service is limited outside peak season. "How do I structure my trip without a car" is a recurring thread in travel forums for exactly this reason — it's a real dilemma here, not a settled question.
