Barcelona Airport to Lloret, Tossa, Blanes and Calella

Where the Costa Brava actually begins

The Costa Brava starts at Blanes, where the Tordera river meets the sea, and runs north through Lloret de Mar, Tossa de Mar, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Platja d'Aro, Palamós, Begur and Cadaqués to the French border. Calella and the Maresme resorts sit just south of that line but are usually booked in the same breath. From Barcelona Airport the nearest of these towns is around 80 km and the furthest well over 150, so this is an hour to two hours of driving on the C-32 and AP-7 — long enough that the transport decision shapes the first day of the holiday.

Fixed transfer prices to the main resorts

Our published Costa Brava airport transfer rates from El Prat are €150 to Lloret de Mar, €175 to Tossa de Mar, €145 to Blanes and €210 for the wider Costa Brava beyond those towns. Each price is per vehicle, includes motorway tolls, luggage, free child seats, flight tracking and meet and greet, and does not change at night or at weekends. If you land at Girona instead, the same coast is much closer: Girona Airport to Lloret de Mar is €80, and Girona Airport to Barcelona is €160.

Lloret de Mar: the busiest arrival point

Lloret is the largest resort on the Costa Brava, 85 km and about 70 minutes from El Prat, with hundreds of hotels stacked on the hills behind a long central beach. Two practical problems catch out first-time visitors: many hotels are on steep streets that are hard to find on foot, and the coach transfers sold with package holidays often visit five or six other hotels before reaching yours, turning 70 minutes into two hours after an early flight. A private transfer goes to your door and only your door.

Tossa de Mar: the coast road factor

Tossa is the postcard town — a walled medieval Vila Vella above a curved bay — and it is only 12 km beyond Lloret, but those 12 km are the GI-682 corniche, a spectacular and slow road of tight bends above the sea. Allow 85 to 90 minutes from El Prat. Our €175 fixed price accounts for that road; a meter would not be so kind. Drivers who know the route also know where the coaches cannot go, and Tossa's old town is closed to through traffic, so we agree the nearest legal stop to your hotel in advance.

Blanes: gateway town and botanical gardens

Blanes is the closest Costa Brava town to Barcelona at 75 km and roughly an hour, which is why it is our cheapest coastal rate at €145. It has a working fishing port, the Marimurtra and Pinya de Rosa botanical gardens on the cliffs, and the Sa Palomera rock that officially marks the start of the Costa Brava. It is also the last town on this coast with a direct rail line to Barcelona, though the station is a walk from the beach and the trains are slow and busy in summer.

Beyond the resorts: Begur, Palamós and Cadaqués

The northern Costa Brava is where the coves get smaller and the villages quieter. Platja d'Aro, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Palamós, Calella de Palafrugell, Llafranc, Tamariu, Begur and Cadaqués are 130 to 190 km from El Prat, between 100 minutes and two and a half hours. Public transport to these places from the airport is genuinely difficult, involving a coach to Girona and a local bus that may run twice a day out of season. We quote each village individually; the €210 wider Costa Brava rate is the starting point for the nearer ones.

Charter flights, late arrivals and Girona

A large share of Costa Brava holidaymakers arrive on charters into Girona–Costa Brava Airport, and many of those land after 23:00. Scheduled coaches are timed for daytime flights and the taxi rank empties quickly. A booked transfer is tied to your flight number and is there whatever the hour: Girona to Lloret is 40 km and about 35 minutes at €80. If your outbound is from Barcelona and your inbound into Girona, we handle both directions in one conversation.

Day trips once you are on the coast

Guests staying in Lloret, Tossa or Blanes often want a car for a day rather than only for the airport. The most requested runs are Girona's cathedral and old Jewish quarter, the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, the Tuesday market in Palafrugell and a cove-hopping afternoon along the Camí de Ronda. We quote these as fixed-price return journeys with waiting time included, which works out considerably simpler than hiring a car and looking for parking in medieval streets.

Booking and what we need from you

Send your flight number, arrival time, the resort and full hotel or apartment address, the number of passengers and suitcases, and the ages of any children. We reply with one fixed total, confirm it in writing, and send the driver's name, number and meeting point before you travel. Cash, card in the vehicle or advance bank transfer are all accepted.

Frequently asked questions