Girona's 2026 Old Town Is for Walking, Not Driving In
Girona, Spain · ZBE
Girona's ZBE refuses only cars with no DGT label, on working weekdays 07:00-20:00 (fine EUR 200). The walled Barri Vell is pedestrian: park across the river and walk.
Can your car enter Girona?
Girona’s old town, the Barri Vell, climbs inside medieval walls that visitors can still walk along, looking down over the cathedral, the Call (one of Europe’s best-preserved Jewish quarters) and the colourful houses lining the Onyar river. The stepped lanes inside are largely pedestrian, so leave the car in a garage across the river. The city’s low-emission zone matters only for older cars: since 15 September 2025 it refuses vehicles with no DGT label on working weekdays, 07:00 to 20:00, and admits labels 0, ECO, C and B at any time.
This page covers driving around Girona. For the emission classes and zone boundary, see the Girona ZBE details.
The ZBE in practice
A car with no label may still enter on up to 24 days a year once it is entered in the municipal register. The fine is EUR 200, halved to EUR 100 if paid within 20 days. Foreign-registered cars meeting the equivalent emission standards can be authorised through the same register. Evenings, weekends and public holidays are outside the scheme.
Park on the edge, walk the walls
The stepped lanes of the Barri Vell and the Call are pedestrian: park in a garage across the river and walk in. You can walk the medieval city walls for views over the cathedral and rooftops. Spain’s limits: 30 km/h on streets with one lane each way, 50 km/h where there are two or more, 0.05% alcohol (0.03% in the first two years of a licence).
An easy Barcelona trip
Girona is a short high-speed train ride from Barcelona. Keep the car for the Costa Brava, the medieval villages and Dalí’s Figueres, driven from a peripheral garage.
Sources
- Ajuntament de Girona, ZBE frequently asked questions
- Real Decreto 970/2020 (urban speed limits), BOE
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Frequently Asked Questions
Girona's ZBE has applied since 15 September 2025 on working weekdays, 07:00-20:00. Cars with DGT label 0, ECO, C or B enter freely; a car with no label is refused, except for up to 24 days a year once it is entered in the municipal register. The fine is EUR 200, halved to EUR 100 if paid within 20 days. Foreign-registered cars that meet the equivalent emission standards can be authorised through the city's ZBE register. The stepped, largely pedestrian old town means parking on the edge and walking is the easy approach regardless.
Mostly no. The medieval old town (Barri Vell), including the famous Jewish quarter (the Call) with its narrow stepped lanes, is largely pedestrian and not built for cars. It climbs to the cathedral with its vast single-nave staircase. Park in a garage on the edge of the old town, across the river, and walk in — the historic centre is compact and best explored on foot.
Yes — Girona has well-preserved medieval and Roman-era city walls (the Passeig de la Muralla) that you can walk along, with towers and viewpoints looking over the old town, the cathedral and out to the surrounding hills. It's one of the highlights, free and on foot. Together with the riverside houses and the Jewish quarter, it makes the compact old town a place to explore slowly without a car.
Very — it's about 40 minutes from Barcelona by high-speed train, making it a popular day trip, and it's close to Barcelona's secondary airport. By car it's a straightforward run up the AP-7 motorway. Many visitors come for the day to see the old town, the river houses and the Game of Thrones filming spots. A car helps for combining Girona with the Costa Brava coast and the Catalan countryside.
Not for the city — the compact walled old town is walkable, and Girona is a quick train ride from Barcelona. A car helps for exploring beyond — the Costa Brava beaches and coves, the medieval villages of the interior, the Pyrenees foothills, and Dalí's Figueres nearby — driven from a peripheral garage rather than used in the pedestrian old town.
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