Car with a driver on the Costa Brava

A car with a driver on the Costa Brava is priced per car, not per person: a private run from Girona-Costa Brava Airport (GRO) to Lloret de Mar starts at €59 for up to four passengers, a transfer from Barcelona-El Prat (BCN) to Palamós starts at €180, and a sightseeing trip with the driver waiting starts at €80. Below: fares by format, airport tables, day routes, hourly hire, vehicles, surcharges and the booking terms to check.

What a driver costs here

Chauffeured trips along this coast come in three formats: a one-way run between two points, a route where the driver waits while you look around, and time billed by the hour. Each is quoted per vehicle.

Market prices by format

What changes the quote

• Passengers: prices are set in three bands — 1–4, 5–6 and 7–8 people. From GRO to Lloret de Mar that means €59, €70 or €85.
• Distance from the terminal: Lloret de Mar costs from €59, Roses from €125 and Cadaqués from €150.
• Time of day: metered taxis switch to a separate night and holiday rate, and estimated prices can change at night and on holidays.
• Luggage: one operator's estimates change with the number of suitcases, and metered rides add €1 per large case.
• Fixed or estimated: some fares are given as estimates, so a closed price agreed before departure removes the guesswork.
• Group maths: for eight people the Lloret run costs €26 more than for four, yet split eight ways it comes to under €11 each.

Prices on the car cards below

The cards on this page show the daily price for renting the car and driving it yourself; that figure does not include a driver, so it is not the cost of a chauffeured trip. The cards help in another way: they show the classes and models on offer, from seven-seat minivans to SUVs, which is useful when you describe the vehicle you want in a request. For a trip with a driver, give the route, the date, the number of passengers and the luggage, and compare the answer with the market prices above.

Transfers from Girona and Barcelona airports

Fares below are per car, one way, by passenger band.

Fares from GRO

Fares from BCN

Which arrival point suits your resort

If your airline offers both, compare the ticket difference with the road price: for four people heading to Lloret de Mar, landing at GRO saves €141 on the drive alone (€200 − €59), and €282 if the return leg costs the same. For Roses the saving is €175 each way. Ask for both legs in one quote, so the pickup time for departure is planned against your flight. Estimates run from €90 to GRO and from €200 to BCN for vehicles of up to eight seats.

Meeting the driver

• Name sign: the driver meets you after baggage reclaim, holding a sign with your name.
• Flight tracking: operators follow the arrival flight, and the driver waits if it is delayed.
• What the fare covers: one service states that its price includes taxes, tolls, parking and waiting time after the flight lands.
• Your part: give the flight number and the number of passengers and suitcases when you book.

Sightseeing trips and hourly hire

Away from the airports, a local operator sells fixed sightseeing routes from a resort and waits on site while you visit. The prices below start in Palamós and are approximate.

Route prices with waiting time

How hourly hire works

Hiring a private driver on the Costa Brava by the hour works differently from a route price. One international service books an English-speaking driver for 2 to 14 hours, with 40 km included for every hour: 80 km for two hours, 320 km for eight and 560 km for fourteen. Its hourly price is not stated. A local taxi operator also takes hourly work and jobs with waiting, quoted by email. The only set time-based figure is the waiting hour on the taxi meter — €19 at one operator and €24.84 at another — which shows what an unplanned long stop adds to a metered ride.

What the route prices tell you

Duration and price do not move together. The Empúries ruins cost €180 for an hour and a half, while Girona costs €140 for two hours, and Barcelona €240 for two and a half. Compare the routes by price rather than by length, and ask what the stated time covers: the drive only, or the drive plus the visit. Short village routes are the cheapest way to try the format. Treat each figure as an opening estimate and ask for a closed price for your exact plan.

What a route price leaves out

• Entrance tickets: museum and site admission is paid separately; a customer of one service noted that admission at the stops was not in the ride price.
• Approximate figures: route prices are estimates, so ask for a closed price before setting off.
• Longer visits: the driver waits if you want to stay longer, but agree the time before the trip.
• Starting point: the routes above start in Palamós; from another resort the distance changes the quote.

Choosing the vehicle and packing

Vehicle choice comes down to people and bags. Prices already follow the passenger band, so the vehicle choice settles the cost.

Sedan or minivan

Luggage, bikes and pets

• Standard allowance: one service includes one suitcase and one carry-on per passenger; extra or oversized luggage is added at booking.
• Large cases on the meter: one taxi operator adds €1 per large suitcase.
• Bikes and group luggage: a taxi in Cadaqués carries bicycles and luggage for hiking groups in a vehicle for 1–7 people.
• Pets: one taxi operator accepts them for €1.

Child seats

Child seats are offered on request by several services, and one transfer operator on the coast lists them among its amenities next to air conditioning, multilingual drivers and card payment. Ask for the seat when you book and give each child's age, so the right seat is in the vehicle at pickup.

Night, weekend and other surcharges

Metered taxi rides and estimated prices move with the clock and the calendar, while fixed tables state one figure per vehicle.

When the night rate applies

Small supplements on metered rides

• Terminal pickup: €3.10 on the meter at one operator.
• Larger vehicle: €3.10 for a minivan for 5–8 passengers, or €3.47 for more than four seats.
• Large suitcase: €1 each.
• Pets: €1.
• Stacked extras: on a metered ride, a group of six with four large cases leaving the terminal adds €3.10 + €3.10 + €4 = €10.20.

Booking, payment and a checklist

Booking terms differ between operators. These are the conditions that appear on the market, followed by six checks for any quote.

Payment and cancellation

• Closed price: two taxi operators name the price before departure and state there are no hidden extras.
• Paying the driver: one operator takes cash or card from the driver on arrival.
• Cancellation windows: one international service cancels free up to 24 hours before departure; an airport transfer service, up to 48 hours before pickup.

Six checks before you confirm

• Price unit: confirm the price is per vehicle, one way, for your passenger band.
• Fixed or estimate: ask whether the figure is closed or approximate.
• Time of day: check whether a night, weekend or holiday rate applies.
• Bags and extras: list suitcases, bikes, child seats and pets.
• Waiting: ask how long the driver waits and what each extra hour costs.
• Flight or train number: give it at booking so the pickup follows the real arrival.