By Plane
Girona's airport, Girona-Costa Brava Airport (GRO), is located about 12 kilometres southwest of the city centre.
Alternatively, you can use Barcelona's El Prat Airport, a hub with more international connections, to get to Girona.
ABOUT GIRONA
City Guide
Enchanted Girona: Feasts for the Senses
Nestled in the northeastern part of Catalonia, Girona will seduce you with its well-preserved medieval quarter, the Barri Vell, with narrow winding streets and historic buildings that tell tales of its past. Some of the neighbourhood's key attractions are the Girona Cathedral and the colourful houses lining the Onyar River.
The city's cultural life is devoted to festivals and artistic events celebrating its Catalan heritage. Gastronomy here is an adventure for the palate, blending traditional Catalan dishes with innovative, awarded culinary techniques. The region is famous for its Michelin-starred restaurants. Still, if you fancy a more rustic dining experience, local trattorias serve hearty stews and fresh seafood, often accompanied by the region's excellent wines.
Discovering Costa Brava: Girona's Coastal Escape
Girona serves as the gateway to the Costa Brava, a stunning coastal region. From Girona, it's easy to access the pristine beaches, picturesque villages, and rugged landscapes that define the Costa Brava, which translates to "Rugged Coast" in English.
Its landscape boasts dramatic cliffs, hidden coves, and pristine beaches washed by the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean Sea. This picturesque coastline has long been a magnet for visitors seeking natural beauty, tranquillity, and outdoor adventures.
Every autumn, Artissima animates the city together with the Contemporary Art Week and Luci d'Artista (Artist's Lights), a series of open-air installations by Italian artists held until January.
The Girona Pyrenees: A Haven Beyond the Shores
The Costa Brava is a favourite vacation spot for tourists who enjoy seaside activities, Mediterranean culture, and coastal scenery. However, those seeking a different experience can head inland to the Girona Pyrenees.
This mountainous region offers crisp alpine air and rugged peaks, perfect for visitors looking to escape the typical tourist path and indulge in outdoor adventures.
Beyond the physical activities, the region is steeped in cultural heritage. Small villages with centuries-old churches and stone houses dot the landscape, each with its own story to tell. Local cuisine also takes a shift from the seafood-dominated dishes of the coast to hearty mountain fare, featuring local meats, cheeses, and the robust flavours of Catalan cooking. For a change of pace, explore The Dalí Triangle, a route connecting three museums dedicated to the surrealist artist.
By Train
From Barcelona: The high-speed trains, including the AVE and Avant trains, can get you to Girona in approximately 38 to 50 minutes.
From Madrid: The travel time is approximately 3.5 to 4 hours, depending on the specific service and the number of stops made en route.
By Car
The most common route from Madrid to Girona is via the A-2 and AP-2 motorways. The journey covers approximately 700 kilometres and typically takes around 6.5 to 7 hours.
From Barcelona, the fastest route to Girona is via the AP-7 motorway. The drive covers 100 kilometres and takes roughly 1 to 1.5 hours.
“As always CONNECT was fantastic, congratulations to all the team and to Karin for the wonderful organisation, missing to be part of the organisation. Fantastic event, fantastic organisation & fantastic people!”
Audrey Gil
Network Development Manager, Cagliari Airport
“Very nicely arranged with proper spreading of breaks and meetings.”
Remon Essers
Transavia Netherlands
“I had more meetings than expected. Very professional and highly effective in a cordial and relaxed environment. A great event!”
Luce Bureau
VP, Air Service Development
“CONNECT is a great format to network with industry professionals and decision-makers. Through our connections at the event, Flyadeal launched 3 routes to Tbilisi International Airport, with 9 frequencies per week.”
UAG Team
United Airports of Georgia
“The meetings were incredibly productive, exceeding my expectations. There was a perfect balance of topics, covering both the challenging and unconventional aspects of the aviation industry. Moreover, the event provided an invaluable opportunity to exchange knowledge and insights with industry peers.”
Jo-Anne Meaux Arends
Aruba Airport Authority
“Phenomenal opportunity to connect with industry leaders and suppliers.”
Camilo Martelo
Spirit Airlines
“Excellent event looking forward to 2024.”
Simon Harley
London Luton Airport
“We performed 60 meetings in three days with the airports we were looking for, it would have took us months to achieve that without CONNECT. We got an excellent return on investment and we ended up having concrete request for commercial proposals. Real value for money!”
Nicolas OSORIO LORA
Senior Consultant, Airbus Consulting
“Perfect, relaxed, and still profitable, business wise…you have to come!!”
Ricardo Rodrigues
Aviation Marketing Manager, ANA Airports: Porto Airport
“Good meetings and good networking with relevant people for our business. Hopefully, we can come again to CONNECT.”
Joao Pita
GRU Airport
“During the event we had a lot of scheduled and unscheduled meetings, giving us many opportunities to meet with airport delegates. Thank you for the help and support!”
Eda Ermert
Network Development Analyst, Turkish Airlines
“The CONNECT format, with a limited number of participants, created the perfect environment for networking. And the location itself was exceptional. I can’t recall any other event where I felt so inspired to kickstart new routes, but Santa Domingo did just that.”
Gökhan Dölek
iGA Istanbul Airport
“The event proved to be a valuable opportunity for us to consolidate meetings with our existing airline partners and connect with a few key service providers we collaborate with. Additionally, engaging in conversations with various airports brought about interesting insights. While my primary expectation was centered around networking, I found the event to be a valuable platform for fostering meaningful professional relationships.”
Aline Boitel
Hahn Air Lines
“It was the best route networking event I've ever attended. Apart from the success of the meetings we had, the accommodation, the food, the entertainment was magnificent.”
Tayfun Basak
Marketing Manager, Tailwind Airlines
“Our onsite meetings were trebled with help from the CONNECT team, and we are more than satisfied with these discussions, that are the beginning of long conversations opened up for the future.”
Olivier Moulis
Director, Brive Airport
“Once again there has been a great hospitality and cordial atmosphere, with a meticulous attention to detail in arranging every possible thing for the participants. Everyone who matters in the European market was here.”
Max Oldorf,
CCO, ch-aviation
“CONNECT New World was, in my opinion, a fantastic, necessary and useful initiative.”
Gustavo Vaca
Aviareps
“We had more than 35 formal meetings held with Airports, Airlines and have turned Business Cases discussed at last year’s CONNECT into reality, launching routes such as BUD, ROM and ZIA.”
Igor Aptsiauri
Commercial Director, Myway Airlines
“The venue was great, the meetings were long enough, the location and events were superb, the general ambiance was really pleasurable.”
Olgierd Szylejko
Network Strategy & Business Development, LOT Polish Airlines
“I managed to have over 20 scheduled meetings with current and potential airline partners”
Piotr Lenarczyk
Aeronautical Services Sales Manager, Polish Airports State Enterprise
“A fantastically organised event down to the tiniest details. It was my first time at CONNECT and I was thoroughly impressed. I could not have imagined a better way to resume networking in person!”
Anjana Balwalli
Senior Manager Network & Airport Relations, Eurowings Discover
“Definitely a "must attend" aviation conference during our calendar year.”
Marek Pierscinski
Lublin Airport
“The experience was excellent before and during the event; thank you very much for your effort. Keep going!”
Andres Fernandez
La Romana Airport
“I had better outcomes than expected in the meetings I had and the networking events were very good.”
Jennifer Newman
VINCI Airports: London Gatwick Airport
“I am happy and proud to have been part of the inaugural event! I am confident that future New World events will help further explore the untapped potential of this underserved region and open up newer opportunities to connect aviation, tourism and economies.”
Anjana Balwalli
Eurowings Discover
“I had 2 contracts confirmed after the first day and am now in serious talks with potential customers regarding other contracts. A successful event for me!”
Victor Akunov
CEO, Fly2Russia
“Your availability, your interest in your clients, your friendliness and your flexibility amount to the best possible loyalty program anyone could provide.”
Emily James
Aéroport Pau Pyrenées
“Tangier was a good choice for this year Connect. Event well organised with chance for number of meetings in a nice atmosphere. Everything was not "overwhelming". Good organisation of meetings in Business Lounge.”
Radoslaw Wloszek
Krakow Airport
“CONNECT is a well organised event with a friendly yet professional atmosphere. It is an important part of Newcastle International Airport’s calendar of engagement with current and prospective airline partners.”
Leon McQuaid
Head of Aviation Development, Newcastle Airport
“An excellent 3 days full of meetings and great networking events. A very good opportunity to meet airports we would not have thought about creating brainstorming opportunities.”
Alexandra Grondin
TAP Air Portugal
