Welcome Pickups Tour from Barcelona to Costa Brava
See the best that this special coast has to offer by exploring it in style with this popular day trip from Welcome Pickups. Your tour will begin with a pickup from your chosen location by your friendly, English-speaking, local driver. After a brief introduction, you and your driver will head out along the coastal highway to the stunning region known today as the Costa Brava. You will pass small beaches with patches of wild nature, rocky cliff faces, quaint fishing villages, and medieval towns. Throughout the tour, your driver will be your guide, giving you insight into the local history and culture, pointing out the best places to visit. You will also be advised of some great photo opportunities. Welcome Pickups’ drivers are locals and very knowledgable of the places visited. They will provide extended historical information about the places and their local tips to help you get the feeling of the Catalonian way of life.
Recommended Tour Stops
The tour to Costa Brava from Barcelona is comprised of a number of recommended stops but is yours and you can customise it and stop off anywhere in the region you wish to, within the duration total. Just let the driver know when you set off.
- Platja de Fenals
- Platja de Canyelles
- Cala Futadera
- Platja El Golfet
- Cala Pedrosa
- Girona
The overall duration of the tour is 7 hours, and it can accommodate from a solo traveler to a group of 8 passengers.
Photos (7)
Welcome Pickups Tour Photos from Costa Brava
How Much Will It Cost?
The basic cost of the Welcome Pickups day trip is €400 for a group of 1-4 people, €515 for a group of 5-8 people. These price differences reflect the larger vehicles used to accommodate the larger group sizes. These prices do not include meals or entrance fees to any attractions.
Where Do I Get It From?
Your tour with Welcome Pickups fits around your schedule and so you can arrange to be picked up from whichever location you prefer in the centre of Barcelona, at the time of your choosing. This might be at your accommodation, a restaurant or a site of interest, it is entirely up to you. When you book the tour, just add the prefered location and the driver will be informed automatically where to pick you up from. Similarly, your drop-off point will be wherever you nominate in the city centre at the end of the tour.
Convenience
A day trip from Welcome Pickups is designed to be the best tour from the very beginning to the end, with the utmost convenience in mind. Your friendly, English-speaking driver will be your guide, as well as your friend on the ground. You are picked up from where and when you choose, in a comfy modern vehicle. All your needs are covered on-board, including Wi-Fi. You will learn a lot along the way and pick up some tips for your entire holiday that only locals know about. Your tour is customisable for you to be able to go where you want most, making it the safest, most comfortable, personal and flexible experience possible.
Editor’s Note
There are lots of excellent opportunities to go swimming on the Costa Brava, so bring your swimsuits with you. Some beaches are better for families, whereas others for couples, so get the best recommendation from your driver.
Organised Coach Trip from Barcelona to Costa Brava
There are many options for various day tours to Costa Brava from Barcelona via organized coach tour providers. These tours often involve an excursion, with a large group of around 50 people, to various popular locations in the Costa Brava. Different tours also revolve around certain themes. These include seeing the beaches, the medieval villages and towns, snorkeling and kayaking, or the Costa Brava with a nearby town such as Figueres or Girona. Some tours are also specifically for smaller groups. The tours include a tour guide on board and are available in a variety of languages. The duration of the tour depends on which tour you choose, but this starts from 8 hours and can be up to 12 hours from there.
Coach Tour
How Much Does It Cost?
The cost of an organized coach day tour from Barcelona to Costa Brava can vary a lot in cost. Firstly, the large range of tours all come at different prices. These may then be subject to increases, depending on the time of year they are booked for and how far in advance you book your tour. The minimum starting price is €56 per person, but many cost closer to €90 per person.
How Often Do They Run?
Due to the number and variety of tours being offered, there will be tours running daily throughout the whole year. However, certain Costa Brava tours are limited to a fewer number of days of the week. Saturdays are a popular day of the week that most tours operate on. Each tour runs once per day.
Convenience
There is a lot of variety in the Costa Brava tours, so you are likely to find a tour with a focus that will appeal to you. There are many leaving daily from the centre of Barcelona and they include a tour guide on board. However, tours are restricted by the large groups that are typically present on the coach, as well as the schedule, limiting flexibility in where you visit and for how long.
Editor’s Note
If you have members of your group who have certain language requirements, there are a number of tours that operate in various languages.
Public Bus from Barcelona to Costa Brava
One of the common methods to get from Barcelona to Costa Brava is the public transport around the region of Catalonia which is a network of intercity buses. Barcelona is a transport hub and there are a number of buses that run to towns in the region of the Costa Brava, such as to Blanes, Lloret de Mar and Tossa de Mar. Between these towns are a series of low-cost public buses that take passengers between them throughout the day. This option does not include any tour guides. As many guides of the Costa Brava operate out of Girona, you could alternatively take the bus there to meet up with a tour guide.
Bus Station in Spain
Where Do the Buses Leave from?
Buses headed northwards to regions such as the Costa Brava leave from the central bus terminal Barcelona Estacio Nord. This is located close to the Arc de Triomf and is easily accessible via metro. Alternatively, it is a 17-minute walk from Placa de Catalunya. The bus stations at the various towns in Costa Brava are in central locations and have buses leaving to the other towns from there.
How Often Do They Leave?
There are around 5 buses per day, heading to each of the destinations in the Costa Brava and 5 headed back. The limitation of these is that there are only a few buses in the morning to the locations in total. The schedule for the specific destinations and back can be checked from the Barcelona Nord website.
Convenience
Taking the public bus is undoubtedly the cheapest option, and it is a good way to reach some of the nice towns of Costa Brava. However, there are very few buses per day, particularly in the morning. This option makes it difficult to explore any of the smaller, wilder parts of the coast and limits you to the towns.
Editor’s Note
If you are interested in visiting Tossa de Mar for the medieval architecture or Lloret de Mar for the upbeat atmosphere, this option is fine. You will be limited and find it difficult to explore the rest of the region taking public transport.
Private Car Hire from Barcelona to Costa Brava
Having your own privately hired car will give you a lot of flexibility for exploring the Costa Brava and making the day trip from Barcelona as autonomous as possible. You will be able to stop off at whichever town, village or beach you prefer and set off on your own schedule and return when you want. Some of the roads in that area are small, so having a car is a great way to get around. There are car rental outlets all around Barcelona, with many close to Placa de Catalunya, Barcelona Sants train station and at the El-Prat airport. The drive from Barcelona to the heart of the Costa Brava will take around an hour and a half.
Cost of Hiring a Car
There is lots of variability in the cost of hiring a car, as it depends on the company you use, your age, if you book online, the time of year it is, which vehicle you choose, your driving history and more. That being said, we can say that there will be a baseline of about €50 for hiring a starter model car. Cars can be hired on the website of your chosen company, or in the rental shop.
On top of the hire cost you will have to pay for fuel to and around the Costa Brava and back, plus tolls along the way and parking in the towns. For the whole trip you may pay approximately €100. There is also often a large deposit charge when hiring a car, which can be upwards of €200. You will need to pay for the entrance fee to all attractions. Furthermore, you may also want to hire a licensed tour guide to take you on a tour of the Costa Brava. See the section above for more details.
Convenience
Being a popular way of getting around, hiring a car is very easy and convenient in a popular tourist destination like Barcelona. From there, it is really nice to be able to explore the Catalan coastline to the Costa Brava and see this exciting area on your own schedule. Yet, the cost can be very high for renting a car, particularly in peak season. Having your own car also means you miss out on having a tour guide, unless you hire one at an extra cost.
Editor’s Note
The roads around the Costa Brava can be particularly hilly and winding, with very few barriers on the edge. If you are with someone who finds such drives difficult in the car, make sure you come prepared.
Local Taxi from Barcelona to Costa Brava
Barcelona is a major European city with a large number of taxis available. These taxis are well-regulated and are a convenient way to get around. You can easily identify them by their black outer with yellow doors and taxi signs on top. If the taxi is available, there will be a fluorescent green light in the window switched on. Organizing a taxi can be a flexible way to get to the Costa Brava from Baxelona any time you like, as taxis are available throughout the day.
How Much Does It Cost?
The cost of a taxi depends on the day of the week and the time of the day. The cost begins with a fixed amount of €2.25 or €3.25 on weekends, and a cost of €1.17 per km, €1.41 after 8pm and €1.31 on weekends. The one-hour waiting fee is €22.40. A minimum of 210km will be driven there and back, plus tolls and waiting times, which will result in the taxi journey costing at least €290. It could also be a lot more to see many parts of the Costa Brava.
Convenience
Although in theory it is a convenient way to get about the Costa Brava via taxi, it may result as a very expensive option and with many limitations. Choosing any taxi driver does not guarantee quality of service and there is no tour guide included in this option, further limiting your experience. You will also have to be certain that your taxi will wait for you so you can be sure you will return.
Editor’s Note
If you have any difficulties regarding the experience with your driver, you can request a receipt as they are legally required to give you one on request. The AMB taxi department handles any complaints you may have. Tipping is not expected for drivers in Spain.
