* train to Girona
Posted by Lew Weinstein on February 28, 2007
Our Ryanair flight to Dublin leaves from Girona in Spain. To get to the Girona airport, we train from Collioure to Port Bou, just across the Spanish border, then from Port Bou to Girona, and then by shuttle bus from the train station to the airport. It’s not the easiest of trips, especially with (too much) luggage.
The train from Collioure to Port Bou is a few minutes late, which is unusual. French trains are usually precisely on time. The delay had to do with a defective air conditioner. Unfortunately, they didn’t get it fixed, and it’s over 90 degrees outside, with no circulation inside. The good news is that it’s only a 20 minute ride to Port Bou.
In Port Bou, we buy our tickets to Girona. Buying tickets separately seems to be much less expensive than purchasing the through ticket in Collioure. I don’t know why.There’s a wait in Port Bou but the station has a relatively nice café.
A young lady offers to share her table. She’s a musician who plays viola for the BBC Orchestra, on her way to Girona to mentor a young people’s orchestra giving a concert next week. The train to Girona is also without air conditioning, but the conversation is good and the hour goes quickly, except for another 20 minute delay at some dusty stop with no station.
At the Girona train station, we catch the (air conditioned) shuttle bus to the airport.
TRAVEL with pat and lew 
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Catherine Vila said
Hi, there is now an easier way to get to Girona Airport from France. Frogbus.com has 6 daily return trips from Perpignan to Girona Airport stopping at Le Boulou. Tickets are from 5€ only each way and can be booked online at http://www.frogbus.com
patandlewtravel said
LYNN
We spent a wonderful home exchange month in Western Australia last October, so we know how far it is. This will be the subject of postings yet to come.
Regarding backtracking to Perpignan, for now it doesn’t help, because it’s almost always the same train, coming back through Collioure on the way to Port Bou, and you still have to transfer at Port Bou. That transfer is necessary in part because there are different gauge rail in France and Spain.
This may change when the fast train from Paris to Barcelona is completed, If that train stops in Girona on the way to Barcelona, and doesn’t stop in Collioure, then the fastest way would indeed be Collioure->Perpignan->Girona.
LEW
lynn davies said
Hi Pat and Lew
My husband and I read with interest about your life in Collioure and we vicariously live through the excitement you have – as we too bought a little cottage there last year and have been through similar experiences. We live in Australia – so the trips are few and far between – but we hope to change that in the future. I am interested to know if you have tried to get to Girona by backtracking to Perpignan and then gettting a more direct faster train? We have found the route you discussed (Cerbere/Port Bou) a bit of a nuisance and wondered if starting from Perpignan would improve things?? Take care and enjoy the wonderful life that Collioure and it surrounds offer. Yours Lynn Davies