Driving on the Costa Brava: roads, parking and rules

Your licence

Licences from the EU and the EEA are valid in Spain until they expire, and no International Driving Permit is needed. For licences from outside the EU, the Spanish traffic authority (DGT) recommends getting an International Driving Permit before the trip and carrying it together with your passport and national licence.

Speed limits and toll-free motorways

The limit is 120 km/h on motorways such as the AP-7, A-2, C-32 and C-33, and 90 km/h on ordinary roads such as the GI-614, GI-682 and C-260. Since 1 September 2021 the whole AP-7 from Vila-seca to La Jonquera, the C-32 along the Maresme (the road from Barcelona to Blanes and Lloret) and the C-33 have been free of tolls; the Catalan toll roads that remain in 2026 are not on Costa Brava routes.

The Girona low emission zone

Since 15 September 2025 Girona has a low emission zone around the centre and the Barri Vell, active on working days from Monday to Friday, 7:00–20:00. It restricts vehicles without a DGT environmental sticker that are not registered in Girona, and cameras read the number plates. Spanish rental cars carry the sticker, so they can enter.

Parking and fuel

• Girona blue zone: €1.20 an hour, up to 2 hours, Monday to Saturday 9:30–13:00 and 16:00–20:00.
• Lloret de Mar, Can Lloranes car park: 160 spaces, about €15 a day from 23 June to 11 September and free the rest of the year.
• Lloret de Mar, Avinguda Alegries park-and-ride: 200 spaces from 15 June to 15 September, free for stays over 12 hours, with a free bus to the centre.

On 24 September 2026 fuel on the coast averaged €1.956 a litre for 95 petrol and €1.932 for diesel.