This post is aimed at helping those who wish to travel to the Costa Brava by public transport from Barcelona and Girona.
Trains on the Costa Brava
AVE is a high speed train line connecting Barcelona and France. Girona and Figueres are stops on the AVE line. It is a fast and easy way to travel between Barcelona and the Girona province. Timetables can be found here; RENFE Timetables However if your final destination is the Costa Brava coast then either bus or a combination of train and bus are your only options.
As well as the fast AVE train linking Barcelona, Girona and Figueres there is the secondary, slower Regional route. Regional trains from Barcelona also pass through Girona and Figueres to the frontier town of Portbou stopping at many smaller stations along the way. Barcelona to Girona on the AVE takes around 35 minutes and around 1 hour 30 minutes on the Regional. Barcelona Regional train timetable
Buses on the Costa Brava
The bus company Sarfa offer routes directly from Barcelona and Girona airports to most of the main coastal towns on the Costa Brava Sarfa Bus timetable
Alternatively there is the option of taking the train to Girona and then a bus on to your final destination. As well as Sarfa other local bus companies include: Sagales bus timetable and Teisa bus timetable
Teisa also have a direct route between Barcelona and Olot stopping at Banyoles and Besalu. Barcelona Besalu bus timetable The journey time between Barcelona and Besalu is around 1 hour 40 minutes.
Costa Brava public transport
Here is a quick recap of public transport on the Costa Brava. The Girona province has two main train stations, Girona and Figueres. Both of these stations are stops on the high-speed AVE line connecting Barcelona with France. The slower Regional route from Girona to Portbou stops at Llanca and Colera.
With the exception of Portbou, Colera and Llanca at the very northern tip of the Costa Brava no other coastal towns are reachable by train.
Connecting buses can be taken from Girona and Figueres train stations to the coast. Main bus terminals are to be found at Roses, L’Escala, Palafrugell, Palamos and Sant Feliu de Guixols.