Girona-Costa Brava Airport — Girona, Spain

For years a favorite of European budget carriers, GRO built its reputation as a low-cost alternative to Barcelona, sitting roughly ninety kilometers northeast of that city while marketing itself directly to travelers bound for the beaches of the Costa Brava. Ryanair's long-standing base at the airport turned it into a major entry point for British and other northern European tourists seeking sun, and the surrounding Girona region offers its own draws, including a well-preserved medieval old town with a Jewish quarter and Gothic cathedral. Passenger volumes have fluctuated with shifting airline strategies over the years, occasionally dipping as carriers reallocated capacity toward other Spanish airports, but Girona remains a functioning secondary gateway to Catalonia. Ground transport connects the airport to both Girona city and, less directly, to Barcelona itself.