By plane

Girona-Costa Brava airport

Girona-Costa Brava airport is located at approximate twelve kilometres from Girona. This airport nowadays receives flights from different European cities, mainly by the Ryanair Company. Pay attention: many times those companies write Girona-Costa Brava (Barcelona) as the name of the airport.

The trip between the airport of Girona and the city can be done by taxi or by bus.

There is a bus line that covers from Airport to Girona city center. Bus departures are every hour  from 5.30 am to 0.30 am (you can find the timetable in the following web page). The ticket sales office is located on the ground floor, in the arrivals hall, beside the car hire offices. Price is 2'75€ one-way ticket.

If you take a taxi the price can be around 30/35€.

Barcelona “El Prat” airport

However, so many times, getting to Girona by plane means arriving at the airport of Barcelona “El Prat” and coming to our city from there. There are two ways to reach Girona from BCN airport:  by bus or by train.

The bus service from the Barcelona airport “El Prat” to Girona city is run by the company Sagalés Airport Line .The trip lasts 1.30h and price is 19 Euros. You can make the reservation or see the timetable in https://www.sagalesairportline.com/en.

To use the train option, you must catch a train- shuttle from the airport to the Barcelona- Sants station, , where you can change train for Girona.  The train- shuttle is next to the terminal T2-B and departures are every 30 minutes. If you arrive on terminal T1 you must take a bus-shuttle until T2(you can find the bus out of T1).

In spite of changing trains, when you buy the ticket at the airport station, you can buy it for the whole Barcelona airport-Girona trajectory.

Be aware that the last train from Barcelona-Sants to Girona is at 22.56h. There is different types of trains: Regional and MD (they take 1.30h aprox.) and  High Speed Trains- AVE/ AVANT- (more expensive) but they take only 36minutes .

You can find here  timetables and prices

By train

The City of Girona is well linked by rail with numerous trains to and from Barcelona as well as to and from EUROPE. You will find that at Girona station there are two types of trains, the Regional or Media Distancia, and the high-speed (AVE). On the website and at the ticket offices, you can buy tickets for both types, with the same procedure, but the physical access to the platforms are separated. 

Long distance journeys are normally covered by the high speed (Madrid and other European cities). Although these have a higher price, but you can also find these trips for "low cost" with the names AVANT and AVLO.  

For further information:
https://www.renfe.com
Tel. +34 912 320 320

By road

Girona connects directly with Europe and Barcelona with Motorway AP-7 and National Highway A-2. There also exists a coach-lines providing service from a wide range of European cities with a stop in the bus station of Girona.

Girona is a city located in a strategic place (41.59 ° north latitude, 2.49 º east longitude) of the Iberian Peninsula. Over the years it has become a genuinely modern transport hub, and access to the city (by car, train or plane) is excellent.

Access to the various UdG campuses is easy, whether by taxi, by bus or, given the size of the city, on foot. Also, if you are a student at the University of Girona, you can travel by bus in Girona (reduced price) during the whole academic year (September- September) . Save money andCO2; leave the car at home and take the bus! For more information, visit this web page.

If you need a bike during your stay in Girona the UdG can let you one. All the UdG community members can use a university bike during the academic course, for a maximum of a five days period. Click on this link for more information.

There is also a public bike system in Girona called Girocleta.

The climate is distinctly continental. Girona is within the temperate zone. The average temperatures oscillate between 13°C and 17°C. The province is cooler to the north and west, while the warmer areas are located on the coast (influenced by the warm water of the Mediterranean). The temperature in the mountains is always lower than the plain. These low temperatures pose a risk of frost. The coast of Girona, however, is almost always warm. 

The frequency of rainfall is greater in the east and in the mountains, and less on the western plain.

Weather in Girona:

• Annual temperature: average 14°C, high 36°C, low -3°C.

• Temperature changes are common and there are usually marked changes in temperature between night and day.

Weather forecasts for the city of Girona can be found at this link.

• Business hours
  The opening hours of most shops is from 9.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. and from 4.30 to 8.30 p.m., although franchises and shopping malls do not close for lunch. Supermarkets and specialised shops open from 10.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m.. Summer and winter timetables usually vary slightly to adapt to the hours of sunshine. Shops open from Monday to Saturday. If you come shopping in Girona on Monday morning, do not be surprised to see many of the shops closed, as many retailers prefer to stay closed on Monday mornings. Establishments that are certainly open are franchises and department stores and some shops in the city centre.

• Meal times
  As for meals, lunch is usually eaten between 1.30 p.m. and 3.00 p.m., and dinner between 8.30 and 10.00 p.m.. During the weekend the meal times are a bit later. Most restaurants cater to the habits of tourists. For lunch or dinner, especially on weekends, it is recommended to call the establishment in advance to reserve a table. 

• Opening hours of museums and monuments
  Most museums and monuments open to the public can be visited from 10.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. in winter, from March to September, and from 10.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. in summer. On Sundays and holidays they are usually open from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. They are open every day of the year except 1 and 6 January, Easter Sunday, and 25 and 26 December.

• Time changes
  Girona is the GMT +01.00 time zone, the same as Madrid, Paris, Rome, Brussels, Berlin, Warsaw and Copenhagen. As in most European countries, the official time varies during the year: the clock is moved forward an hour on the last Sunday in March (time change from winter to summer) and back an hour on the last Sunday in October (time change from summer to winter).

• Banking hours
  In general, commercial and savings banks are open from 8.15 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. on Monday to Friday. Savings banks also open on Thursday afternoons from 4.30 to 7.45 p.m. from October to April.

The cost of living in the city of Girona for a student can vary quite a bit depending on what that student is willing to spend, especially insofar as leisure and free time expenses are concerned. In fact, it is important to take into account that although Girona is a very comfortable city, comfort has its price, sometimes quite high.

According to a monthly estimate including only lodging and food, a student will need around €800 minimum to live in Girona.

Lodging

The preceding figure only considers the expense of €350 a month for a shared apartment in an average student flat. Attention: not sharing a flat can be expensive since rents goes from €550 to €1000/month.

€350

The price of student residences, oscillates between €450 and €550/month, expenses not included.

€450 to €550

The rent we have set for a room is quite approximate since, depending on the part of Girona chosen, the flat and the number of rooms it has, the price can vary quite a bit. Our experience shows the rent is almost always equitable with the quality of the flat and its furnishing.

Food

In the €800 established at the beginning, €300 a month were for food.

When doing the weekly shopping, you have to take into account the type of establishment. The small shops, especially in downtown Girona, have very high prices, but the service is good and friendly. The best would be to go once a week to one of the different supermarkets in the outskirts of the city of Girona and do most of the shopping there. For fresh foods like fruit and vegetables, if quality is desired, the best is to go to the municipal marketplace in Calvet i Rubalcaba Square (better known as Plaça del Lleó) on Tuesday and Saturday mornings, or to the outdoor market located next to the Devesa.

If you want to eat good bread, go to the bakery every day and buy a little, otherwise, you will eat it dry.

If you eat out, the daily menu in most restaurants oscillates between €12 to €18. To eat in the bar /restaurant of the Faculty is cheaper €6,50.   

€300 

Transportation

If the distance between your lodging and your faculty or school requires the use of public transportation (bus), it can cost about €30 a month. An option is to find yourself a classmate that drives to class or else ride a bicycle like some students do. All UdG community members can use a university bike  by free  or second hand bicycles can be bought in specialised shops.

€30

Other expenses (materials and photocopies)

As to the cost of materials, like ballpoint pens, felt pens, paper and photocopies, you can spend between €12 and €20 a month, especially on photocopies.

Photocopy center

There is a photocopying center in each  where you can do photocopies with reduced prices and also to buy materials.

€18-20

Free time

In Girona there are four theatres devoted mainly to performances by professional and amateur troupes. Admission to both the plays and musical performances can vary between €12 and €30 depending on the category of the show. They do set special prices for students.

€12 to €30

For the other types of shows, like dances, poetry recitals and others, the price oscillates between €6 and €15.

€6 to €15

The price of admission to the cinema is €8, but on Thursday, which, in some cinemas, is cinema-goer's day, you get in for only €5.50. In some cinemas with a UdG student card the price can be reduced from Monday to Friday. During the weekend the price is €8.

 €5.5 to €8

The price of drinks varies depending on the place and what you drink. In most establishments, mixed drinks cost between €4.50 and €8. The price of beer varies since you can find places where a beer will cost €1.50 and others where they will charge you the same as for a mixed drink. In addition, Girona has places that have institutionalised the “happy hour”, normally between 12 midnight and 1.00 a.m., when, for the price of one drink, you get two.

€3 to €5

In summary, Thursday night, which is Girona University students' night, can end up costing between €15 and €18.

€15 to €18

If you also dine out, it can come to €40.

€40

In short, you can say that the minimum monthly cost is about €800, taking into account that this total cost is calculated on the minimum expenses listed above.